For those just starting out in the wonderful world of photography, switching to manual mode — and the world of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO — can understandably seem a little daunting at first. But rest assured: it's well worth mastering the basics.
If you really want to improve your photography, becoming comfortable with key photographic settings is crucial. Not only will shooting in manual mode enable you to produce sharp, well-composed imagery, it will also help you gain a stronger understanding of the inner workings of your camera, opening up a whole world of opportunities to learn, experiment, and extend your skills for years to come.
What Is Manual Photography?
So, you've bought (or rented) a lovely new or secondhand DSLR or mirrorless camera — that's brilliant! If you're like most new photographers, you've probably been shooting in auto or standard modes, which is more than fine to begin with. But soon enough, you're going to start wanting to push your skills further.
Manual photography allows you to tell the camera exactly what you want, giving you greater control over your final product with zero of the surprises caused by automated settings.
The Exposure Triangle Explained
To begin mastering the magic of manual, there are three key settings you should know:
- Aperture
- Shutter Speed
- ISO
Together, these make up the exposure triangle. Once you understand what they mean and how to use them at a basic level, you will be well on your way to becoming an infinitely better photographer. Each of the three settings will affect the look of an image in a unique way — so if you want more control over the appearance of your photographs, manual mode is your new best friend.
The goal of manual photography is to have these three settings arranged in a manner that results in a well-exposed image — meaning the image is of an acceptable level of brightness without highlights being blown out or shadows lacking detail.
Aperture
Aperture refers to the size of the hole in your lens which is responsible for letting in light. A smaller number, such as f/1.4, is actually a larger hole — letting in more light in darker conditions and producing a shallower depth of field, meaning less of your image is in focus.
A larger number, such as f/16, creates a smaller aperture, letting less light through and creating a greater depth of field. At this setting, more of your image will be sharp and in focus — ideal for landscape photography.
Shutter Speed
Shutter speed is the length of time that the shutter is open when taking a photograph. The longer the shutter is open, the more light is let in. Slower shutter speeds also mean that moving subjects will come out blurry — often a desired effect for blurred waterfalls or highway traffic shots — but will usually require a tripod to avoid camera shake.
Faster shutter speeds, such as 1/500s or faster, are often used to freeze sports and wildlife subjects in motion.
ISO
ISO refers to how sensitive your camera is to light. A lower ISO, such as 100 or 200, is suitable for shooting in bright outdoors, while a higher ISO, such as 1600+, is a good choice for shooting indoors and at night.
Setting a high ISO allows you to use a more manageable shutter speed even when conditions are dark. On the downside, the higher the ISO, the more noise or grain will be present in your image.
How They Work Together
Now it's time to combine all three settings to get the high-quality, professional-looking photos you're after! Changing any one of the three settings will usually require you to tweak the other two as well to achieve correct exposure.
To help with this, your camera will likely have a built-in light meter, which measures the overall look of your image and gives you a readout of what it's likely to look like. If your light meter is in the "+" range, your image is overexposed. If it's in the "−" range, your image is underexposed. Your goal is to get the light meter right in the middle, lined up with 0.
Your Manual Mode Cheat Sheet
Here's a basic approach to get you started:
- Set your ISO to an approximate value that suits your current conditions — such as ISO 400 for outdoor/overcast conditions.
- If shooting handheld and you don't want subjects to be blurred, set your shutter speed to a mid-range speed such as 1/60 or 1/125.
- Adjust your aperture until your light meter tells you the image is well exposed.
- If you can't get a pleasing exposure and you're in the "−" zone, raise your ISO to 800. If you're overexposed, try a faster shutter speed of 1/250 or higher, or lower your ISO.
Never Stop Learning
And that's it! Once you're able to adjust these settings to capture a well-exposed photograph, you can get more creative with your choices to produce higher-quality images. Just keep experimenting, testing, and learning — you'll be a pro photographer in no time!
For more advice, tips, and photography workshops, head to your local Ted's Cameras store, where our expert team will be happy to help.
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