What exactly is the difference between taking photos in auto and manual mode?

Let it be said that I am the least techy person on the planet, and I'll use very basic terms to explain. I also firmly believe that no technical skills are needed to use the manual settings to their full extent.

Forget grey cards, light meters and those nasty little tables with taps which go from dripping to gushing and which, I'm sure, were only invented to confuse beginner photographers even more.

Let's start with auto mode. I'm not entirely sure why cameras have an auto mode. Maybe just to reassure beginners that the camera works.

Images created in Auto mode usually look boring. The camera will take an image with an average level of sharpness - usually around 80%. The result is ..... pretty dull.

Now and again, you’ll get excellent results in Auto mode - just to confuse you more. But you won’t be able to replicate the photo because the camera decided how the image would be taken - and not YOU.

By using your camera's manual settings, you'll be taking control and deciding EXACTLY how the photo will look.

When you think about it, most images are a combination of the following:

100 % sharpness

or

a certain amount of blur combined with sharpness

matched with:

perfect exposure

or

underexposure

or

overexposure

movement is either:

frozen

or

drawn out

The manual settings of your camera determine all these things.

Look this image is a combination of over-exposure + blur + drawn-out movement

Or this one is perfectly exposed and 100% sharp:

This one is slightly under-exposed, and 80% of the detail in the image has been blurred out.

Each of these images look far more interesting than if they would have been taken in Auto.

So if you aren't doing so already, I strongly urge you to take control of your camera by learning how to adjust the manual settings.

It really isn't difficult, but so far I've only ever come across extremely complicated explanations on this subject.

Too much excess information leads to a feeling of being too stupid to understand.

Even the teachers who claim their method is “easy”, manage to over-complicate matters and teach their students EVERYTHING they know on the subject - when really only a fraction of their knowledge is needed.

Logically explained, of course!

Are you looking for an easy-to-understand method in which to learn the manual settings?

Or are you hoping to take control over your camera and start taking images which grab attention?

Would you instead spend your mental energies on creative development instead of on something as dull and mundane as camera settings?

Then take a look at the online photography workshop I've created to relieve you of this (usually torturous) learning process, called "Focus". Click here to learn more and learn how to use your camera's manual settings in the space of an afternoon.

I’d love to learn about your experiences of learning the manual camera settings.

Don't learn the hard way as I did, and please don't give up entirely and go back to Auto mode.

It is easy - I promise!

Would you like to learn more about photography in manual mode?

Stop letting your camera decide how your images turn out and start to work purposefully with the manual settings of your camera.

Learning to photograph in manual mode is the first step which every photographer, with the intent of becoming great, should take. Only then can you create the images which you see in your mind with your camera

Click the button to learn more:

Learn more

Featured