M Mode Madness - A Guide to Shooting Manual
An essential photography guide for beginners wanting to shoot in manual mode. I’ll cover the basics of shutter speed, aperture, ISO and how they affect your photos. Whether you use a Canon, Sony, Nikon, Leica or any other digital camera, this is where to start!
This image was captured with a wide aperture, high shutter speed and low ISO (f1.8 - 1/500 - ISO200 - 24mm focal length)
Much like cars, manual mode is for the enthusiasts and professionals who want the most out of their camera but can be a pain in the a** for those who just want to use it daily without the leg work.
Manual mode allows a photographer to have full control of their camera and create the shot they have in mind.
It can be daunting for those who don’t quite understand how aperture, shutter speed or iso can affect an image, but once understood. can completely transform the way you take photos. So here is a no-nonsense, straight-to-the-point guide to exactly what it all means and how it affects your photos.
What is Aperture?
Aperture is determined by the lens you are using and refers to the opening in which allows light to pass through the lens and enter the camera.
Aperture is typically measured in f-numbers, with a larger f-number indicating a smaller aperture and vice versa. The aperture of a camera lens is an important factor in determining the overall exposure of a photograph. A larger aperture is going to increase the exposure while a smaller aperture is going to decrease the exposure.
Whilst controlling the amount of light, this has an effect on the focus of a subject. A wider aperture such as f1.8 will create a shallow depth of field (only the foreground is in focus) and a narrow aperture like f8 will create a deeper depth of field (more in focus).
So when shooting portrait, or close-up photography where a blurred background is desired, shoot on a wide aperture such as f1.8. If you’re shooting a landscape image, use a narrow aperture like f8 or higher to make sure you have the whole scene in focus. When shooting a larger subject such as a car, play around with the aperture to gain your desired effect as shooting too wide won’t allow you to gain focus on the entire car and shooting too narrow will limit the amount of background blur (if that’s what you’re going for).
What is Shutter Speed?
Every camera has a sensor, it’s what captures an image. In front of that sensor, there is a shutter which controls the light hitting it.
Each time a photo is taken, the shutter opens, allows the light travelling through your lens to hit the sensor and then closes again. The shutter speed is simply the amount of time that the shutter is open allowing light in.
Measured in seconds, the shutter speed is adjustable in manual mode (M) and usually can be changed with one of the scroll wheels on the camera, for canon this is usually the one next to the shutter button.
1/250 = 1/250th of a second
1/1000 = 1/1000th of a second
2” = 2 seconds
(Pretty simple)
The longer the shutter is open, the more light is exposed to the sensor creating a brighter image however, any movement in the frame is also captured for the duration of the open shutter. This can be both a positive or negative depending on the shot you’re aiming for. For example, light painting is a technique that uses a longer shutter speed to capture trails of light. A longer shutter speed will also pick up any camera shake so a tripod is always recommended.
A faster shutter speed is just the opposite in that it will result in less light reaching the sensor creating a darker image and capturing less movement. This is especially important if trying to capture a moving subject as in 1/1000th of a second, the subject doesn’t move very far.
A good rule when selecting shutter speed is to ensure that the speed is double or more than that of your focal length. So, if you’re using a 50mm lens, aim for a shutter speed of 1/100 or higher. If you need to use a slower speed to capture more light, then I suggest using a tripod to steady your camera and avoid a shaky image.
What is ISO?
ISO is the sensitivity of your camera to light.
A higher ISO will produce a brighter image and a lower ISO will produce a darker one. Although it doesn’t directly control how sensitive your sensor is (as usually believed) it does work in a very similar way.
If you bump up the ISO to its highest setting, you’ll get a much brighter image, even in the dark but with the sacrifice of increased noise in the image. A lower ISO will produce a darker image but retain quality and with less noise.
As a general rule, try and stick to a low ISO to reduce noise and retain a higher-quality image. And please, please, avoid auto ISO!
The Verdict…
So in short: Aperture controls how much light passes through your lens, shutter speed controls how much light hits your sensor and ISO controls the sensitivity of your camera to the light that’s entering it.
In auto mode, all of the above is adjusted to what your camera thinks is best for the light conditions but the camera hasn’t got a clue what kind of image you’re aiming for.
It doesn’t know you that you want the buttery background with all the bokeh, that you want that crispy focus when shooting a large subject, or that you and your friends are trying to light-paint inappropriate drawings with an iPhone torch.
All these settings work hand in hand to create your desired image and although manual mode can take some time to get used to, it is 100% worth it in the long run. Before you know it, you’ll be able to adjust all these settings to suit your needs.