How to Shoot in Manual Mode With a DSLR or Mirrorless Camera
(plus a free, printable manual mode cheat sheet!!)
If you’re still snapping all of your photos in automatic but you’re ready to take things to the next level and finally shoot in manual mode, this guide should help you get past the initial intimidation. Shooting in manual mode initially can be really overwhelming, but after the confusion during your first few sessions, you’ll be happy you made the switch!
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Before we get started, on most cameras there are two auto modes (Automatic and Program) and two semi-automatic modes (Shutter Priority and Aperture Priority) and these are great places to start if you’re inexperienced.
Program mode can teach you a lot about ISO, which is arguably the easiest place to start before shooting in manual mode since it’s so easy to memorize.
So why learn to shoot in manual mode at all? Manual mode gives you so much more control over your images and you might not see it now or even one year from now, but it is a huge deal.
When you’re first learning how to use manual mode, it can be hard to figure out which setting you should set first or which setting you should change first when the exposure isn’t right. When this is your problem there are a couple of things you should learn and memorize first.
First, remember how each component affects light in your photo. That’s all a photo is anyway, light in a scene. Then memorize the other effects each setting has on your photo so that you can elevate your photography game and start looking and feeling more professional.
Aperture (F-Stop):
I generally set my aperture first. This directly affects the depth of field, so it is a vital component depending on what type of photo you want to take.
A low f-stop number is best for a shallow depth of field (fewer details in the frame in focus or blurry backgrounds). You might want a shallow depth of field if you want to bring more focus to your subject. These situations include portraits, wildlife photography, and more.
A high f-stop number is best if you want a deeper depth of field (more details in the frame are in focus or more focused background). For example, if you’re taking a landscape shot, you generally want most details in the frame to look sharp and be in focus, so you’d pick a higher f-stop number.
How it affects light: If you want to adjust your f-stop to change the lighting, a low f-stop number lets in more light while a high f-stop number lets in less light. The aperture (f-stop) controls how much light enters the camera lens.
Again, when I was starting out this was usually the first setting that I would set when I was planning my shots, and the last setting I would change if the exposure wasn’t quite right.
That doesn’t mean that this is the right way to do it, this is just my personal preference due to the nature of the photos that I was taking at the time. I also found that changing my settings in this specific order was easiest for me to remember what to do when I was first learning how to shoot in manual mode.
In the future, it’s helpful to know that depending on the needs of your photo, changing another setting first might be the right way to go. Although this order works well for most everyday shots.
This is a diagram of what different aperture changes look like in your lens. The first wide open one is a low aperture (like f/1.4 for example) and the last one is a high aperture (like f/22).
This shot of a crocus flower is a great example of a low aperture shot at f/1.7. The background is buttery and smooth with little to no detail.
This is a great example of why landscapes don’t always need to be taken at an extremely high aperture. I wanted to draw your eye down the tracks so I selected an f/5.6 aperture. That way the foreground has a small amount of blur to it, drawing your eye to what could be at the end of the tracks since that’s what’s in focus in this shot.
This shot was taken at an f/20 aperture, bringing everything into focus. I loved how the landscape was dotted with tiny flowers and gnarled trees, and a high aperture allowed me to see all of that in the final image.
ISO:
I pick my ISO based on the natural light since I usually shoot outdoors. Typically, you pick a number based on the idea of:
ISO 100 – Bright Sun
ISO 400 – Cloudy, Shady
ISO 800 – Dim Lighting, Blue Hour
ISO 1600 – Dark Indoor
ISO 3200 – Nighttime
I rarely go over ISO 3200 because of noise. I generally don’t like the noise introduced by ISO in my photos, so I tend to avoid it. The higher your ISO, the more visible noise is in your photograph. However, don’t be afraid to test these things out for yourself.
Lots of people love to include noise in their photos even if the original doesn’t have any because they like how it looks or like a vintage feel to their photos. You can always shoot a couple with a lower ISO and a couple with a higher ISO to test the difference for yourself!
How it affects light: This one is more obvious as to how it affects the lighting in your photo since that’s the basic premise. The higher the ISO number, the brighter your photo will turn out.
ISO numbers measure how sensitive the camera sensor is to light. The lower numbers mean that the camera is less sensitive to light and the higher numbers mean it is more sensitive, therefore bringing more light into your photo.
Shutter Speed:
Shutter speed is the last setting that I change before shooting in most everyday situations. Typically, I’ll adjust it until the exposure is correct (and the light meter is close to zero). This is the easiest way to teach yourself when first starting out in my opinion because it’s great for everyday shooting for most styles of photography.
However, there are situations where I would typically set the ISO last instead of shutter speed. These situations might be that I want to freeze motion, blur motion, or do some sort of long exposure. In these situations, I would pick a setting based on the idea of:
1/2000 – Very Fast-moving Subject
1/500 – Children and Pets
1/250 – Everyday Shooting
1/60 – Slowest Handheld Setting
1/20 – Blur motion
1/8 – Blur Fast Water
1/2 — Blur Slow Water
1” – Fireworks
2” to 30” – Light Painting, Other Long Exposures
Note: Many digital cameras show the faster shutter speeds not as fractions but just as whole numbers. Once you get to 1” second it will start showing double lines.
Again, these are generalizations. These can be different based on the focal length of your lens so there’s no reason to memorize this table, this is just a basic idea for learning purposes.
How it affects light: The slower the shutter speed, the more light is let in because that’s how long the shutter is left open. For example, if you leave the shutter open for 1” second that is a lot longer than leaving it open for 1/500 of a second. So it would let in more light the longer the shutter is open and that’s what the shutter speed is measuring.
Useful Tip! Rule of Thumb for Slowest Handheld Setting:
You can handhold the camera when your shutter speed is 1/focal length of the lens. After this point, you should use some kind of stabilization for your camera so your photo isn’t blurry. For example, you can use a tripod, mono-pod, or a camera stabilization method to assure your camera stays still.
Light Meter:
On your camera there is a light meter that looks kind of like this depending on what camera you have:
This light meter will tell you if you have the correct exposure. You want it to be close to zero. On most cameras, there is a setting where you can look through your viewfinder, press your shutter button halfway down, and it’ll tell you if the light meter is at zero or not. (This will be different for every kind of camera. If you want to know how to do this, consult your manual for your specific camera. If you don’t know where your manual is, you can look online for a copy).
If the number on the light meter is in the negatives, your photo will turn out under-exposed, and if it’s in the positive, your photo will be over-exposed. Adjust your settings the way you prefer until you see that the light meter is in the middle (at zero). It doesn’t always have to be exactly in the middle.
You can shoot slightly under-exposed if you want. However, I highly recommend not shooting over-exposed. Over-exposure is harder to fix and takes away significant detail (especially in the skies). Even if you prefer the slightly over-exposed look you can accomplish it in post-processing; think about how to save as much detail as possible. You’ll thank yourself when you can bring the clouds and sky back to life in post and not have them lost forever to the over-exposure gods.
For some extra learning:
If you’d like another more detailed tool to take a look at your exposure, you can use your camera’s histogram. Learning how to read a histogram can be a very useful tool while you’re shooting and editing. It can also tell you if you’ve lost any important data to over-exposure or under-exposure.
For most everyday shooting situations, I will typically set my aperture (F-Stop) first, then my ISO, and finally my shutter speed. In my opinion, this specific order is the easiest way to learn since your aperture will change depending on what kinds of details you’d like in focus. This is usually the first thing you’re deciding when you take a photo. Then, you can pick ISO based on the weather and lighting conditions.
This is not the only way to shoot. You never know, you may end up preferring to set your shutter speed first, then aperture, and finally ISO. As long as you have a good exposure, it doesn’t matter which setting you set first.
You can always bookmark this page if you’re first learning to come back and refresh your brain on these things later.
If you want a little extra help, I have a free printable manual mode cheat sheet that you can keep in your camera bag for a while until you remember these things for yourself!
Download my free ‘Manual Mode Cheat Sheet’ by filling out the form below!
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Hello I’m Caryn!
I’m a Pacific Northwest based adventurer and storyteller. I take a lot of photos, Zack takes a lot of videos, and together we try to bring our fun adventures to life to inspire you to go outside and have meaningful, unique outdoor adventures for yourself!