I use manual mode because i want to have full control over the image. What i am looking for is anyone's tips on how to break my habit of skipping the exposure check.

I have taken thousands and thousands of photos almost exclusively in manual mode. I shoot in raw.
My problem is that i have developed a bad habit of frequently failing to check exposure before taking the shot. I am very attentive to composition and focal points but frequently forget to check the exposure meter in the viewfinder prior to taking the shot..
I use a Canon 5d MKiii and a Canon 7D MKii. I find the the 5D is easier to read as the exposure reading is on the bottom of the screen in the viewfinder. The 7D is a much trickier proposition as the meter is situated at the side of the image and runs vertically which I don't find very intuitive. I take a lot of action nature shots where speed is essential. I am loath to put the manual setting to Auto ISO, which overcomes the problem, as I find noise a real issue in low light shooting. With my action shots naturally the shutter speeds is always high.
What I am looking for is suggestions on how I can kill this habit and make checking the exposure an integral part of my routine prior to taking the shot. Any constructive suggest is welcomed. My bad habit means I waste a lot of time rescuing images in Lightroom and Photoshop. Thanks in advance for your help. Cheers. Brian Menzies.

My daughter twisted my arm to photograph her local school fundraising night where i had to capture all the guests arriving on the "red carpet". The professional they had hired rang them the day of the fundraiser to say she wouldn't be coming.I have now processed around 150 raw photos in lightroom and i need to finish the processing in photoshop. I understand the automation facility in photoshop and also how to record an action to do multiple repetitive tasks in photoshop.
I could export all these photos in bulk from Lightroom to Photoshop but I have never tried to do this with around 150 high resolution raw images and dont know how it will work.
Does anyone know a way to have Photoshop pull the images from Lightroom to then process them using an automated action please?
Looking forward to suggestions. Thanks in advance for your help.

Thanks for the thought Brian. I have done that but wind and current keep you moving the Kayak. DOOKS earlier comment probably solves the issue for me, shoot A I servo mode, that will track the bird and me regardless of if I am moving or the bird is. Thanks again for responding. Cheers
Brian

Thanks Dook. I follow the same principles as you with back button focus. At some stage i'm going to have another crack at this lagoon early morning so I don't struggle with the dying light of the evening. I shoot cannon 5D Mark three or 7D mark two. For stationary Birds I swap to single point AF which I target on the eye and with A I servo mode I don't get an alert when it locks focus, so I'm not sure whether it's locked on or not. With the kayak moving it does make sense to persist with A I server mode. I'll just have to lock in my brain where I set the focus point.

Thanks Joer. I mainly shoot early morning around sunrise and evening into twilight and the challenge of light is normally with me. Mornings are good because the light is gradually increasing. The birds are most active in this time, it's frequently so hot during the day. What aperture and shutter speed are you normally using please? Do you have a preference, aperture, shutter or manual priority? Thanks.

Thanks Dook, you probably could get out but it may require some swimming.

I had a great evening quietly paddling around Avoca Lagoon on a kayak. This was my first experience of shooting from the water and I had purchased a couple of sea to Summit dry bags to protect my gear while I got underway. Once I had got underway I left the top of the bag open and when I was paddling, I would slip the camera back down into. This protected it from the drips that came from the paddle and allowed me to rapidly grab it when I needed it. The kayak had a broad beam so it was a very stable platform, but naturally it kept moving.
Of posted on the general forum a request for suggestions on achieving sharp focus on the moving kayak and also some tricks to help prompt me to remember to go from a BIF setting when I'm shooting stationary birds. In my excitement I am forgetting. The images that I have put up are all relatively low resolution.
It was a great buzz as the birds were much more relaxed with me on a kayak compared to being on the land.

Eastern Great Egret

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Great Cormorant ?

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Purple swamp hen

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Purple swamp hen

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Purple swamp hen 3

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Great Cormorant n Breeding plumage?

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Two days ago I used to kayak in a lagoon to capture the local birdlife. I quickly learned that a kayak is a moving object where a number of the birds I was photographing were stationary. Can anyone give me worthwhile tips on how to achieve sharp focus in this situation. I use back button focus with the shutter button just releasing the shutter. I use either my 5D Mark three or 7D Mark two. For stationary birds I set a single centre focus point. There is a small difference in time between activating the focus and pressing the shutter. For BIF I use the central zone cluster of focal points.

I found the kayak was terrific from the viewpoint that the birds allowed me to come much closer than if I'd been on land. It was also good to capture BIF because I was down at their level when they launched into flight.

I would also welcome tips on ideas I can use to prompt me to change my shutter speed from what I have it set for BIF to a slower shutter speed when I change to photograph a stationary bird. In the excitement of the moment I can forget to do this so I end up with a high ISO resulting in noisy photos. I was really happy with some of the compositions I captured but because of the high ISO I could not process to achieve the clean and sharp image that I could have if the ISO was lower.

Any help greatly appreciated. Cheers Brian

These guys were having a great time floating on the breeze. Lazy Saturday afternoon in sunny Sydney

Threesome


Solo


weighing up the odds

We are enjoying a great summer. Beaches are busy but little surf at the moment. Happy new year.

Thanks vicksart and happy New Year to you. May it be filled with fabulous photo opportunities

They were taken from an apartment in Distillery Drive Pyrmont. Unfortunately the wind was blowing straight at us so the smoke from the fireworks blocked out a big part of the spectacular not long after it began.

Midnight fireworks on Sydney Harbour

Bridge lights up

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12.00 midnight

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Beautiful colour

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The coathanger (Sydney harbour bridge)

I have bought a lot of equipment from Echo Photo in Hong Kong. Talk to Mr Yip and tell him you were referred by Brian from Australia and that you want his best price from the outset. If you have a warranty issue you return it to Echo and they will sort it for you. I am finding that the pricing is not that competitive for me from Hong Kong now, and mainly buy in Australia or Japan now.