<<The following is an excerpt from Momtographie Online. Want access to the full 6-week class that starts June 4th? Details and registration is going on right HERE right now>>
I can vividly remember the first time I baked a two-layer cake from scratch. I had to invite a friend over because I was so fearful of messing the whole thing up.
In my head, I understood how to bake the cake and how to whip up creamy frosting, and I even had an idea about how to decorate the cake, but the prospect of actually doing it all myself made me incredibly nervous. I just knew what would happen …the cake would crumble when I tried to remove it from the pan. The frosting would be too dense and wouldn’t spread smoothly. I’d mess up the piping work or spell a word incorrectly on top of the cake. I just knew something would go wrong. But, with my awesome friend—an avid baker—beside me to help me through the process, I was suddenly at ease, and my baking fears lost their grip on me. I could, and I did, do it all!
Perhaps you have been regarding the prospect of going “full manual” mode in your photography with a mixture of delight and terror: looking forward to the freedom to create delectable photos, and fearing that something will go terribly wrong. Well, you are not alone. Trying it can feel daunting. However, I am here for you!
What does ‘shooting in manual’ really mean?
Manual mode is like swapping out your boxed cake mixes in favor of something you create from scratch. Instead of being limited to 10 flavors in pre-mixed boxes on the shelf, you have access to the whole pantry of full of beautiful raw ingredients. You can tweak and customize to get the perfect textures, colors and flavors you want.
Using Manual mode allows you to call all the shots in your photos.
You choose your ISO, you choose your aperture and you choose your shutter speed, bringing them all into balance to make the best use of available light.
The key word here is BALANCE.
If you add too much moisture or skimp on the dry ingredients when baking a cake, your batter will probably be too runny to cook through, and the final product will be a big mess.
The same rule applies with your manual settings. If you set your ISO too high and your aperture too low, your image may be way too bright.
The good news is that you have a super important tool that is going to help you with achieving this balance: your camera’s light meter.
Just as measuring cups and spoons are your go-to tools when baking the perfect cake, your light meter will be the tool that is going to help you measure your technical ingredients to keep them in balance.
Where can I find the light meter on my camera?
You’ll want to look through the viewfinder, and then push the shutter button down halfway to activate the viewfinder display. Your meter probably looks like a series of vertical lines, with + on one end and – on the other.
Keep in mind, the light meter is only helpful if you’re looking at it while framing your image through the viewfinder.
Some camera models will also show the light meter on the camera’s rear playback screen. If you see it there, don’t be tempted to get into the habit of using it there while shooting. You must know where the camera is focusing to get the metering right.
What is the light meter telling me about my image?
The + and – symbols that make up your light meter are extremely important. As you work with different types of light, the highlighting (or indicator) on that meter will switch between + and – depending on how bright or dark the light is.
- If your meter indicates a value towards the + sign, it’s telling you that your picture is going to be overexposed, or too bright.
- If your meter highlights more toward the – symbol, then your meter is telling you that your image is going to be underexposed, or too dark.
How do I use the light meter?
Right about now you are probably wondering what good a meter can possibly be if all it will do is tell you that you don’t have the right setting for the photo you want! As I am sure you have guessed, there is a bit more to it! This is where we start practicing that balancing act I was telling you about earlier.
When the light meter is balanced, THEN and only THEN should you snap the shutter.
You must measure out our technical staples—ISO, aperture, and shutter speed—so that your meter will end up in the middle: not too far to the +, and not too far to the -.
You pick the ISO, aperture and shutter speed settings by surveying your #1 ingredient: light.
How do I change my settings to achieve light meter balance?
When practicing in Manual mode you have the capability of setting your own ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. However, this is where momtographers often get stuck, because they aren’t quite sure which buttons or dials to use to change them.
I’ve worked with a lot of moms and a lot of cameras and, unfortunately, the way to change each setting is different on just about every camera model.
So, it’s impractical (if not impossible) for me to try to describe them all. I can, however, give you some hints and guiding principles.
First you’re going to want to locate the command dial on your camera (the one that scrolls)
Some models have two command dials: one dial to control aperture, the other to control shutter speed. Other models have only one command dial. When the camera is in Manual mode, using that dial without pressing any other buttons will adjust one setting (typically shutter speed).
To adjust the other setting (aperture, most likely), you will have to simultaneously push a button on the camera and operate the command dial.
Again, the key will be finding the buttons and the dial so you know where they are when you need them.
DO THIS NOW: Take a few minutes to figure out how to change ISO, aperture, and shutter speed while in Manual mode for your specific camera model. Then go find something to snap some photos of and give the light meter some practice!
We can continue working with the light meter and other ingredients together to truly build a recipe that has you confidently shooting in manual mode in the next 6 weeks. The next session of Momtographie Online begins soon and I’d absolutely LOVE for you to take part. Details and registration are waiting for you right HERE.
Pin It:
