Rick LaCuesta

What is the technique for shooting manually.

BebuLamar

Sorry I don't understand. Shooting manually is just shoot in manual mode. I did it for over 50 years since I was 10 but don't know if there is a technique.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

The way I do it, is I set my ISO, then I set my f-stop for depth of field that I want, then I adjust the shutter speed until I am exposed to the right without overexposing. That's for everything except action.

For Action I said shutter speed (slow Tumblr fast to freeze), ISO, then aperture.

Always making sure that the shutter speed is fast enough to stop any motion from being handheld. White Valance generally set to auto.

Either way is always a starting point on my adjust from there, but generally you get it the first time if you do it right.

Hamltnblue Loc: Springfield PA

The best thing to do is google the question. There are countless results. Here are a few:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYT24lzOK7w
https://www.beachcamera.com/blog/photography-101-how-do-i-start-shooting-in-manual-mode/
https://www.lightroompresets.com/blogs/pretty-presets-blog/17796936-7-days-to-mastering-manual-mode-why-shoot-in-manual-mode

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Careful and knowledgeable metering, steady hands, good composition.
--Bob

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

I do it similarly to Frank (above), I select whichever is the most important first which, for me, is usually f-stop, I keep the ISO as low as possible and balance the exposure with shutter speed. With fast moving subjects like birds I would select shutter speed first, use a mid range f-stop and balance with ISO. For landscapes I actually often use aperture priority and choose the f-stop for depth of field and let the camera choose shutter speed but check and adjust it if necessary, ISO at 100. Mostly I shoot macro with a speedlight and set an f-stop between 11 and 16, shutter speed 1/200 or 1/250 and ISO around 200 and focus manually by rocking forwards and backwards.

By the way, I had no problem understanding the question.

EnglishBrenda Loc: Kent, England

By the way, welcome to the forum

jeep_daddy Loc: Prescott AZ

I'm assuming you are asking how to setup your camera to use it so that you can manually set the exposure? Just put the dial on M instead of A or S or P or Auto. Some cameras have a bunch of other symbols on the mode dial such as little mountains, or a portrait of people etc. Canon uses letters such as Av or Tv instead of A or S. But almost all cameras have an M for Manual on the dial. Okay, that's how you set your camera so that you can choose the exposure settings all by yourself without the camera making decisions for you.

Then you set your Aperture, Shutter duration, and ISO by turning the appropriate dial on your camera while either looking through the viewfinder, camera pointed at the subject, and watching the settings as you view them in the viewfinder, or by seeing those settings change while viewing them on the LCD panel. Make sure you give your camera shutter button a half press so that the camera isn't sleeping. Many people forget to do that and the settings will not change unless you "wake" the camera up. You should find that one dial will change the aperture setting while the other changes the shutter speed. Then you have to usually press a button and then turn a dial to change the ISO settings.

So now you know how to put the camera in Manual mode. You know which dial and buttons to press. All you need to do now is figure out what settings to use. I suggest you start by setting your ISO to 100. After that, set the f/stop to f/8. Then point the camera at the subject, give your camera a shutter a half press, then turn the dial for shutter speed until the exposure meter is at zero. Don't know what the exposure meter is? Well, look closely through your viewfinder and look for a line with ticks on it and a 0 (zero) in the center. You should see a + and a - at each end or something like that. So again, half press of the shutter while looking through the viewfinder, turn the dial for shutter speed in either direction until you see a line moving on the exposure scale with the ticks and when it gets to the center or zero, you are close enough to the proper exposure that you can press the shutter down the rest of the way and snap the picture. Okay, now you need to pay attention to the sounds you hear. If you hear the camera shutter click only once and then a short time later it clicks again, then the shutter is way too slow (the duration is too long). You'll have a very blurry picture. If that is the case, increase your ISO, and then adjust the shutter speed again. I would increase the ISO two stops from 100 to 400. Each time you double the ISO it equals one stop of increased light sensitivity. So from 100-200 is one stop and from 200-400 is another for a total of 2 stops of more light sensitivity. This will allow you to shorten your shutter duration by two stops which will quadruple your shutter speed. So if your shutter speed was 1/15th it would allow you to change it two stops from 1/15th to 1/60th.

Hope this helps. If not, do a search on youtube and maybe someone can "show" you how to do it.

Oh, and next time when you ask questions here, try to be a little more specific. Tell us what camera make and model you have etc.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Rick, welcome to the Hog.
I don’t think the technique for shooting manual is any different than shooting in any other mode.
First one has to know when shooting manual will be a better choice than using one of the other camera modes.
Secondly one has to have a way to determine the desired exposure whether by using the cameras meter, a seperate handheld meter or just having the knowledge of the settings to use.
In many situations one can set an auto mode, take a shot and then use those settings to set the desired exposer.
There are many ways to use manual mode for any particular desired result. Good luck
SS

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

Shooting fully manually is good because you "lock down" all the camera settings, keeping automation from causing unwanted variations.

HOWEVER, it's not always possible to shoot manually. When you are shooting in variable lighting... or your subject is moving in and out of different lighting, using fully manual exposure would limit you. One of the auto exposure (AE) modes would work better and give you more flexibility to keep shooting.

Which of the AE modes you chose depends upon what you're trying to achieve. Aperture priority is used to control depth of field in images. Shutter priority might be preferred if shooting moving subjects and wanting to insure either a fast enough speed to freeze the action or a slow enough one to deliberately include some motion blur in your images. Manual with auto ISO (which is actually another AE mode) might be useful when you want control over both those factors. Program may be a good choice if shooting fast and not too worried about either DoF or motion blur.

It actually pays to learn to use all the exposure modes: manual, aperture priority, shutter priority and even program or manual with auto ISO. Don't get get hung up on using only one mode. Depending upon what you shoot and how you shoot it, one or another mode might be your usual preference, but by knowing how to use the others you can be ready to deal with out of the ordinary opportunities that come your way.

If you haven't already done so, get a copy of Bryan Peterson's "Understanding Exposure". Read it, study it, learn it! That might be the best $18 you ever spend on your photography.

BebuLamar

And if after you bought the book "Understanding Exposure" and you got more over and under exposure don't tell me that I didn't warn you.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Take a good look at the camera instructions manual and read how to use Manual Mode with your camera.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

There is no alternative to learning how exposure and ISO affects the image. There is no "technique" involved.

For more information, see Exposure value, the first 8 sections. You may have to read it more than once but it's free.

Silverman Loc: Michigan

One technique I read about and viewed on U-Tube is; "I AM SHOOTING" = set ISO, then set APERTURE, finally Set SHUTTER SPEED, this must be accomplished in MANUAL MODE, go to U-Tube Videos and find many videos on shooting in manual mode. ( U-tube, it's Free now, but not sure how long, since "NET-Neutraliy" was done away with.)

ole sarg Loc: south florida

I shot manually and just as I got the camera all set up a cloud moved in and covered the sun. So I reset the camera and guess what the cloud moved so I reset the camera again and you guessed it another cloud. Next, I was going to shoot this magnificent elk. So I got out my light meter, decided on the ISO, took a reading, set up the camera, and looked up and the elk was gone! Then someone said why not just use the automatic features on the camera?

DUH!