As always, I want to take control of my camera’s settings. That’s definitely not to say that you won’t have fun experimenting with the different scene/icon modes on your camera…you just don’t want to rely on them exclusively if you want complete control. And why drop all that cash on a piece of equipment like a DSLR unless you want to really get the most out of it? Alright, off of the soap box.

Priority and Manual Modes

There are three “semi-manual” modes on your DSLR—those are call the “priority” modes: program, shutter priority, and aperture priority.

• Program Mode: I do not use Program Mode, which allows you to set the white balance and ISO while setting the aperture (f-stop) and shutter speed for you. This could be beneficial in low-light settings, and a Google search will give you about a zillion other reasons why you might want to use Program Mode, but I don’t use it, so I’m not going to talk about it. 🙂 It all just comes back to what I want control over, and just having control over the white balance and ISO isn’t enough for me.
• Shutter Priority Mode: I also do not use Shutter Priority Mode, which lets you pick the shutter speed and ISO while deciding on the aperture for you. As we discussed last week, focus is an incredibly important part of photography composition, so I want to have control of my aperture (how much is in focus!). I’m imagine that Shutter Priority Mode could be fantastic for shooting something like a fast-moving kids soccer game, though.
• Aperture Priority Mode is where you want to start. It’s like a training wheels version of manual, in my opinion. Many photographers even use Aperture Priority Mode over Manual Mode. In Aperture Priority Mode, I choose the aperture and ISO; then my camera selects the appropriate shutter speed for optimal exposure. Aperture Priority Mode still gives you a lot of freedom and control over your images by helping you learn more about how focus, composition, and depth-of-field contribute to beautiful images. It’s also great in situations where I don’t have complete control, like shooting people or moving objects.

But for situations where I have complete control, like interior shots, project shots, step-by-step tutorial shots, landscape shots, product shots, shots of my cats, and flat lays, I shoot in Manual Mode. Really, I shoot in Manual Mode 95% of the time because it’s fun and I could do it in my sleep now.

How I Shoot in Manual Mode: Start to Finish

When I shoot in Manual Mode, I typically set my f-stop (aperture) first based on what I’m shooting and how much I want to be in focus. Remember, high f-stop = more in focus, low f-stop = less in focus. Next I look at the exposure meter in the camera’s viewfinder. This shows me how over or under exposed the image will be with my current settings. Take a few over and underexposed shots to experiment. (Check your camera’s manual or Google “where is my camera’s light meter <your camera make and model here>” for where the exposure/light meter is. I live and die by the light meter. LIVE AND DIE.)

Here’s how it looks on the Nikon D7100‘s rear LCD screen, but I always reference the one in the viewfinder when I’m shooting. (It’s in the bottom center when you look through the viewfinder eyepiece and looks the same. As the photo is overexposed, you’ll see ticks increase to the right on the light meter. As it goes to the left, that means it’s underexposed.

I then make adjustments to shutter speed and ISO settings and watch what the meter does. If I want a certain f-stop and ISO that will require a much slower shutter speed, I’ll use a tripod and remote to prevent blur. Another reason I like Manual Mode is that I typically like lighter, brighter photos. Sometimes the “proper exposure” my Nikon D7100 selects isn’t bright enough for my preferences. In Manual Mode, I tell it what I want based on a bit of trial and error. I shoot a lot of options and decide what I like best in post-processing.

Let’s walk through one photo from start to finish 

Say I want to shoot my mom’s fireplace Christmas mantle. First I shot it in automatic with the flash.

Then I shot it in Aperture Priority Mode. I selected an f-stop (aperture) of f/16 and an ISO of 200. I used the four-way buttons to set my focus point to the brick on the fireplace. This is important to note because my camera is now reading the light for this area.

To get enough light, my camera uses a shutter speed of 1/10 seconds. Since the shutter speed is too slow to trust my hands, I grab my tripod and get the photo. Much better! But I needed to crank my ISO to 2000 to get this shot since there wasn’t much light. It’s also a tad dark. I could edit it, but I prefer to get it as close to right as possible when I shoot and then edit.

I decide to move to manual mode to lower my ISO to 640, decrease my shutter speed to 3 seconds, and keep my aperture the same. Ah, yes. This is the one I’ll keep. And I’ll usually take a few more at different exposures for good measure.

The light in this area was actually pretty favorable when I took these photos, so the differences between aperture priority and manual modes are subtle. Here’s a side-by-side comparison.

Here are a few other comparisons using mom’s Christmas decor—and in areas with more challenging lighting situations. This little table was shot toward a window, which can be a bit of a pickle.

And one of the more challenging things to shoot, a Christmas tree with its lights on in a dim room next to a bright window. Again, flash, aperture priority, and manual:

Next up…

Photographing Interiors and Products Part 6:

Essential Tips for Photographing Interiors

Next we’re going to get into the meat of shooting interiors and talk about the best practices. Are you excited to really get to work now?!

Check out the previous posts in this series:

1: Exposure Basics and Aperture

2: Shutter Speed and ISO

3: Essential Photography Tools

4: Focus, Composition, and Cropping