Taking a Look at Manual Exposure Mode - Lesson 30 Phone to Camera Course
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Manual exposure mode is what makes painting with light so much fun. Like any creative process, the more automated it is, the less likely it is to be truly creative. This is because your camera is smart, but it is not creative … you are.
With your camera set to the manual exposure, you are in control of the aperture, shutter speed and ISO setting. It is possible to leave the ISO set to auto but I do not recommend this, because then the camera is still in control of your exposure.
Many photographers assume that it’s too difficult to learn manual exposure mode. There are a lot of photography courses and books teaching that you don’t need to use manual mode because it is too complicated and slow. I disagree with this teaching.
Manual mode is a little more difficult and it does take time to learn and practice. But once you have, you’ll be in full control of how your photos look. You will be unlikely to ever use any other exposure mode.
My first camera gave me no option but to learn using manual mode. It had no auto or semi-auto exposure modes. It would be great if camera manufacturers would still produce simple cameras with only manual mode. A camera like this would have fewer distractions and give the photographer more control.
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Making the switch from taking photos with your phone to using a camera requires some changes. Phone cameras make it easy to take snapshot images. To use a camera well, you need to control it and understand how to take great photos. Using a camera is so much more fun and the quality of your photos will improve dramatically ... once you know what you're doing.
This course contains 30 lessons and practical exercises designed to get you started using your camera. I focus on the differences you can expect between using your phone and your camera to take photos. No matter what camera you use, taking photos happens the same way. Light enters the camera (or phone camera) through a lens. The right amount of light must enter to record a well-exposed photograph with the camera's sensor. With your phone, this process is fully automated and generally produces bland, uncreative results.
Using your camera you can control the light, timing, focus, composition, and more. With this course, I'll teach you all about how to enjoy doing this. I've been taking photos since I was a teenager, most of my working career I've been a professional photographer. I also have many years of experience teaching new and experienced photographers about their cameras and the craft of photography. You'll see how I work when I'm demonstrating the practical exercises that accompany every lesson.
Each exercise has a .pdf document to help guide you through what to do to complete it. I designed this course so you can complete it easily in one month and change your photography experience in just a short amount of time. Each lesson is short and concentrates on a single topic. There's a clearly explained practical exercise with each lesson. Take as long or as little time as you like to complete the exercise and you're sure to experience growth and development in your photography. You'll see the results in the photos you're taking. You'll easily retain what you learn and put it into practice every time you use your camera.