One of my favourite parts of blogging has been discovering a love of photography. Over the last year or so my interest has grown and I’ve enjoyed experimenting with composition and playing with my Nikon.
But I’ve got a confession to make. Most of the time, I use one of the auto settings on my camera, rather than switching it to manual.
For the most part, I’m happy with the photos I’ve taken. Sure, there are always duds in every batch, but I’ve managed to get some good shots and develop an editing style that gives this blog a consistent look.
I know that learning to use the manual settings properly will only improve the photographs I can take, as I’ll have more control over each shot, over the lighting and the focus.
After Christmas, I was inspired to start experimenting with manual, mostly because I’m off to Iceland soon and I would love to capture a few shots of the Northern Lights. Photographing the Aurora Borealis is a little more complicated than my usual landscapes, meaning it’s pretty much essential to turn off auto focus and get to grips with ISO, aperture and shutter speed.
Unfortunately, my experiments haven’t turned out so well. I understand the basics of the theory, but putting them into practice has been harder than I anticipated. One afternoon out walking yielded a couple of hundred shots that usually would have included some strong images. But on this occasion, pretty much all of them came back blurry. See sample photo above.
Clearly I need a bit more practice.
But my lack of confidence with the camera made me realise a couple of things. I managed to get myself pretty stressed, worrying that I wouldn’t be able to snatch a decent Northern Lights photo.
Until I realised that experiencing the moment is more important than photographing it. If we’re lucky enough to witness the phenomenon, I don’t want to be one of those people who are so busy with their face pressed against the camera, adjusting the settings, and faffing about trying to set up the tripod properly, that I forget to look up and actually enjoy the moment, away from the camera lens.
Yes, I’d love to take a few photos of the Northern Lights. But I’d rather have the memory of them, standing in the dark with my husband beside me, gazing up at the sky in wonder, rather than struggling frantically with my camera equipment, stress levels rising.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve got some time to practice my photography skills before I head to Iceland, and I plan on being prepared, just in case of a Northern Lights sighting.
But I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself to master manual photography. I can take a decent picture on auto, good enough for this blog and my own photo album. Hopefully one day, with enough practice, things will become a little easier and I’ll wonder what I had so much trouble with.
For now though, I’m happy to stick with auto.
Katie Louise says
Ah, practise makes perfect! All I can say is that if you don’t want to use full manual controls, the Av and Tv modes (possibly A and S on Nikon?) are a great start! Shutter priority will be more helpful to get rid of blurriness – you choose the shutter speed! The camera sorts the rest for you.
Amy Lord says
Yeah I’m just a bit lazy about the practice side of things 😉 I’ll get there eventually!
Pearl - Pretty Mayhem says
I feel the same way about my SLR camera. I’ve had it for about a year now and I’m still too scared to switch off my auto settings. Every time I take some pictures for the blog I think to myself that I should start practicing using the manual settings but then I just forget about it (or can’t be bothered). One day I’ll get around to it…in fact your article has given me some motivation 🙂
Your trip sounds amazing, seeing the northern lights is definitely on my bucket list!
Amy Lord says
I’m glad it’s not just me! It’s so easy to stick to auto because you do get really good pictures. Whenever I go out specifically for photos it seems a shame to waste the trip on poor practice shots but yep, must make more effort. Good luck!
Mrs D from Hello The Mushroom says
I agree. I try to get the best photos I can but sometimes I just can’t be arsed and would much rather enjoy the moments without having to register every.single.moment.of.my.life.
x
Amy Lord says
This, totally! Plus it’s nice to share the moment with someone else rather than ignore them and spend the whole time trying to take a photo!
Mike Eccles says
Hi Amy, a very sensible post, don’t let the photography get in the way of the experience.
But I have to say your recent photo blogs show that you have the eye and technical ability to capture some great images.
I agree with Katie that aperture and speed priority auto settings are the most useful: full manual is complicated and for me something to avoid unless you really want to spend camera time! Getting focus right (choosing the focus mode – I don’t know the settings on a Nikon) and setting the ISO (sensitivity) are the other key factors. The lower the light level the higher the ISO speed you will need, but the higher the ISO, the lower the image quality becomes. You may not want to go above ISO 800 – it depends on your camera. When there’s no pressure try messing about with all the choices for the same view and see what works out best!
Don’t let the technology get in the way of the art and the fun, and really enjoy the Northern Lights!
Mike
Amy Lord says
Thanks Mike, that’s very kind of you – some good tips too!
Joséphine @ Dudette Reads says
Yes! Living in the moment. I think that is something many camera-toting people forget a lot. But for those who are very sure of the manual settings that’s not a big problem, I think. That’s why I’ve taken it upon myself to practice. Half the time I delete those photos because they’re not of any particular occasion but that’s the beauty of digital photos. They are more forgiving with all the errors we make while learning.
Amy Lord says
Definitely Josephine, practice is really important and you can always switch back to auto if you want to be confident of getting a good photo!
Rin says
I kinda really love your blurry photo. There’s something soft and beautiful about it juxtaposed with the harsh, straight lines of the fields.
Amy Lord says
Thanks Rin, that’s really kind of you!