absolute beginner

[wasp56]

Hi everyone. Just got my first camera at age 58.... yes really!
I live in Buckinghamshire in England and i want to take pictures using manual settings .
whats the best first steps to take please?

[Mark von Kanel]

Hi Dave And welcome! Tell us a little more about your camera and lens's You could start with the tutorials on here about composition, The exposure triangle, Depth of field, and any others that float your boat OH and read the camera manual!!!

Then come back here with more specific questions, Shooting manual is a good thing to do but dont sweat it straight the way. dont be afraid to get out there and shoot in auto to begin with. you have a lot to learn and may get disheartened if you try to take in too much info all at once.

[Manfred M]

i want to take pictures using manual settings .
whats the best first steps to take please?

Why?

I've been taking pictures for an awfully long time and rarely shoot on manual. It's not that I don't know how to, as my first SLR had to be shot manually, so I have many years of experience doing so. A modern camera has such a great level of "intelligence", that I generally only shoot on manual when I am either shooting in a studio or when I am trying for some special shooting were I need to disengage the automation, for instance panoramas or certain types of night-time shots.

I agree 100% with Mark; as a beginner, I would suggest that you concentrate on learning things that are important photographically. The exposure triangle, composition the technical aspects of shooting (correct focus and not moving the camera while you shoot) are critical elements.

Now, I'm not saying you shouldn't learn how to shoot manually. I do believe it is a very important skill, just as I believe everyone should be able to manually focus a camera and know how to take advantage of hyperfocal distances. I would suggest that these probably come before manual shots, unless of course you are using a 40 year old film SLR...

Now that I have gotten that off my chest; Welcome to CiC!

Would you mind clicking the "My Profile" button on the top of this page and filling out your name and adding where you are from. This post will get buried down the stack over time and we are unlikely to remember where you are from.

The other recommendations I would make are to go through the tutorials on CiC to get out there and shoot. Post your image(s) here in the appropriate thread and get your work critiqued or ask questions when you don't understand something or are having problems getting the shot that you want. This is probably one of the most helpful sites in that regards, which is why I originally joined as well.

The members here run a wide spectrum from beginner to the very advanced; but we all started off as beginners.

[JR1]

Hi everyone. Just got my first camera at age 58.... yes really!
I live in Buckinghamshire in England and i want to take pictures using manual settings .
whats the best first steps to take please?

Join a camera club

[cuilin]

hi and welcome. let us know if you have any questions, it's a pretty friendly group.

[dubaiphil]

Yes, we need to know what camera you're shooting with, Dave.

I remember well asking a pro shooter just after I'd got my first DSLR (as he had a Nikon D3) what settings he was using and was astonished that he wasn't shooting in M, but in A.

It didn't take long to get to grips with my camera and understand why.

P, A, S, M - all offer a level of control to the photographer, to varying degrees. I'd recommend googling Exposure Triangle and understanding the relationship between Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. Then, according to what you are shooting, you can use a mode that suitable for you at the time. e.g. if you want to control or limit your depth of field, then A lets you set an aperture and the camera adjusts the shutter speed for you. If you want to freeze or blur motion then S will allow you to select the shutter speed you require with the camera adjusting the aperture. Auto ISO can be useful when light levels change from shot to shot to maintain minimum shutter speeds while you keep the aperture you want.

In reality, unless you are a complete masochist (!) I'd avoid M initially unless you are shooting in a very controlled or specific way - for example on a tripod at night

[Mike Buckley]

Why?

Exactly my thought. Consider using the automated systems when they work to your advantage and use the manual systems when they work to your advantage. That will depend on the scene you are capturing and your command of the camera at the various stages of your learning curve.

My car has a transmission that works both automatically and semi-manually. I use the automated system when I'm driving in stop-and-go traffic in the city. I use the semi-manual system when I'm driving the rapidly changing elevations in the mountains.

[dubaiphil]

I use the semi-manual system when I'm driving the rapidly changing elevations in the mountains.

Rock 'n' Roll, Mike :-)

[Mike Buckley]

Rock 'n' Roll, Mike :-)

Hey, it's the best there is when ya don't have a clutch pedal. Do I get credit for putting the convertible top down?

[dubaiphil]

Hey, it's the best there is when ya don't have a clutch pedal. Do I get credit for putting the convertible top down?

It all depends on what tunes you're banging out...!

[Tringa]

Hello Dave and another welcome to CiC.

Lots of good advice already here.

I'd only add, if you know nothing about photography, (and as you have said you have just bought your first camera I suspect this to be true) then set your camera on Auto. It gives full control to the camera which is not always the best idea, but it will give you some (perhaps even, a lot) of good shots.

However, there will be times when you look at one of your photos and say, "I didn't want it to look like that." That is the beginning of learning how to get the best out of your camera and going further than Auto.

The idea that Manual is best is, I think, a hangover from a time when there was no automation in cameras. As automation was introduced - way before digital cameras arrived - there was some resistance, as there always is with new ideas. There was a feeling that 'proper/good' photographers use manual whereas in reality 'proper/good' (whatever that means) photographers use whatever is appropriate to the what they are taking.

Do let us know what camera you have and if you have any questions about your shots, post them up here.


Dave

[mknittle]

One way is to shoot in auto and semi auto modes and watch the settings the camera picks. and read everything you can find on the subject.