Many amateur photographers I know keep their DSLR cameras in ‘goof proof’ or ‘fully automatic’ mode. They jump online and start to read about photography in the hope that they will one day be able to turn the dial to ‘M’ and know what they are doing. However, this information dump just ends up producing confusion and fear of getting it wrong.
Just like riding a bike, I reckon the best way for amateur photographers to get their head around shutter speed, aperture and ISO settings is to always shoot in Manual mode. That’s right… always! After all, what have you got to lose? You can always delete a shot that didn’t turn out OK.
If you drive a manual car, then you’ll remember that first drive when the clutch, gear stick, breaking, accelerating and steering all had to be coordinated at the same time. It was a lot to take in and it probably looked rather messy. But after a while, that all happens subconsciously. You get in the car and drive to your destination without even really thinking about what gear you’re in. The same can happen with your photography when thinking about shutter speed, ISO and aperture.
The next time you grab your camera for a party, family event, holiday or whatever, try and shoot all your photos in manual mode. Decide for yourself what ISO, shutter speed and aperture to use. Review photos on your screen (chimp) and make changes as needed to fix any exposure or depth of field problems. It will not be long before you don’t trust your camera to make decisions for you. Your camera can be easily tricked, but if you know what you are trying to achieve and how to get the shot, then you will feel like you’re in control of the camera and not the other way around.
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