Moving Toward Manual Settings

If you have not tried shooting in manual mode before, you are limiting yourself as a photographer (IMHO). I personally do not (yet!) shoot in manual mode on a regular basis. As of this writing, I've actually only shot in manual once since I got my D40 in July. My personal goal is to be comfortable shooting in all modes. I've started with program mode, then moved to aperature priority (where I'm at now -- totally loving AP!) and will work my way through shutter priority then up to manual. Or maybe, just maybe, I'll be adventurous and daring and try manual next. Oooh!

The purpose of this post is to share with newbie photographers a great tutorial series on getting into manual mode. DPS has just recently posted a series titled "Moving Toward Manual Settings (a beginner's guide)", written by photographer, Natalie Norton. She has a great photoblog, btw!

Checkout this series at the links below:

1. Understanding Aperture
2. Understanding Shutter speed
3. Understanding ISO
   

The above photo was taken on 7/24 and was my first time ever using manual mode. Actually...it was a lot EASIER than I thought it would be! So why don't I continue using manual, you might ask?? I've read great tips from many veteran photographers who have all expressed the importance of becoming familiar with all the modes in your camera as you are starting out, primarily the semi-manual & manual modes (Program/AP/SP/Manual). This also helps you better understand the relationship with the "exposure triangle" (aperture/ss/iso) since you are able to control more of the settings yourself.

So....ENJOY moving toward manual! I'll be there alongside with ya!

Visiting A Friend @ SHH

Yesterday after church, we visited a dear friend of ours at Scottsdale Healthcare Hospital. Our friend, Ron, has had severe health issues since his car accident over 20+ years ago when he was hit, head on, by a drunk driver. By God's grace he survived the near fatal accident and became a believer in Christ! Even though his health is an up and down roller coaster for him, he praises the Lord for the work in his life and for His sovereignty. We had such a precious visit with him! Praise the Lord he is recovering well from his recent surgery.

The photo for this post is the entrance to SHH. The original shot was rather bland (over exposed). In addition to sharpening and adjusting the exposure, I also added a "neutral density gradient filter" on it.

An ND filter is a filter that can be attached to a camera lens, which intensifies the color of the sky (among other things). Since I do not own an ND filter for my camera, I learned how to create the same effect in Photoshop. Here's my first attempt... :)