Photo Basics: Watch This Crash Course on Using Your Camera’s Manual Mode for Better Photos (VIDEO)

You’ve probably heard someone boast that, “You’re not a real photographer until you switch your camera’s mode dial from Auto to Manual.” While we don’t intend to debate that claim here, there’s no doubt that shooting in the Manual mode offers far more creative control.

This video below provides a crash course on manual photography, and will get you on the road to greater creativity in less than eight minutes. And even if you decide to use one of your camera’s automatic settings in the future, you’ll find this tutorial helpful because it will give you a better understanding of how your camera works.

Kevin Pimont is a photographer who also teaches graphic design and image-editing techniques. In this easy-to-follow tutorial, he explains what you need to know about manually setting important exposure parameters like ISO, shutter speed and aperture. He also says photos shot in the Manual mode provide more leeway for editing in the future.

Pimont discusses which exposure setting you should select first, depending upon the type of image you are shooting. With portraits, for example, he explains why aperture should be your primary consideration, followed by the ISO setting and shutter speed.

You can find more shooting and editing tips on Pimont’s YouTube channel. And be sure to watch another of his tutorials we posted, demonstrating how to add depth to photos by creating realistic shadows in Photoshop.

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