MASTERING THE MANUAL MODE WHY IT’S IMPORTANT AND HOW TO USE IT

CANON 5D MARK II: MODES BULB EXPOSURE: HOLDS THE SHUTTER OPEN, DON’T USE THIS. MANUAL EXPOSURE: ALLOWS USER TO ADJUST SHUTTER SPEED, APERTURE, AND ISO APERTURE PRIORITY AUTO EXPOSURE: USER CONTROLS APERTURE SHUTTER PRIORITY: USER CONTROLS SHUTTER SPEED PROGRAM AUTO EXPOSURE: USER CONTROLS ISO CREATIVE AUTO MODE: “FUN” SETTINGS FULLY AUTOMATIC MODE: THE CAMERA CHOOSES EVERYTHING

WHY SHOULD I USE THE MANUAL MODE? It allows for greater control The camera doesn’t always choose the best settings It forces the user to learn the ins-and-outs of the camera You’ll impress other photographers with your vast camera knowledge

HOW TO SHOOT IN MANUAL MODE (THE BASICS) SHUTTER SPEED: THE SMALLER THE FRACTION, THE FASTER THE SHUTTER. A FAST SPEED (1/300) IS NEEDED TO FREEZE MOTION. THE FASTER THE SHUTTER SPEED, THE DARKER THE IMAGE BECOMES. APERTURE: HOW MUCH LIGHT THE CAMERA LETS IN. KEEP THIS AT THE LOWEST NUMBER “FSTOP” AVAILABLE. DEPENDS ON THE LENS. ISO: THE CAMERA’S SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT. ON A SUNNY DAY USE , IF CLOUDY/INDOORS, >800 FOR POOR LIGHTING CONDITIONS (INDOOR SPORTS, NIGHTTIME). INCREASING THE ISO WILL MAKE THE PICTURE BRIGHTER, BUT ALSO DECREASE THE IMAGE QUALITY. THE KEY IS TO FIND THE BALANCE BETWEEN SHUTTER SPEED AND ISO

CONTINUED… RECOMMENDED SETTINGS AUTOFOCUS POINT: AUTOMATIC PICTURE STYLE: AUTO OR STANDARD WHITE BALANCE: AUTOMATIC (YOU CAN CHANGE THIS IN PHOTOSHOP LATER) METERING MODE: EVALUATIVE DRIVE MODE: CONTINUOUS SHOOTING AF MODE: AL FOCUS IMAGE QUALITY: RAW IS BEST, BUT USE “L” (JPEG) REMEMBER: Adjusting manually is tedious at first, but once you get used to it, you won’t want to switch back to any other modes.