I would like to ask why are people always surprised I shoot street photography in full manual mode, and with everything that's on a modern camera, is it right to still be shooting in manual, or should we all be using AP (aperture priority)
I’ll answer these questions in this blog and please remember this is just one person's view (even though I’m right).
So what lead to me writing this
Well, nearly every-time I would meet up with another street photographer, I would get asked why do I shoot in full manual, this is then followed by why don't I use AP, this always surprises me and I often ask myself I’m I the last street photographer that shots in full Manual.
I think a lot of this can be blamed on Youtube videos by so-called photographers like Ken Rockwell, Tony Northrup etc, I feel these videos (and photographers) are poisonous for new (and yes even seasoned) photographers. The videos tell people that they should just shoot in AP mode and its best to shoot using JPG as you can fit more photos on your SD card, all I'll say to that is what a load of crap, why the hell would you tell people this, as I said above it’s poisonous.
First off you must always shoot in RAW (I shoot both RAW and JPG);
Shooting in Raw is so important when you're starting on your journey through photography. You will make mistakes when starting out and yes even I make mistakes and I've been shooting for over 30 years. RAW makes it easier to fix any mistakes in whatever editing software you might use. As for space on your SD cards, I use 32GB cards and it’s rare that I fill one and if I do, guess what, I carry spares with me, so space isn’t a problem.
The next reason why you should be shooting in full manual when starting on your journey is, you must get to know everything on your camera and what it does and how it all works together, without knowing this how do you expect to use AP right.
Aperture Priority is for when you know what the ISO, shutter speed and Aperture (F-stop) do and how they work together until you know this how do you hope to use this mode to its full ability? The simple answer is you can’t.
A few of my fellow street shooters shoot using AP, but the difference with them is they all know how to use the camera in manual and they use AP to help them shoot faster on the streets, the thing with me is I just find it faster to use manual.
So why don't I use aperture priority, most of my friends think this is because I don't like or see a need for it and I guess this is true, well at least for me it is.
But why do I think this, when I started photography it was with a film camera and my photography teacher wouldn't let us cheat, well, he would call it cheating. He believed the photographer takes the photo, not the camera and his words have always stuck with me.
When I started photography back in the 1980s (god I’m old) we had to shoot using full manual, the thing is I don't remember the film cameras having anything auto on them, at least the ones we were using in school. Today, I have a certain vision and I just don't believe I can achieve this vision using AP, I’m sure it can but for me I shoot faster in manual and I know what I’m doing and maybe it’s because I’m old and stuck in my ways that I just can’t be arsed to start learning a new way.
I don't even use the light meter on the camera, I just know what settings I should be in to get the photo I’m after. Being on the street I have to think fast to get the photo and the knowing of where my buttons are on the camera makes everything faster. The great thing about the Fujifilm X cameras is the placement of the buttons, they are so easy to access, so for me, there is no need to shoot in AP.
Again this is Just how I shoot and I won't say it’s the right way for everyone, but manual Is the only way for me.
My advice for anyone just starting out in photography would be, find a local photographer that runs workshops, contact them and ask if they can teach you how to use your camera in manual. Now, don't get me wrong, aperture priority has a place in photography (just not my photography), but you have to know what you are doing to be able to use this mode properly. Don’t be frightened off from putting your camera in manual and learning how to use your camera properly, I promise you it isn't hard.
Once you master the ISO, Aperture (F-stop) and shutter speeds everything else will fall into place. You won't be able to shoot using aperture priority right until you learn how to use your camera in full manual. When I head out on the streets I set my ISO to 200 (lowest my camera goes) for bright days and 800 for days without much light. I nearly always shoot wide open, in my case that's F1.2 or F2 and my shutter speed is around 1600-2000. I try not to mess around with the settings unless it's necessary. I also find shooting in full manual slows me down, as you can tell from my other blogs I need everything that helps me slow down lol
Remember you only need to learn 3 things to help you shoot in manual, ISO/shutter speed / Aperture (F-stop).
If you need any help, then please feel free to get in touch.
Thanks for reading
