Looking for good Youtube "get out of auto" type tutorials

[HookdOnPix]

I've read two books, read tutorials online and taken notes, and watched a couple videos. Yet still....when I go out to shoot, I STILL fall back on auto or one of the scene settings on my Nikon D5100. I don't have the confidence to change yet, and I don't want to miss a shot while I'm messing around with my camera.

I'm looking for a Youtube video series that would help where I could just subscribe to one or two channels and watch their series of videos. Any recommendations?

 

[HookdOnPix]

Still looking for a recommended Youtube video series to learn more about getting out of auto. Any ideas?

 

[robbins.photo]

My recommendation would be to start with Aperture Priority mode. This allows you to adjust the aperture of the lens, and provided you have the settings on the camera setup for auto-iso lets the camera decide on the shutter speed and ISO.

Experiment with Aperture priority for a while, and when you take shots examine the EXIF data - see what settings the camera chose for ISO and shutter speed based on the lighting conditions you were in, and examine the results you get at various apertures and how that affects the final image. This will give you a good handle on what aperture does and how it affects the other settings. Once you get a good handle ont that, then switch to Shutter priority mode for a while where you control the shutter speed and the camera choses the aperture/ISO for you again based on the lighting conditions. Again examine your EXIF data and take note of how the various shutter speeds affect the final image - this is particularly important with moving targets. Get a good handle on shutter speeds - and once you do then you can try manual for a while and see how all three fit together by manually adjusting your ISO, shutter speed and aperture all to get the desired effect.

Honestly I don't use manual mode myself much at all, I'm a fan of shutter priority - I use a D5200 and I shoot a lot of wildlife/zoo shots - so most everything I'm shooting at moves. As a result I like being able to select my shutter speed, and if I really feel the need to change the aperture I do so by adjusting the ISO. It works very well with the control systems on my camera since I only have the one command dial and I setup the function button to allow me to adjust the ISO.

That way I'm pretty much always ready to shoot without changing settings, and if I need to I can always alter the settings pretty quickly on the fly. About the only time I'll use manual mode is when I'm shooting under controlled conditions and have time to adjust all my settings for just the desired effect. But everybody's method varies on that one, so really your best bet is to experiment and find whatever works best for your equipment and shooting style.

 

[Derrel]

I shoot most outdoor, non-planned, non-scripted stuff in Aperture priority auto with a Nikon set to Matrix metering and AF-C. Lately, I have been using AUTO ISO with a 1/200 second minimum shutter speed at the very slowest, to prevent blurring from a number of potential sources. I pick the appropriate f/stop for the kind of stuff I am shooting. For landscapes, I pick f/7.1 or f/8. For portraiture, I pick f/4.5 or f/4.8 or f/5.6. Works very well with a modern Nikon, which has Nikon's patented SRS, or Scene Recognition System, and 3-D color matrix evaluative multi-segment light metering. This time of the year begins "the bright season" in my part of the USA, and there's plenty of leeway for the camera this time of year.

Now, as soon as FLASH comes into the equation though, I am totally Manual on everything...the ISO and shutter speed and f/stop are ALL carefully chosen, by me. I have not shot an automatic metering flash shot in maybe three years...flash in auto modes holds many pitfalls, some of which can be disastrous.

 

[vintagesnaps]

I can't say I've seen any videos that I've found to be all that impressive. I've been a photographer long enough that I don't remember how I started but I think I just got out with my camera and started taking pictures.

When I first had a digital camera I read the beginning part of the manual (an overview) then started playing around with it trying different settings and getting used to a somewhat different technology. I just took pictures of nothing particularly important in the backyard or whatever. Then I'd get out the manual and look up anything I was having trouble with or had forgotten how to do; for me it was a matter of getting used to where everything was. Now I don't have to think about it too much, it's become more automatic.

Sometimes you learn by figuring out what didn't work, then you know to try something else. It takes lots practice.

 

[HookdOnPix]

Thank you all so much for your help! Lots of great tips here. Exactly the kind of info I'm looking for!

 

[Skyehammer]

Hi Derrel ,
Would you say that those settings that you use would also apply to a Nikon D7000 ?

p.s. I bought the book you wrote on the D7000 , very helpful it was too !

 

[D7K]

Best to learn step by step, Exposure Triangle is a good starting point - once you understand how and more importantly why your pictures are turning out the way they are the easier it is to get them right, or take a test shot and correct it the take the shot.. I'm moving to more manual shooting myself as I prefer to have the control but there's still a number of times to forget to change something and boom, trashed shot...
I've read several online blogs, tips etc and watched some youtube video's, read books, best way to learn is trial by error in my opinion..

Oh - and of course, read the manual, learn and understand the camera and how to work with it...

 

[mikeyidaho]

Jared Polin (froknowsphoto) would be the best single YouTube channel I'd recommend. He also has a long beginners guide video you can buy that I found worth every penny.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[IzzieK]

Best to learn step by step, Exposure Triangle is a good starting point -
Oh - and of course, read the manual, learn and understand the camera and how to work with it...

what he said ^^^^^