Manual help

A

Alladin121

Suspended / Banned
Messages
709
Name
Louise
Edit My Images
Yes
Hey everyone,

Im going out to take some portraits of my godchildren today, were going to the forest and i want to go fully manual but last time i didnt get it quite right :( so its clear blue skies and sun here whats a good gage to start on?
Thank you :D
 
It all depends exactly what you're trying to achieve really. There's no good gauge really as we can't know what the lighting where you'll be stood is like. I'm not sure on your experience with photography, so I'll apologise profusely if this comes across as patronising, but it's worth learning exactly how adjusting shutter speed/ISO/aperture affects your exposure, and the effects the aperture will have on your depth of field.

Personally, I'd play about with the aperture priority to ensure you get some good shots. If you're really keen on playing with manual, then keep in mind some of the shutter speeds the camera is dictating, and then switch to manual using some similar settings, and bracket the exposure (higher and lower shutters/apertures). Play about with the different metering modes too, as this will determine how the auto settings on the camera expose the image.

I only use manual if I can't achieve what I want with the auto settings. It's better to come away with the shot, rather than come away with the attempt in manual mode.

Hope that helps! :)
 
Alladin121 said:
Hey everyone,

Im going out to take some portraits of my godchildren today, were going to the forest and i want to go fully manual
Click to expand...

Er, why? There are good reasons for using manual exposure at the right time. The right time is, for most people, when the light doesn't change too much. My experience of forests is that the amount of light and shade is always varying.

Try Av mode and fiddle with exposure compensation. That's less likely to give total failure as a result.
 
i would say don't worry about settings at all. you sound like a beginner. just stick it on matrix metering and program auto and practice and play with compositions and capturing great moments. that will give you the best results of the day. in my opinion of course :)
 
Hey everyone,

Im a bit confused i thought the idea was to get to know your camera inside out and be able to use manual and not rely on the other settings?? I have a good eye for composition I know that and now id like to back that by using manual, ive been using auto, p and av for the last two years and want to feel confident knowing that my skill can master manual??
I seem to have gotten abit confused maybe ill just stick to what im doing! :/
 
I'm not entirely sure what point your starting out from.. but the first step to using manual is some desktop reading.. making sure you understand the triangular relationsip between aperture, shutter speed and ISO and how changing each of these parameters affects the overall exposure.

If you've got a grip on this, and you're used to selecting the aperture in Av mode for creative effect.. then Manual is very straightforward and just needs practice. Treat it as a "manual Av" mode.

If you've got the time to experiment with Manual then go for it, what I think the others are suggesting is that if you've got one afternoon, changing light levels and subjects that may or may not have the patience to wait whilst you adjust settings then Av or Tv modes are just as effective as manual.

But if you're asking "what's a good setting to start from".. then all that can be said is to start with the aperture you'd use in Av mode and select an ISO that puts the shutter speed into a range suitable for handholding at the focal length you're using. Other than that there are far too many unknown variables to give anything precise.
 
Last edited:
Hi. Even someone as well known as Annabel Williams recommends using ISO400, f5.6 and AV mode when shooting kids. I would recommend fiddling with manual mode when you've lots of time (i.e. still life when the stuff won't go away anytime soon).
 
Hey thank you for the feedback! I was looking for a pointer in the right direction and i think carol you answered the question i was asking, was just looking for some guidance, rather than stick to auto. Will try those settings next time :D Thank you everyone else, will stick to manual in a safe environment :D
 
I shoot full manual and my method is as follows:

1) Set the aperture I want - basically for depth of field; do I want creative blur in the background or do I need to get a lot of the scene in focus
2) Set the shutter speed I need - 1/focal length as a minimum speed. Around 1/125 for people, faster for moving subjects etc
3) Now adjust the ISO so that I get the correct exposure. I'll go as high as I need to, noise is of no great concern.

So you see, the ISO is what I use for the correct exposure, aperture and shutter speed are for the two other concerns I mentioned. Once dialled in for a scene, I usually change the shutter speed most often.
 
I tend to do what Ram does. Personally speaking I just find I prefer the results when I go manual. I made 2 posts in the Portrait section yesterday (Sat night). One was using lights at home, so didnt really touch the controls once they were set up and the other, in a wood with variable (although generally not a lot of) light. After a couple of test shots, I know that I had to keep at f2.8 pretty much and as I was anything between 70mm and 120mm I guess, needed to have shutter no lower than 1/100, ideally 1/125. If I used flash I could bump to maybe 1/200. In this case it was the ISO I was changing, sometimes 400, then 1600.

I have been shooting in manual mainly for a month or so and once you get used to it you can change very quickly.

I suggest you take a few in Auto or A / Av (whatever you use normally) and then experiment with Manual.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top