linkadv5

I am a novice apprentice, I can set my nikon 3200 to automatic and it shoots wonderful pictures, so I have to ask, can I improve the picture taking by leaning all the manual procedures that I read about on this forum. Are folks just trying to learn the capabilities of the manual setting, or is there a real advantage to shooting pictures by using manual procedures.

bsprague Loc: Lacey, WA, USA

My opinion is that automatic is one of the most important settings to be used. And, I use it a lot. Nikon, Canon, Sony and the rest have spent a lot of money on making automatic work very well. If you get a good picture, print it and hang it on the wall, nobody will have a clue what settings your used.

That said, I've been shooting pictures for 65 years and know what the other settings are about and use them too. My granddaughter got a D3400 for Christmas. The first thing I suggested was start with automatic and concentrate on composition.

Use automatic when you want. When you want to explore a specific skill, technique or effect, use whatever settings work for that.

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

While there are many situations where Auto will yield great results (and perhaps get the shot while you’d otherwise be fiddling with the settings), there are other situations when, as you learn more about shutter, aperture and ISO settings, you’ll get better results by controlling all or some of the exposure variables of your camera rather than letting the camera make the decisions. Also, a deeper understanding of the process can only improve your photography. Not saying that you shouldn’t use the automatic features of your camera to allow you more time to compose your shots, but as you progress and learn more, I think you’ll want to exercise more control.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Just a thought, but if you are an apprentice shouldn't the person you're apprenticing to be giving you instruction on this?

rplain1 Loc: Dayton, Oh.

The main reason to shoot in manual is control. If your subject is moving you want a high shutter speed. If the lighting is unusual the meter will be fooled and give you the wrong exposure (i.e. a snow scene or a beach scene). Those type of things are a lot easier to compensate for in manual than other modes once you get used to the buttons and dials.

SAVH Loc: La Jolla, CA

Overall, it is pretty much a matter of managing expectations. If you are perfectly happy with your pictures, don't change anything. You are realizing just what you bought the camera for. Should you want to print and mount your pictures in your home or elsewhere, you might start seeing small issues (or not so small ones) that might encourage you to expand your technique by learning how to use more of the camera's capabilities. If you need more light in a dark environment, you might want to explore changing the ISO. If you start seeing some blur due to motion, you might want to try to adjust your shutter speed to capture it without blur. If you have occasion to need to capture action shots such as kid's sports, you may want to explore continuous modes. Your camera has capabilities far beyond what auto provides but that does not make auto a "wrong" choice if you are just fine with your results. You should not let others try to "shame" you into changing your choice. Just recognize that there are many more capabilities available should you want/need them. If not, just enjoy your photography as you have been.

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

The real advantage in shooting in manual is, you will have the picture come out as you "envisioned" it, like how you want it to be and not what the camera decides on doing! The camera has no idea what's in front of it, you do and only you can make it come out a certain way, to show a certain mood, or tell a story!

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Use what works best for you.
You may find that manual may give you more control over the exposure.
Then again, you may find that auto, program, aperture, speed, and manual have their own merits in various instances.
You should understand how each works so you can utilize the best one for the circumstance.

CO

I do a lot of studio photography and always use manual mode because we are using studio strobes. We take light meter readings and enter the settings into the camera.

Outside of the studio, I use aperture priority a lot because I want to control depth of field and also get the lens into its sweet spot range.

LensTip.com does extensive lens testing. This is the chart for their image resolution testing at lens center for the Nikon 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 VR lens. You can see that its resolution drops off a lot after f/11. If you use manual or aperture priority, you can make sure it's in the sweet spot range.

BebuLamar

You don't improve your pictures by shooting in manual. You do improve your understanding of the technical side of photography by shooting in manual that may or may not help you taking better pictures.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Link, welcome to the Hog!
If your settings are correct for what you shoot, any mode you use will be exactly the same, no better or worse!
That said there are advantages to every node in the camera, from full Auto to total manual. What takes years to learn is the nuances of each and which to use and when to give you a better chance of getting the image as you want it.
But manual just for manual’‘s sake is not the correct use.
If you only take landscape, most any mode will work, including manual. But as the photography gets more demanding, such as race cars in and out of the sun or BIF’s(flying birds) in the same situations, being able to use a mode to fit the circumstances may be more suited!
By all means learn manual but similarly learn ALL modes equally!!!
Again, welcome to the Hog!!
SS

Joe Blow

That is a yabut question. If you ask a waiter to pick your dinner, you'll eat a nice dinner (we hope). Only it may not be what you really wanted or prefer. Automatic does the thinking for you and doesn't know if you prefer your steak extra well done or medium rare.

The beauty of using the controls is you get to choose how your picture turns out. On this site, we often see examples of good Depth of Field (DOF). We also see poor DOF that degrades what could have been a great shot. We see shots where a faster shutter would have eliminated camera shake.

I recommend a course at your local community college. Some local camera shops also have courses for learning the basics. Learning the basics is easy. Making them work the way you want them to is a lot harder. That is one reason getting a near perfect shot can be so gratifying. You can also find some on-line courses here https://digital-photography-school.com

Good luck.

BebuLamar

I actually let the waiter picks my dinner more often than letting my camera on automatic. The difference? The waiter is a human being and she can be better than I am. The camera is a machine and while machines are always faster, not getting tired but never smarter than a person.

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

I rarely use auto, not because of proper exposure. but I "grew up" in film, when all cameras were full manual, so It's just comfortable not to shoot auto. I mostly use shutter priority to control shutter speed as I have a tremor in my left hand.. But that's just me. All those settings are there or a reason, and as above not one person, when looking at one my pics has ever asked, "what mode did you use?" And also as above I shoot a lot of snow shots where Auto will not get the white snow correctly. My avatar is obviously a snow scene. Maybe it's just an ego thing, but why would I use an expensive set up as a point and shooter.? To sum it all up, no need to justify whatever setting you use, all that counts is the final result.

Carusoswi

If you are new, you could approach learning the basics via either route. The Auto setting isn't magic, it just does for you (more quickly) what you would have to do if you shot in manual. Manual isn't magic, either. Using that mode will not impart some mystical quality to your shot that is only possible in manual mode. Whichever route you go, I would concentrate on basic shots first, just to get an acceptable image. If shooting in Auto, accept what the camera gives you and evaluate. If shooting in manual, match your exposure to what the meter recommends and evaluate. Soon enough, you will find yourself in a situation where neither auto or manually matching the meter's recommendation in manual gives you results with which you are happy.

At that point, I would seek the advice of the teacher/or professional with whom you are apprenticing and he/she will explain to you the reason for the problem and suggest steps to correct it.

I think that it's not that complicated, really, and IMO, since I assume you are shooting digitally, it is far more effective to learn the basics with camera in hand using some trial and error.

It was a little more difficult when our only medium was film, because you had no idea of the quality of your shot until you had the film processed, by which time, unless you had taken notes about the lighting conditions and the settings you used, you wouldn't be able to relate the results to the on site conditions and camera settings. Digital gives the learner the advantage of real-time feed back. So, use that advantage. Start shooting and have fun.

There are plenty of resources available to you, fora such as this one, written books, classes, etc. But, I think it would be easier to get some hands-on with your camera so that you develop a frame of reference using real photos before getting bogged down with all the technical recommendations that will come your way.

Welcome to the forum, and good luck with your photography.

Caruso