Before I even picked up my camera I knew I wanted to start on manual. I didn't want to be the type of photographer that didn't have complete control of my images. I also feel that if someone is going to be investing in my work I want to give them the best work that I possibly can. In a way, staying in auto feels as if I'm cheating my clients because I'm not putting real effort into my work. For those of you who don't know, manual basically means you have control of your ISO, Shutter Speed, and Aperture. Each of these three play a major roll in the way your images come out. Many photographers will invest in the equipment, but wont take the time to actually learn how to use these features. Here's a basic runthrough of some of the functions you will run into when using manual mode on your camera.
All DSLR cameras, as well as mirrorless cameras, have the option to manually control all these components. ISO means how sensitive to light your censor will be. That may sound great to use in low light situations, but the higher your ISO the grainier you image will appear. Because of this, I generally try to keep my ISO as low as possible. This is where exposure compensation comes in. You can compensate for a high ISO by lowering your shutter speed. Shutter speed is how fast your camera will take the picture or how long the shutter will stay open before capturing your image. If your shutter speed is at 1/1000 that means that it will capture your image in 1/1000 of a second which mean that your sensor will capture light for that amount of time. The faster you can get your shutter speed the better, but a fast shutter speed means that less light will enter the sensor which causes you to crank up that ISO in lower light situations. So in lower light your shutter speed will have to be slower, but a slower shutter speed means that in the time that your shutter is open it will capture every movement that your subject makes which can cause a blurry picture. I generally try to keep my shutter speed higher than the zoom of my lens. A good way to keep a higher shutter speed and lower ISO is by opening your aperture. A wider aperture means that more light will enter your camera and it gives your images that really nice blurry background that most people love in their pictures. Aperture is measured in f-stops. The lower the f-stop the wider the aperture is. Therefore, you use these three components to capture the perfect image with the perfect exposure which, in the end, will make your post processing much easier.
Just knowing these basic functions will make you a much better photographer. It takes a lot of practice to get the hang of these functions, but once you do you will have more fun with your camera and the results will be much more rewarding!
-Adan Garcia Jr