May 22 2008
Why Taking Photos in Manual Mode is Better
Everywhere I go I carry a camera with me. It depends on the type of place I’m going, as to which camera I bring along, but either way, all my cameras have the Manual Mode option.
Before I really began to delve into photography, I really had no idea how to use Manual Mode, so many of my photos were hit and miss. Once I learnt, I’ve never turned back. Sometimes, if I need to take the photo really quickly, I’ll put the camera on Auto, point and shoot. Here is why that isn’t always the best option…
On a recent trip to the Gold Coast to attend a seminar, I stayed in a hotel with a lovely view of the Hinterland, as well as the ocean. As the sun set, I was keen to capture the moment, and quickly grabbed my point and shoot camera (which also has Manual Mode as an option). Here is the photo it took in Auto Mode:
Not impressive at all. And this is even with me lightening it in Photoshop! It certainly wasn’t that dark outside. Now here is the manual alternative. It’s not the sharpest, as I didn’t have a tripod, so I was balancing the camera on the edge of the balcony hand rail:
Comparatively much better. At least in this shot you can actually see something! Nothing beats having the proper equipment - SLR, tripod, shutter release… This at least allowed me to capture the image. Now, as a comparison, here is what the view looked like the following morning:
Not nearly the same about of mood, which just goes to prove that the best times of day to take a photograph, are dawn and dusk!! So, the moral is - if you want to take good photos, learn how to use Manual Mode 
Good work with the timing. I like working in manual mode too, but I keep the camera set to A or aperture propriety encase there’s a shot that doesn’t give me the time to setup. I like the sunset in the background, gives the city a little personality.