When to Move to Manual

Recently I was talking to someone about photography and they asked me about shooting in manual.  Now I know how to shoot in manual and I do it, but recently I haven’t been so much.  But I was wondering when it is “right” to move into manual.  Now I was knitting when I was thinking and this is what I came up with.

When I started knitting I got beginner books – children’s books.  This way I could learn the basics – the knit stitch and then the purl stitch.  I worked my way through some rather plain projects.  But I understood the two stitches and I gained confidence.  Much like shooting in Auto when you first get your camera.  You get some great shots, you learn about how your camera handles, and you gain confidence.

Then the curiosity creeps in.  I wondered about those “other” stitches out there.  How do knitters create patterns and holes?  So I bumped up my knowledge and got out of beginner books and moved up.  I found a little more complex patterns that challenged me.  Errors were made but I learned so much.  This is much like turning your dial off Auto and onto Program.  You get to choose some of the things like WB and ISO.  Maybe you even switch to A or S {which allows you to control a little bit more}.  But again, you are learning about your camera and what different things do.

Finally the leap comes… the pattern that looks more difficult than any other you’ve taken on… much like my Ella Coat journeys {Ms. A and Ms. S}.  Wow, those patterns hurt my brain, tested my skills, and made me trust that I really did know what I was doing.  But these weren’t patterns I picked up the first day I taught myself to knit.  I didn’t even knit them a month after… I took my time learning my craft and understanding patterns and different stitches.  This way when I got to the harder patterns I would understand what the pattern was asking of me.

Much is the same with shooting in manual.  You might want to jump there from the get go and maybe you’ll get some good shots.  But I think, if you first learn your camera before making the move the shots you will get will be much better.  It won’t take multiple shots to get THE shot you wanted.  After learning and understanding your camera you’ll be more apt to look at the shot and quickly make the adjustments you need to make it happen.  Shooting in manual takes some practice and knowledge of what you are adjusting, but taking time to work through this slowly will make your manual pictures as good…. BETTER… than shooting in Auto.  And you’ll be proud that you know what you are doing having taken the baby steps to get there.