Shooting in Manual Mode

Set the top dial to Manual and let’s get this party started!

 

Set the ISO

Exercise: Set the ISO to 1600

 

 

Set the Aperture

Exercise: Set the Aperture (f stop) to 5.6

 

 

Set the Shutter Speed

Exercise: Set the Shutter Speed to 1/4000

 

 

 

Lets take some test shots

• Find a subject that you can shoot over and over again. A vase of flowers, a pop bottle, a pillow…it really doesn’t matter
• Ensure your top dial is set to M for Manual mode
• ISO is set to 1600
• Aperture is set to 5.6
• Shutter Speed is 1/4000

Exercise: Shoot a control shot of your sample subject (Hint: The image will be very dark, likely black)

 

Adjust the Shutter Speed to change exposure

• When you take the first test shot at these settings, your image will be completely black. This is a predictable result as the shutter speed is so fast that the shutter is not open long enough to allow light into the camera
• Now, adjust your shutter speed to be twice as long. 1/2000 of a second.
• Continue shooting and adjusting the shutter speed to the following settings: 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15 and 1/8.

Exercise: Adjust the shutter speed, using the cheat sheet, from 1/4000 of a second to 1/8 second. This will be 10 shots.

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The Process  –  IAS

Process is important here. In every shooting situation, you want to set the ISO first, Aperture Second and Shutter Speed Third.

ISO – APERTURE – SHUTTER SPEED

Exercise: Now, lets get some practice. Find anything in your room. It really doesn’t matter what it is (mug, plant, pet, food, shoes…you get the idea) and take shots of 20 or 30 subjects. The goal here is to adjust the shutter speed to get correctly exposed images.

Hint: if the colour is goofy yellow, check out the lesson on White Balance.

Hint 2: Don’t be too worried about blurred images at this point, we are mainly concerned with getting correctly exposed images. 

Hint 3: You do not need to adjust the ISO or the Aperture. You only need to adjust the Shutter Speed.