Manual shooters. How do you set up your camera for a picture?

[cagirlintexas]

Can you tell me what steps you go through to set up your camera. Still trying to get the hang of manual and some pointers might help.

[Tom]

Lots of practice with metering. Try out all the different ways your camera meters and find what you want to use. You will probably use different metering for different pics.

Then lots of practice.

[KdLaneJr]

It really depends on what you are shooting. Take a look at the reference chart in your manual an note the changes that the various modes make to your camera settings. I'm referring to macro, landscape, sports and portrait mode(s).

The basic relationship between iso, shutter speed and aperture is where manual mode shines for me. If I need to shoot wide open at f/2.8, then I set my aperture first and shutter speed second. If I don't like that shutter speed for a good exposure and the subject can handle raising the iso, than that is what I do next.

When shooting sports indoors without flash, I set my aperture wide open, shutter speed to 1/500 sec and iso to 1600. Then I note what the meter is telling me and push the images on post processing.

When shooting outside in light that is quickly changing, I won't use manual mode. I put the camera an Av priority and pick an iso that yields the minimum shutter speed I want in the darker areas I'm shooting.

I prefer to stay at 100 iso and <= 400 is if at all possible.

So what steps do I go through.
1. set iso
2. set aperture for my desired depth of field.
3. shoot a custom white balance target to set a custom white balance and my shutter speed.
4. set the camera to the custom white balance I just captured.
5. take a meter reading with my sekonic light meter and compare it to my camera settings. (optional and based on what I am shooting).

Start shooting.

There is a little more to this depending on whether or not I'm using fill-flash outdoors, but that should give you a starting point to think about.

[cagirlintexas]

Ken thanks that helps a lot. I typically shoot my son and am finding that when the light is changing to rapidly I am missing a lot of shots in manual. I was thinking of resorting to AV mode.
I was debating on the custom white balance. I went out and shot pictures the other day and I am pretty sure the white balance was what ruined them. They turned out yellow.

My other solution was shoot in RAW and fix afterwards.

cagirlintexas added 10 Minutes and 53 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

If I am using my camera's meter how get it to meter which is constantly moving around how do I get it to expose his skin right?

[txphotog]

It looks like you were shooting during the golden hour.... around sunset. It actually the best time to shoot. Also try shooting raw on portraits as it gives you that the option to fix the wb later.

[CaptainTom]

Correct white balance is a part of proper exposure.
In rapidly changing light, using AV mode can be a saving grace since the camera will change along with the light.
I don't often recommend using the AWB , but if you are going to shoot jpegs
and not RAW, you will find that AWB will give you very acceptable results most of the time.
As the sun sets, the light intensity changes, and the light temperature changes as well. Learning to use fill flash can overcome the changing light.
In this case, your camera's automatic features can do a great job.

[cagirlintexas]

Originally Posted by txphotog

It looks like you were shooting during the golden hour.... around sunset. It actually the best time to shoot. Also try shooting raw on portraits as it gives you that the option to fix the wb later.

yup defiantly golden hour and golden pictures some more then others. I had some problems with camera and raw files again but I think I got a solution so tommorow when I shoot at least I will just shoot straight raw.

cagirlintexas added 0 Minutes and 50 Seconds later...Double Post Merged Below

Originally Posted by CaptainTom

Correct white balance is a part of proper exposure.

Is it hard to set a custom white balance. I have yet to really learn how to do it.

[CaptainTom]

It's not hard to select a custom white balance. the manual does a pretty good job of explaining it.

But, in your example photo you would have had to constantly keep changing your white balance to keep up with the changing light temperature (color).

If you are shooting outside, your camera will set the white balance very accurately unless there is a mixture of light sources. When you are shooting inside and you have several different kinds of light sources (incandescent, flourescent, etc) is when a custom white balance will help you a lot.

[CaroleHayes]

Originally Posted by cagirlintexas

I am pretty sure the white balance was what ruined them. They turned out yellow.
My other solution was shoot in RAW and fix afterwards.

It's easier if you shoot in RAW, but you can still fix it if you shoot in JPG. : )

This isn't perfect, but it ought to be a bit better:

[CaptainTom]

I don't see any difference. Did you upload the new file or the old one ?

[CaroleHayes]

It was the new one, but I have issues with my colors coming out right when I upload here.... : (

On my screen it's very different. sigh....

[CaroleHayes]

Does this one work??

[CaroleHayes]

Last try: here's a screenshot of the image—maybe THAT will work....

ETA: looks like that one worked.

So tell me: WHY would the screenshot upload properly, but not the other image??? They're both JPGs....

[CaptainTom]

The screenshot works OK.

Can't explain why. Somebody will know.

[CaroleHayes]

It's a mystery to me, but I'm very glad I figured that out! I've had some of my images NOT upload properly, and now I have a way to fix it if it happens again!

I kinda don't even care WHY, as long as it works.