Book on MANUAL Shooting?? IS there such a thing??

So I have been talking to a friend of mine who (AS I know MANY of you) have told me that I have to Start Shooting in Manual Mode and I was wondering if there was a book on it? I have tried it and I am NOT Good at it at all - but was wondering if a book or some type of reference that I could use - as I am NOT sure what works with what? I have signed up for the a photoclass and I have not done much with it as I have been busy but now should be able to go back to it - but HOW does one know what works with what? The setting on the camera I mean - There is SO MUCH to it - So I want to TRY it this weekend - but would love to know - if I have the shutter speed on something what should AV and all other setting be at to get a good picture -

Sorry if a stupid quesiton but I HAVE NO CLUE and I would LOVE to start working with Manual Mode - instead of AUTO..

Thanks for your time..

Any how-to photography book should cover manual exposure. There are lots of websites too. Keep taking those classes (MLK? He knows what he's doing.)

Learning manual exposure is sort of like learning to ride a bike. At first it seems intimidating, but once you apply yourself it comes quickly, and with some practice you will be well on your way to mastering it, and you'll look back and think "Why did I ever think that would be difficult?"

You need to start out by changing your mindset that learning manual exposure is complicated or difficult. I promise you that you have learned to do much more complicated things in your life. Then read up and study until you understand what aperture, shutter, and ISO do, and how they relate to each other. You need to know what a stop is. You need to know what the meter is telling you. Figuring out these fundamentals should be fairly simple. The hard part is making using them instinctual, and learning to assess tonality in the real world. That takes time and practice. A book won't help you with those; you just need to get out and shoot in manual.

I wouldn't get over whelmed with manual mode. If you are not ready to use it, don't. Having a DSLR doesn't mean shoot manual. Start with one of the other modes shutter/aperture mode. Heck you can shoot all of your photos using either one of those two modes. Don't rush into manual mode, just because a friend says you should be shooting manual. Choose to shoot manual when you are ready too.

Henry Peach wrote: Any how-to photography book should cover manual exposure. There are lots of websites too. Keep taking those classes (MLK? He knows what he's doing.)

Learning manual exposure is sort of like learning to ride a bike. At first it seems intimidating, but once you apply yourself it comes quickly, and with some practice you will be well on your way to mastering it, and you'll look back and think "Why did I ever think that would be difficult?"

You need to start out by changing your mindset that learning manual exposure is complicated or difficult. I promise you that you have learned to do much more complicated things in your life. Then read up and study until you understand what aperture, shutter, and ISO do, and how they relate to each other. You need to know what a stop is. You need to know what the meter is telling you. Figuring out these fundamentals should be fairly simple. The hard part is making using them instinctual, and learning to assess tonality in the real world. That takes time and practice. A book won't help you with those; you just need to get out and shoot in manual.

Thanks - YES I need to start up again with the classes but with Xmas & now new year's and people & even myself being off of work with Lots going on - After the new year things should calm down a lot..

I know -I have tried it before and it worked and i have tried it and it was BAD... It is Very intimidating to me.. I need ot get out and practice -

I will read up on those other things - Maybe that is what is holding me back MOSTLY - and with that Shutter speed, AV and all the rest would be learned in the class.. MLK - I will learn it ..

Thanks..

backh0me652 wrote: I wouldn't get over whelmed with manual mode. If you are not ready to use it, don't. Having a DSLR doesn't mean shoot manual. Start with one of the other modes shutter/aperture mode. Heck you can shoot all of your photos using either one of those two modes. Don't rush into manual mode, just because a friend says you should be shooting manual. Choose to shoot manual when you are ready too.

I understand what you are saying - I have ONLY been really going out and doing it for about 4 months - I mean REALLY doing it - I have been taking pictures for over 30 years - I was always the one with the camera in hand - Never really in any but always was the one taking them - Now I have been going out a little here and there but NOT to what I am doing now - If I want to improve (it is Not just my Friend) I need to start to shoot in Manual Mode instead of Auto - Auto is My Friend but if I think and use it too much I will Never really learn anything - I want to get BETTER.. & I believe that I have but I want to get even better then where I am.. I know that Photograpy (well to me) is all up to person taking the pictures - If they like them Great if others do too - even better but I am really doing it for myself - I want to some day do it for a living and I am not going to get any better with trying & doing new things.

My friend is looking out for me and has told me a few things that I am doing wrong - And how to improve on it but to improve i need to shoot in Manual mode -

I will Not rush it but if I don't start it then I NEVER Will... Thanks again..

If you own a DSLR ..... never, EVER shoot in auto! ......

Why did you buy such a camera when you could have bought
an inexpensive point-and-shoot?

Manual shooting is total control over your camera and the image before you.

Setting the aperture and shutter speeds is what photo'y is all about.
Your camera settings are your "personal" touch.

Two things:
1) go to web-sites that instruct manual-shooting.
2) bracket a shot and see what image you like best.

As with the photo you take and the attitude towards it,
my rule is KISS

It's really pretty easy once you start thinking in 4D space. It's just a matter of moving around to the point that you want by changing any or all of the parameters.

1- Meter Reading = Available Light (both natural and flash) You Have To Work With (effects color and contrast)

2- Aperture = Volume Of Light Per Unit Of Time Being Allowed To Pass Through Lens To Sensor (Influences Depth Of Field and Diffraction)

3 - Shutter Speed = Time of Exposure (freezes or blurs motion)

4 - ISO = Ability Of The Sensor To Detect A Quantity Of Light Per Unit Of Time (less light required versus more noise)

Generally it works out that::
You have limited control over #1 so that sets the boundaries for the other parameters.
You have something in mind for the shot (sharpness, bokeh, etc.) that will cause you to choose a particular Aperture for #2.
Your composition wants a particular level of brightness leading to then choosing the #3 and #4 values based on getting enough light to capture the image the way you want.

Each parameter has a unique effect on the character of the shot, and each interacts with the others based on how they regulate the amount of light being imaged. You end up choosing the characteristics that you want for the shot, and then adjusting the others to balance out the light requirements.

There will be times when you can't achieve all the characteristics you want in the same shot, and that's when your photography skill will be called upon to prioritize your choices within the limits of what you have to work with.

Marcie, once you get going with Matthew's class, the manual settings will probably make a lot more sense. And like Henry mentioned above, like a lot of things it takes time to learn and gets easier once you get the hang of it.

Gary mentioned 'bracketing' - that's basically what you'll be doing in one of Matthew's first lessons, which explains a lot of what Major M mentioned. I've used bracketing when shooting B&W film when I want to get negatives of the same subject that are slightly lighter/darker to work with in the darkroom. Basically when you bracket a shot, you take a photo with whatever readings the meter indicates, then change it one setting each way and take the same shot at each setting. Once you learn how changing the different settings affects your photos I think you'll get better at using manual settings.

And by the way, Matthew's site was down but is back up, but you might need to check with him about logging in etc. I haven't done anything with it lately and won't get back to it til after New Year's either!

Marcie if you used to take pictures when you were younger, I was wondering what kind of camera you used or learned on. I started out with film SLR all mechanical cameras which is still what I use. I just found with older cameras that you can take the back off (with no film in it) and actually see what it does when you change the aperture or shutter speed, which might help in understanding how a camera works.

Keep having fun, and don't let the Manual Modeans get to you.

Gary Trent photography wrote: If you own a DSLR ..... never, EVER shoot in auto! ......

Why did you buy such a camera when you could have bought
an inexpensive point-and-shoot?

Manual shooting is total control over your camera and the image before you.

Setting the aperture and shutter speeds is what photo'y is all about.
Your camera settings are your "personal" touch.

Two things:
1) go to web-sites that instruct manual-shooting.
2) bracket a shot and see what image you like best.

As with the photo you take and the attitude towards it,
my rule is KISS

Yes I have TWO DSLR camera's and YES with both I shoot in Auto - I have tried other setting but Don't really know who to work them -

I know that Manual is you are in control but if you have no clue what you are doing it makes it very hard to understand.

I get it but I have no clue what works with what - If I want to shoot a bird - I need to know what the best setting is and right now i have no clue - that is why I use Auto - and some of it works & some of it doesn't...

Good Advice - Thanks..

MajorMagee wrote: It's really pretty easy once you start thinking in 4D space. It's just a matter of moving around to the point that you want by changing any or all of the parameters.

1- Meter Reading = Available Light (both natural and flash) You Have To Work With (effects color and contrast)

2- Aperture = Volume Of Light Per Unit Of Time Being Allowed To Pass Through Lens To Sensor (Influences Depth Of Field and Diffraction)

3 - Shutter Speed = Time of Exposure (freezes or blurs motion)

4 - ISO = Ability Of The Sensor To Detect A Quantity Of Light Per Unit Of Time (less light required versus more noise)

Generally it works out that::
You have limited control over #1 so that sets the boundaries for the other parameters.
You have something in mind for the shot (sharpness, bokeh, etc.) that will cause you to choose a particular Aperture for #2.
Your composition wants a particular level of brightness leading to then choosing the #3 and #4 values based on getting enough light to capture the image the way you want.

Each parameter has a unique effect on the character of the shot, and each interacts with the others based on how they regulate the amount of light being imaged. You end up choosing the characteristics that you want for the shot, and then adjusting the others to balance out the light requirements.

There will be times when you can't achieve all the characteristics you want in the same shot, and that's when your photography skill will be called upon to prioritize your choices within the limits of what you have to work with.

THANKS - Great - I have printed this out to use it... THANKS Again - I am going to re-read it to really take it in..

icepics wrote: Marcie, once you get going with Matthew's class, the manual settings will probably make a lot more sense. And like Henry mentioned above, like a lot of things it takes time to learn and gets easier once you get the hang of it.

Gary mentioned 'bracketing' - that's basically what you'll be doing in one of Matthew's first lessons, which explains a lot of what Major M mentioned. I've used bracketing when shooting B&W film when I want to get negatives of the same subject that are slightly lighter/darker to work with in the darkroom. Basically when you bracket a shot, you take a photo with whatever readings the meter indicates, then change it one setting each way and take the same shot at each setting. Once you learn how changing the different settings affects your photos I think you'll get better at using manual settings.

And by the way, Matthew's site was down but is back up, but you might need to check with him about logging in etc. I haven't done anything with it lately and won't get back to it til after New Year's either!

I have to get going with it again - I have been busy that is why I was going to wait to sign up for it - With the holiday's and stuff - too much time to read & learn a lesson - I just went out to shoot..

I was just wondering if it was written down some place - Like as I said above if I go to shoot a bird - and am in manual - what AV, Shutter Speed, etc to be in - and then you have to change all of that to shoot a tree or something -

Don't get me wrong I want to learn it as I have been told by SEVERAL people that is the best to shoot in - I have tried it before for Matthew's first class & then when I went for a walk with a friend of mine but the Pictures were SO bad - Could not use - Light in spots - Just not good... And that is my issues - I don't know what works for what I am shooting - That is why I go to Auto - The camera sets itself which I know is bad...

icepics wrote: Marcie if you used to take pictures when you were younger, I was wondering what kind of camera you used or learned on. I started out with film SLR all mechanical cameras which is still what I use. I just found with older cameras that you can take the back off (with no film in it) and actually see what it does when you change the aperture or shutter speed, which might help in understanding how a camera works.

I used to use my parents camera that had a bulb on top of it - And then when I was I believe 10 I got my first Polaroid that I LOVED and then after that I got several film camera's but NEVER an SLR camera - I still have of my Film Camera's - A friend gave me her SLR camera and I have used it but not that much - I am not sure where to go and film done - as with the second class you have to use ( I think) special film - Which I got - I just have to do it BUT as Matthew told me don't move on until you UNDERSTAND the first class - and I have to say now I don't get it...

Like I said I am just really getting into it - Have really REALLY only been going out for about 4 months now - Where really trying to get a good pictures - where before I would go out an shoot but now I am REALLY Working on it.. If that makes sense

MajorMagee wrote: Keep having fun, and don't let the Manual Modeans get to you.

Thanks - I will TRY - I do REALLY Enjoy it and I do get Very excited and I have to calm down I think - but THANKS..