Manual Tutorial #7 {Wrapping Up}

If you have just stumbled across this Tutorial for the first time, it would be a good idea to start at the beginning here.

Manual Photography {Wrapping Up}

Now that we have covered all the different components of exposure and how to shoot in manual ~ it is time for you to use what you have learned.

I wanted to share with you a great tool to print or copy.  Photography Field Guide ~ This is super helpful and a cheat sheet of sorts to use while you are out with your camera (and not near books, wifi, or internet)

General Walkthrough of How I Typically Shoot

#1) First I think about my ISO...

• is it cloudy? (higher ISO)  
• is it sunny? (lower ISO)  
• am I shooting indoors? (much higher ISO)  
• will I need a tripod? (lower ISO but will cause a slower shutter as well)  
• do I care about grain (higher ISO)?

#2) Next I ask myself what is most important to my photograph?  Shutter Speed or Aperture?  Whichever is most important to your photograph, adjust that one first.

• If Shutter Speed
• Freezing Movement?  -> Fast shutter speed
• Blurring Movement?  -> Slow shutter speed

• If Aperture
• Blurred Background -> Large Aperture -> Small f/stop # (ex f/2.8)
• Crisp and Detailed Background -> Small Aperture -> Large f/stop # (ex f/16)

Example

I took this photo while I was having my morning coffee on my balcony.  This was the last morning I had in my Virginia home before the packers came and our move to Florida started.  The sun was rising behind the trees and I knew that if I used a small f/stop number (larger aperture) I would be able to create bokeh with the sunlight (blurred out of focus orbs of light that occur with a small f/stop number).  

It was still on the dark side, so I set my ISO to 200.  I then set my f/stop as low as it would go with the lens I was using (happened to be f/5.6).  From there I just adjusted my shutter speed until my cursor was at the "0" hash mark.  (Remember the light meter?)  

I especially like this photo because it captures the emotion of my last morning coffee.  I also loved that the bokeh looks like little sparkles coming out of my cup <3

ISO 200 ~ 53mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/400 sec

© Corrie M Avila

Can you understand the settings below my photo now?  Does it make sense?  The only thing we haven't gone over is the second number and that is your focal length.  Basically just the distance your lens is set to.  On a telephoto lens it will change, on a fixed lens, it will remain the same.  This is more of just documentation and does not have anything to do with shooting in manual.  Knowing that the lens was at 53mm, you would know that I was standing pretty close to the mug.

Some Final Tips and Reminders

* Don't forget that all three components (ISO, aperture, shutter speed) interact with each other.  When you adjust one, it affects the rest.  Remember the graph from early on in the tutorials?

* If you are having trouble knowing where to start, put your camera in "P" mode and see what the camera says the settings should be.  That is a good starting place until you get more comfortable finding your settings from scratch.  But don't forget to switch back over to Manual so that you have the control!

* When learning Manual Photography, go easy on yourself and practice on something that does not move ~ you will have a much easier time shooting and can just focus on the camera rather than the subject running away :)

* Finally, to avoid photos that are blurry from your hand shaking, do not go slower than 1/60 sec on your shutter speed without a tripod.  If your settings are telling you that you are slower than that, it is time to bump up your ISO a bit or lower your f/stop number (aperture).

I've already gotten some great feedback from this tutorial series and I'm excited to hear from you!!  Has this helped you?  Do you still have questions?  Please reply to this blog post with your questions/comments and I will put together a follow-up blog post answering them.  I know this is a hard concept to get and to wrap your head around, but I promise, keep working at it and you WILL begin to understand!

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Manual Tutorial #6 ~ The Light Meter

The Light Meter

There are two types of light meters.  The hand held kind and the internal type that is inside your camera.  I am going to talk about the internal light meter.  In Tutorials 3-5 we discussed ISO, Aperture, and Shutter Speed.  Now that you know what each of these components are and what they do, it is time to start applying what you have learned.

© Corrie M Avila

On my camera I have my screen set so that I can see my settings there.  Some may choose to have a live view of their lens, but I choose to keep it locked to showing my settings.  The arrow is pointing to the light meter.

I also have a view of my settings when I look through my viewfinder as pictured below.  The number 320 is my shutter speed and 3.5 is my aperture.  The middle is the light meter.  The number 400 is my ISO setting.    

© Corrie M Avila

If you look through your viewfinder and don't see anything, you may need to halfway press your shutter to make them appear.  This is convenient so that if you are taking photos, you can keep your camera to your eye and adjust settings at the same time.

Your goal is to put your hashmark right dead center on the "0."  There are situations and circumstances where you will purposefully want to have your hash +1 or -1 (for example), but for right now we will assume that keeping it on "0" is the sweet spot.

In this example, you can see the hash mark is just to the right of the "2"...  

© Corrie M Avila

I will increase my shutter speed from 1/6 to 1/30.  And now my light meter hash mark is at "0"~ right where I want it.

© Corrie M Avila

Homework for Tutorial 6

Put your camera in P mode and see what your settings are.  Write them down.  Now put your camera in M mode and replicate those settings.  Watch your hashmark and have your goal be to get right under the zero.  Now write those settings down.  Are they the same?  They may possibly be slightly different and that is okay, but they should be close.  Everything affects your light meter ~ from the direction you are pointing your camera, to a shadow passing, to the sun going behind a cloud.  Try to keep your external light situation the same while you are practicing this.

How is everyone feeling with this so far?  If there is an area you still need help with, please feel free to reread the tutorials, email, facebook, or comment below.  I am here on this journey with you <3

Finish the Series with {Wrapping Up}

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

If you are just now joining us, make sure to start at the beginning with Tutorial 1!

Manual Tutorial 1

Manual Tutorial 2

Manual Tutorial 3

Manual Tutorial 4

Manual Tutorial 5

Manual Tutorial #5 ~ Aperture

As always, if you are just joining us, I'd recommend you start at the beginning with Tutorial #1.  Just scroll to the bottom of this post and you will find the links for the previous tutorials.

I've saved my favorite for last.  Aperture controls your depth of field, or how blurred or crisp your background is.  Since I am very into Macro photography, aperture is my best friend.  This is what creates that yummy blurred background.  It also is responsible for the beautiful bokeh that you see here.

The circles of light are referred to as "Bokeh"

ISO 100 ~ 60mm ~ f/2.8 ~ 1/10 sec

© Corrie M Avila

The circles or orbs of light you see are actually out of focus christmas lights.  By having a focal point (the teacup) in front of the lights, and by using a f/stop of 2.8 (large aperture, small f/stop #) I was able to create this look for my photograph.

Aperture can also create a crisp background so that you can see all the details such as in this NYC photograph taken from on top of the Empire State building.

Detailed View of New York City

ISO 100 ~ 50mm ~ f/16 ~ 1/200 sec

© Corrie M Avila

Basically your f-stop number is your aperture.  When you have a wide open aperture it is a small number. When you have a small aperture it is a bigger number.  This is tricky in concept because it goes against logic.

The aperture controls how much light is let in.  Lets think of your eye again.  If you step into a dark room, your pupil opens really wide and lets in a lot of light (small f/stop #).  When you step outside on a very bright day, your pupil is very small and lets in very little light (larger f/stop #).  While your shutter speed is how fast your shutter opens and closes, your aperture is how wide or small the opening to the shutter is (just like the pupil of your eye).

Okay, so how do we use this information?  Before you go to take a photograph, think about what your priority is.  If it is freezing or blurring movement, adjust your shutter speed first.  If it is controlling your depth of field (i.e. having a crisp or blurred background) adjust your aperture first.

In the following diagram I visually explain the difference between a wide open aperture (small f/stop # = blurred background) and a small aperture (large f/stop # = crisp background).

As you can see from this diagram your aperture or f/stop number can completely change the look of your photograph.  When you fully understand and embrace this component of photography, you will begin to see the multitude of creative opportunities available.

The range of f/stop numbers depends on your lens.  For the above example, I used my macro lens which happens to have a larger aperture (f/2.8) than my telephoto lens (f/3.5).  Regardless of the range of your lens, you always have the ability to change your aperture and in turn can determine your depth of field (blur vs crisp background).

Homework for Tutorial 5:

1) Locate where your aperture is on your camera.  Get comfortable with this setting so that you are able to adjust your aperture with ease.

2)  Put your camera in AV mode (This is Aperture Priority).  Again, do not get comfortable here.  This is just for now to allow your camera to figure our the other settings while you adjust your aperture.  Choose a still life object that won't move or run away from you :)  Also make sure that you have a subject and a background.  I used the apple as my subject and the tree as my background in the example above.  Put your aperture to the lowest number you can.  (Remember lower number means larger aperture = blurred background).  Make sure your focus is on your subject and then take the photo.  Write down the settings of your camera.  Next change your aperture to the highest number it will go.  (Remember higher number means smaller aperture = crisp background).  Make sure you are focusing on your subject again and take the photo.  Write down your settings once more.

3)  Now compare your photos.  Can you see a distinct difference in your background?  Did you ISO change at all?  If it did change, do you know why?

Now that we have completed the 3 components of Exposure, we will next work on the light meter and combining all you have learned together.  You are closer than you think to photographing in Manual Mode.  If there is an area you still need help with, please feel free to reread the tutorials, email, facebook, or comment below.  I am here on this journey with you <3

Continue forward to Light Metering

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Link to Manual Tutorial #1

Link to Manual Tutorial #2

Link to Manual Tutorial #3
Link to Manual Tutorial #4

Manual Tutorial #4 ~ Shutter Speed

Have you ever been trying to take a photo of your child as they go running by and all you get is a blur? Or you are trying to take a photo of a waterfall, but it keeps "freezing" the water so it looks choppy rather than flowing and showing movement.  Shutter speed is the key to addressing all of these issues.

When I am getting ready to take a photograph, I decide which is more important: movement or depth of field.  If my priority is to freeze action or show movement, I will set my shutter speed first and aperture second.  Alternately, if my priority is depth of field, I set my aperture first and my shutter speed second.  When I am at my son's soccer game, I am going to want a fast shutter speed.  I need to make sure that my camera will capture the movement and freeze it.

The two photos below show a fast shutter speed and a slow shutter speed.  When you are looking at the numbers underneath the photo, pay attention to the last number.  This will tell you the shutter speed used while taking the photograph.

Fast Shutter Speed

Dancing Couple

Jazz Age Lawn Party, NYC

ISO 200 ~ 53mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/200 sec

© Corrie M Avila

In the photo taken above, the couple was dancing quickly to the 1920's era Jazz music.  I knew I needed to have a fast shutter speed to capture them and freeze the movement.  If you look down towards the man's shoe, you can see that it is slightly blurry.  I should have set my ISO to 400 (rather than 200) so that I could make my shutter speed just a bit faster.

Slow Shutter Speed

Pianist

Jazz Age Lawn Party, NYC

ISO 200 ~ 125mm ~ f/5.6 ~ 1/25 sec

© Corrie M Avila

In the photo above, I wanted to show the fast movement of the pianist's hands.  I set my shutter speed slower so that the movement would show.  The piano keys are crisp while the hands are blurred.  Had I used a fast shutter speed here, you would not visually "feel" the movement of the music.  I set my shutter speed to 1/25 sec.  This is much slower than I would recommend hand holding.  You should always use a tripod or something to set the camera on if you are going to go below 1/60 sec.  

Think back to Tutorial #2 where I gave a brief introduction to the three compenents of exposure.  While describing Shutter Speed, I gave the example of your eye.  When you blink quickly (fast shutter speed), not much light enters your eye.  When you stare and leave your eye open for a while (slow shutter speed), a lot of light comes in.  When you set your shutter speed to a fast number, it does not allow a lot of light to enter.  Therefore, if you want to set your shutter speed fast (to freeze movement), you will need to make sure there is enough light coming in to accomadate the quick shutter speed.  If there is not enough light coming in, you can put your ISO higher so that your shutter speed can be set faster.  Remember, all three components (shutter speed, ISO, and aperture) are connected.

If you are taking a photograph of a bird in flight or a race car rounding the last lap in a Nascar race, you are going to need a very fast shutter speed at around 1/1000 sec and up.  Here is a good website from Kodak that explains shutter speeds and what you would generally use them for (scroll down to the bottom for the Shutter Speed graph).

Homework for Tutorial #4

1) Locate where your shutter speed is on your camera.  Get comfortable with this setting so that you are able to adjust your shutter speed with ease.

2) Put your camera in TV mode.  (This is shutter speed priority).  Again, do not get comfortable here.  This is just for now to allow your camera to figure out the other settings while you adjust your shutter speed.  Set your shutter speed to 1/25 sec.  Take a photo and listen to the shutter as it opens and closes.  Write down the settings so you can compare.  Now change the shutter speed to 1/100 sec.  Take a photo and again listen to the shutter as it opens and closes.  Once more, write down the settings on a piece of paper.

3)  Compare your photos as well as your settings.  What did you notice about the aperture and/or ISO as you changed your shutter speed?  Was your first photo blurry as you handheld it?  Was your second photo more crisp?

As you get more comfortable with the individual components of exposure, you will be able to put them all together and take that perfectly exposed photo.  I promise, we will get there and you too will have your "aha" moment.  Hang in there!!  Once we are done with all three components (aperture is remaining), we will start working on the light meter and start applying what we have learned.  As always, if you have ANY questions at all, PLEASE comment, email, or message me on facebook.  I am here to walk you through this and to help you understand these concepts in any way that I can!

Continue forward to Aperture

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Link to Manual Tutorial #1

Link to Manual Tutorial #2

Link to Manual Tutorial #3

Manual Tutorial #3 ~ ISO

I can be honest with you, right?  I'm about to admit something completely embarrassing and you have every right to laugh at me.  Back in the film days, I always thought the number on the film was how good the film was.  Perhaps it was because a higher ISO film always cost more, so I just assumed it was "better"?!?  I would purposefully choose film that was 400 or 800 and then wonder why my photos were grainy.  Granted if I were shooting indoors, that would have been a good choice.  But the majority of my photos were taken outdoors on bright sunny days... yeah, totally not necessary to have that high of an ISO.

ISO is not a higher quality of film, but rather how sensitive the film (or digital sensor) is to light.  In the film days you were limited to choosing one ISO number for your entire roll of film.  Now with DSLR's we have the option to change our ISO at our whim and desire.  ISO has gone from a thorn in my side to being my best friend.  It is the easiest of the three components of exposure to understand, but it is also the most important (in my opinion).  When you fully embrace and understand ISO your creative opportunities will open up.

The higher the ISO number, the higher the sensitivity to light.  Think about being in a dark room with one small light on.  If you wanted to capture anything in your photo other than a black room, you will need to have a high ISO number.  By putting up your ISO, your camera is more sensitive to light and you will be able to see more in the photograph.

The lower the ISO number, the lower the sensitivity to light.  Think about being walking outdoors on a really sunny day, WITHOUT sunglasses ~ yeah...  You are going to squint your eyes so tightly, they may as well be shut completely.  This is the same thing with ISO... You would want a lower ISO number (100 or 200 usually).  This makes your camera less sensitive to light.

Sounds good, right?  Well, here is the catch... Yes when you raise up that ISO you are able to see much more in the photograph, but that means more digital "noise" or "grain" in your photos.  There are ways to process some of it out through computer software ~ but often times it is just the price you pay.

Comparison of Different ISO Settings

Look at the comparison of these three photos.  Can you see the grain (noise) in the yellow background?   How about the black of the police officer's uniform?  In the first photo it is solid black but by the time you get to the last photo it is pixelated and spotty.  Do you see any other differences between the photos?

I am going to take this a step further and give a few different examples.  Lets look at the chart I used in Tutorial #2 again.

All three componenets of exposure intersect and affect each other.  When you change one, you have to also adjust the other parts in order to have a perfectly exposed photograph.  One of the reasons why you would adjust the ISO is to have a higher shutter speed.  For example, say you are taking a photograph of your child indoors.  If you were going to have a perfectly exposed photograph, that would put your shutter speed lower than you can handhold it (remember 1/60th of a second is the lowest you want to handhold it ~ any lower and you really need to have it on a tripod.)  In order to take this photo without pulling out the tripod, you decide to raise your ISO.  By raising your ISO, you are able to also raise your shutter speed.  Problem solved.

A general rule of thumb is that you really don't want to have your ISO higher than 400.  Any higher than that and you will begin to see noise in your photos.  But you can make that decision in the moment as to what is more important.  Sometimes there is just not enough time to pull the tripod out.  Or you have the time to pull out the tripod, but your "subject" won't stay still... causing blur in your photos.  By raising your ISO you are able to have a shutter speed high enough to freeze the action.

Homework for Tutorial 3:

1) If you haven't already done this, locate where ISO is on your camera and how to change it.  Pull out your owner's manual and get comfortable with it. 

2) Put your camera in "P" mode.  This will figure out all your settings for you, but you can adjust the ISO and a few other things.  Don't get comfortable here (remember our goal is to be in Manual Mode), this is just for now...  Put your ISO to 100 and see what settings your camera says.  Write them down.  Then change your ISO to 400.  Look at your settings again and write those down as well.  Look at how they compare.  Go ahead and write your settings in the comments below along with any other observations you may have.

I hope this is starting to make a little sense, but if it isn't don't worry, you are not alone!  If you have any questions at all, PLEASE comment, email, message me.  I am here to walk you through this and help you understand these concepts in any way that I can!

If you haven't yet entered the giveaway ~ look to the upper right hand corner of the blog (it won't show up on mobile devices) and click to enter.  You have a chance to win a FREE puzzle featuring a photo by Traveling Hearts Photography.

Continue forward to Shutter Speed

Capturing the Moment,

Corrie <3

Link to Manual Tutorial #1
Link to Manual Tutorial #2

Manual Tutorial #2 ~ Introduction into the 3 Main Components of Exposure

In this post, I am going to briefly introduce the three main components of exposure.  If you haven't read Tutorial #1 yet, start here.  If you are up to date on previous posts, continue on my friend.

I am normally a pretty modest person, so I don't know why trying to explain photography keeps leading me to discussing topics that are making me blush!  Let's see if we can keep this tutorial out of the gutter so to speak :)

Three Components of Exposure  

ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture

Remember these charts from school?  I know, I hated them too... but I think it gives a good visual representation of how these three are related.  When you make a change to one of the components, you will have to adjust one or both of the others as well.

ISO ~ This is how sensitive the camera is to light.  The lower the number, the lower the sensitivity.  The higher the number, the higher the sensitivity.  For example.  If the sun is shining bright, you will want to use a low number like 100 or 200.  If you are inside the house or shooting outdoors on a cloudy day, your number will be higher.  As I've said before, I do not leave this setting on automatic.  I manually set it based on what I think will be my approximate settings and adjust from there.  I've had more than my fair share of photos ruined because my camera jacked up the ISO and I forgot to check.  If I have to adjust it, I am always responsible for the settings.

Shutter Speed ~ This is how fast or slow your shutter opens.  Think of your eye.  When you blink quickly, not much light enters your eye.  But when you open your eye and leave it open for a while, much more light enters.  When there is a lot of light available, you can set your shutter speed fast... this is good for sports, movement, quick toddlers... but when there is dim lighting, your shutter speed will need to be slower (leaving your "eye" open longer to allow more light to enter).  But with this comes the possibility of blurry photos.  As a general rule of thumb, if you are hand holding your camera, you do not want to have your shutter speed lower than 1/60 sec.  And that is just for camera shake.  If you have something moving, it will be blurry with such a slow shutter speed.

Aperture ~ Think of this as the pupil of your eye.  When you go into a dark room, your pupil dilates (gets larger) to capture more light.  When you step out into the sun, your pupil constricts (gets super small) to minimize the amount of light entering your eye.  Now this is the part that confused me to no end.  A higher aperture (letting in more light) is actually a lower f-stop number.  If you want to restrict the light, you would use a higher f-stop number.  There is something else that plays into this and that is depth of field.  The f-stop number you choose will determine your depth of field.  This is that natural blur that you see in photographs that when mastered can create visually pleasing and gorgeous photos.

If your head is spinning, don't worry.  I will go into each one of these individually and walk you through them.

Homework for Tutorial #2

Put your camera in Manual Mode.  Do not worry about having a properly exposed photograph at this point.  I just want you to listen to your camera.  Set your shutter speed to 1/8th of a second (which is very slow) and press the shutter.  Now set your shutter speed to 1/500th of a second.  Can you hear the difference?  What do you think is happening in each of the shutter speeds.  Which one will have more light entering and which one will have less light?

Continue forward to ISO

Capturing the Moment <3

Corrie

Manual Tutorial #1 ~ Becoming Intimate with your Camera

Don't worry, we will keep this tutorial PG rated (okay G rated)... but there is a level of intimacy you need to learn and become comfortable with your camera.  I once read that the test to see if you truly know your camera is to take it into a dark room and be able to manage the settings.  When I first read this I laughed out loud... I mean really laughed out loud... because I could barely understand my settings with the lights on, let alone in a dark room.

Let's compare the relationship you have with your camera to the relationship you have with someone you are dating.  When you go on a first date, it is often clumsy, awkward, and tense.  As you begin to establish a relationship, you start to know their likes/dislikes and what makes them laugh.  When your relationship moves to a more serious level such as engagement or marriage, you often feel lost without your partner.... as if your hand was made to wrap around their hand, and your heart becomes connected to their heart ~ you become one...

Nothing Better to depict L.O.V.E. better than HEARTS

Instagram

© Corrie M Avila

This is the level of intimacy I am talking about.  When you first enter the world of photography, the camera feels heavy in your hand, you don't understand any of the settings (let alone how to turn the camera on and off), and trying to take photos becomes a stressful experience rather than an enjoyable one.  As you become more seasoned with your camera, you practice techniques, have a lot of trial and error, become frustrated, but always fall back in love.  When you and your camera move into a deeper level with each other, there is a moment of intimacy where there is no distinction between the casing of the camera body and your hand.  The lens becomes an extension of your eye and performs exactly how you want it to.  This is the moment where you and your camera are one.

Where are you at in your relationship with your camera?  Your homework for Tutorial #1 is to locate where on your camera these three settings are:

1. aperature
2. shutter speed (f/stop)
3. ISO

If you have an owner's manual, pull it out.  If you don't have one, look it up online and bookmark the webpage.  You are going to need it.

When you feel comfortable moving forward ~ move on to the second tutorial here.

Capturing the Moment

Corrie <3