manateescrubber

If time is not a factor, when you shoot in any of the automatic modes and the overall exposure is too light, too dark, too blurry, too sharp, to great a depth of field, too little depth of field changing any of the camera settings and reshooting the shot will result in the same shot. The camera will make the adjustments to get you to the same place. In manual mode, after taking the shot, and looking at the histogram, you can make any adjustment you feel will enhance the photo, and only that adjustment will change. You can hone in on the perfect exposure for that situation.

Flash Falasca Loc: Beverly Hills, Florida

Right

heyjoe Loc: cincinnati ohio

i do

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

Hey - I shoot dragon flies in aperture mode - wide open which is which is 5.6 on Nikon's 70-300VR. To get the shutter speed I need I up the ISO to 1000 or 1200.

BboH Loc: s of 2/21, Ellicott City, MD

Im use whatever mode that seem best to fit the circumstances.I use manual when, as a previous post somewhat said, the scene si such that I think I may want to play with the settings

profpb Loc: Venice, Florida

No one tells me how to shoot. I learn and experience photography everyday from many sources. I shoot all modes experimenting with each under a variety of conditions, subjects and equipment.

It took me seven decades to find this passion and I fully understand I will never finish learning, experimenting, and enjoying the journey. Photography is not a final destination with rules. Don't confuse suggestions and hints with absolute procedures.

Study, but just do it. And as long as there are two people there will be different ways of doing it.

Croce Loc: Earth

I only use manual mode in special situations: When using flash, when shooting panos, when shooting astros etc. and even then I take initial readings from my camera meter or a handheld before deciding which manual settings to use. I usually shoot in aperture preferred mode. Why pay several thousand dollars for a camera and then use it like a box camera? Makes no sense at all.

Julian Loc: Sarasota, FL

I learned photography by understanding light and shooting in manual mode. I own a Leica M9 which allows and forces me to step up or move back in order the frame the desired image and to adjust its settings to my liking. It gives me a great pleasure to know, when I see the final results, that I was in full control and that my ability to manipulate focus, shutter timing and aperture, indeed contributed to a great shot.

By the same token, I drive a Ferrari equipped with a most sophisticated tracking control system which keeps the driver out of trouble in extremely twisting roads and hard driving conditions; fortunately, this feature can be disabled by the flip of a switch. It is always in the “off” position. I like to be in control.

Cheers,

Archy Loc: Lake Hamilton, Florida

Shooting in manual mode is all about choices……………..8-)

alggomas Loc: Wales, United Kingdom.

There is no need to shoot in any particular mode.
However IF you want to learn about exposure, F stops and the like ,shooting in manual or any of the other settings will help you. An example would be a prop aeroplane. If you shoot on auto [and some other settings] the camera will freeze the props. Making it look as though it is stuck in the air. However if you use a shutter speed of say 1/125 the plane will be sharp but the props will be blurred showing it is moving.
You may want to be a bit creative. So you deliberatly blurr focus just enough to show, say the shape and pattern of a boat. Does not have to be pin sharp.
Another thing I have found if shooting on auto at night or dusk. The picture on the screen [after taking], does not look the same as what you are seeing.
So baisically you shoot in any way you like with a fully auto camera. It is your camera, your choice. There is no right or wrong way as long as you are happy!

glojo Loc: South Devon, England

All those that are suggesting they always use manual mode whenever they use a camera must surely be taking pictures in an environment where they have complete control over every aspect of the shoot?

Is anyone here suggesting they use COMPLETE Manual mode when taking pictures of flies, insect or birds that are free to flutter wherever they want, whenever they want and not in an aquarium or chilled to slow their movements?

I cannot for the life of me see how anyone can follow and focus on a bee that is flitting from flower to flower. I can easily say I have but it would be untrue, but I've said it. I enjoy playing with manual settings as it helps me to learn my camera but for fast moving or moving objects then are we better off sharing the work-load and letting the camera do some of the 'thinking'

Bees in my country have a habit of flitting from flower to flower and you would be EXTREMELY lucky if they remained still for as long two seconds. Are we suggesting:

'I can line up my camera, manually focus, check light conditions and do all this within one second?'

How-about there is occasions when we can use full manual mode but to suggest it is the best choice for every occasion might cause confusion to those that are reading the claims being made about full Manual Mode.

Ronald J Loc: Minneapolis MN.

Creativity.

Opus Loc: South East Michigan

I sometimes shoot in manual mode because A.) It teaches me about exposure, B.) it teaches me about how my cameras work, C.) it is fun. The whole reason I do the photo thing is to have fun. Sometimes shooting in manual gets you more involved in the picture taking process, slows you down and makes you think about what you are doing. When you slow down and think you tend to take better pictures, unless of course your subject is moving. I don't look down on anybody for how they use their camera, from full auto to full manual. Just have fun and make great pictures.

nikonshooter Loc: Spartanburg, South Carolina

You gotta be kidding - bragging rights - on me!?

I use good equipment - but as good as it is, exposure is something even the best of the high end cameras fail at miserably. Because these cameras meter the ENTIRE scene, many times, the entire scene fools the camera. Try to shoot snow in P, A, S, mode. Try to shoot people with bright background......these cameras view the light that will strike the sensor and begin adjusting the shutter/aperture/ISO if on auto, as if the scene is between 10 and 12 percent grey (not 18 percent as many believe). That works much of the time....but if you make your living in photography, "much of the time" is not good enough.

When you add to the fact that manual shooting gives control back to the photographer - it's a great way to learn light, where it is and where it isn't.

Buy a meter, shoot manual and your photography will expand to new levels.

The only time, I shoot in Aperture priority is when doing bracketet shots for HDR.....the only time using shutter prior is when setting a sekonic profile.

Croce Loc: Earth

A lot of shooters today use manual but it really isn't manual. They pick manual mode then proceed to select a shutter or aperture setting and use the opposite to null (center) the meter setting in the viewfinder. Those same people are probably, although not always, also using auto white balance. I have tried that method but find that although the results can be quite good, aperture priority is what I find most useful for my type of shooting. If I were a sports shooter I would probably use shutter priority. If I were a studio shooter I would always use manual because my lighting would be set up, controlled and constant.