jackpinoh Loc: Kettering, OH 45419

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice--now you know better.

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Just be happy that you didn't do what some here have done... shoot for the bride and groom without adequate experience. Keep practicing, and if you post some of your failures here,I'm sure members can identify the problem(s). BTW, it's impractical to use a tripod at a wedding, except possibly for the posed family shots. Things move too fast.

jccash Loc: Longwood, Florida

Getting use to the light meter your images will turn out good. Also, you will get use to learning to use exposure compensation adjustment.

Takes time and practice. I use D500 and only use manual.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

Precisely. I always use a tripod for the family shots. Allows for framing/perspective consistency, and use triggers so I can talk to the families and dont have to dip behind the camara at the shutter moment).

Otherwise...tripod is not practical....

Maik723

Next time,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, shoot with aperture on highest setting (ex. 2.8), shutter at least the reciprocal of lens (ex. 100mm = 1/100) and ISO on auto. Remember, elbows close to body when taking shots. Use lens with stabilizer or vibration control. Noise can be cleaned up in post processing. TRY THIS AND GOOD LUCK.

mikeroetex Loc: Lafayette, LA

You realize that by not cranking and shifting, you could be accused of not being a "real" driver?

fourlocks Loc: Londonderry, NH

Thank God someone has the guts to admit it. For the 99% of us who are not pure professionals there are many, many times when an auto mode is the best choice. If I'm shooting outdoors where I have the time to properly set everything, I'll shoot full manual and experiment with a few different settings. When I'm taking shots at a family event where quickly hitting the shutter button is necessary to capture candids and I just want properly exposed photos, I'll shoot on auto, aperture or shutter priority mode. The programming in a modern DSLR is incredibly good at figuring out the best settings in a few microseconds and until I get that fast, I'll rely on my camera to do what it was designed to do in most circumstances.

AlfredU Loc: Mooresville, NC

First, let me commend you for admitting you are the source of your image problems and for trying something new. There is nothing wrong with manual focus, but you need to use the eye lever viewfinder in order to see well enough to focus, if your camera has one. I suspect in some cases, your shutter speed was slow enough to cause blur due to camera shake.

Pat, if you want to shorten that learning curve, find a good course. Not online, but in person. You can't get feedback on your practice from an online course. Believe me on this, I owned a company that developed online courses for 31 years. You will have more fun working with real people and you will learn the basics, which is what you need. And you should use your instruction manual, or even better another book to learn the operation of your camera before you take the class. Have fun and keep learning.

kbatschke Loc: Chicagoland-west

There is a place for manual focus (macro, long exposure etc.) and a place for full manual exposure when absolute control over all aspects of the image is desired. I prefer to shoot in either aperture or shutter speed priority depending on my subject, limit the ISO to what my camera can reasonable handle (3200 in my case) and let the sophisticated brain in my camera do the heavy lifting. I override when appropriate but I very rarely get an exposure so far out that I can't fix with some mild editing in post. If I were only doing on-tripod, setup the shot type photography, I could see the value of all manual exposure. I tend to shoot run and gun subjects and the extra time needed to set exposure (I know, it may only be a second or two) may mean losing the shot. I realize the OP is not addressing manual exposure in his post but I feel like he's gone down the full manual path (including focus) because he thinks that's the only way to get great images. Like Jerryc41, I spent a decade with all manual 35mm equipment and fully understand the nuances. I'm getting better exposures in semi-auto mode now with current metering technology than I ever did with full manual.

leftj Loc: Texas

Your response is totally off-point. The OP was not talking about using manual focus.

ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

AlfredU Loc: Mooresville, NC

Agreed, the semi auto exposure modes are excellent and still give full creative control. I don't understand all this BS about shooting in manual or you are not a real photographer. When I want to over or under expose, I use the exposure compensation option. I also make a test shot when I can and check the histogram. This will all make sense to you Pat once you take that course.

AlfredU Loc: Mooresville, NC

Yes, I think he is.

ballsafire Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

Toment Loc: FL, IL

Ah yes, the beauty of the EVF!