M is for Manual Mode :: How Do I Use My DSLR Camera

The A, S, M and ISO of photography

(A) Aperture

(S) Shutter Speed

(M) Manual Mode

(EYE-ESS-OH) ISO

(P) Program/Auto

(M) Manual

by Thomas "TJ" Gillespie
Backlit subjects often get best results in manual mode.

What does the M stand for on my camera / camera dial?

Back lit subjects (the light source is behind your intended subject) can be some of the most challenging to get right. I wasn’t too concerned about depth–of–field so I selected f/8. I overrode the camera’s suggested higher shutter speed and set it to 1/320 of a second to ensure the ship’s port side was lit rather than silhouetted.

M stands for manual mode where you will control both the shutter speed and aperture to get the exposure you want.
Long exposure like 10 seconds may require you to be in manual mode.

Why would I photograph or take photos in manual mode?

Two reasons to shoot in full manual mode: 1) Many cameras won’t expose for 10 seconds unless you are in manual mode and 2) the camera would never correctly guess how long to expose a night shot of a thunderstorm.

The short answer is so that you can fully control the exposure of the picture.

Believe it or not, but as good as top–of–line, $5,000 cameras are they still don’t always get the exposure you want. Learning how to shoot in manual mode allows you to get proper exposure when the camera thinks the photograph will be either under or overexposed.

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Private instruction is $80 per hour, 1 hour minimum.

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After purchase you can register for class by contacting T.J. @ 954.417.6677 to sign up for one–on–one or group class.

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All students can retake scheduled group sessions for free, unlimited, for 1-year after first instruction. Only limitation is that class sizes never exceed 10 and classes are first come, first serve.

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