How to Shoot in Manual Mode on your Camera

Shooting in manual mode is the best way to gain full control over the look of your photos. Choosing the right settings is more than just properly exposing your photo. By adjusting the shutter speed, ISO, and aperture, you can creatively affect the look of each photo.

Every image comprises a shutter speed, aperture, and ISO.

Simply put, the shutter speed controls how long the camera's sensor is exposed to light. The longer the shutter speed, the more light hits the sensor, and the more motion blur can be captured. Shorter shutter speeds are generally used to freeze motion.

The aperture controls how open or closed the lens blades are while shooting. Opening your aperture (lower number) allows more light to hit the sensor and also increases background blur. This is ideal for things like portraits and product imagery, where you'd want the subject to stand out from its surroundings. On the other hand, closing the aperture down (higher number) will increase the depth of field, allowing you to achieve an image that is sharp from front to back. Generally, landscape photographers like to close their aperture down to achieve more of their image in focus.

Lastly, the ISO controls how much (if any) light is added to the image. The higher the ISO, the more light is added. However, this has a drawback: You'll experience increasing noise levels as you raise the ISO. It is generally recommended to leave your ISO at your camera's base ISO (usually between 64 and 125) unless you absolutely must raise it.

Balance these three settings, and you'll be taking the perfect exposures in no time!

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