6 tips to follow for when you are shooting in manual mode

When starting off in photography, using the automatic features on your camera is a great way to start and get comfortable with photography. You eventually want to move on to using manual mode. Here are 6 tips to follow for when you are shooting in manual mode.
Manual mode gives you much more control over how your photographs will turn out. This gives you a ton of freedom over the settings to produce the best quality picture. Utilize the tips below to best start using manual mode.
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1. Exposure triangle
The exposure triangle consists of shutter speed, exposure, and aperture. All these settings work together to produce the best possible shots. The trick is to get these settings right for the types of shots you are trying to create. Spend plenty of time playing around with these settings before going out for a photo shoot.
2. ISO
ISO is how sensitive your camera is to light. Most DSLRs are between 200 and 1600. Low ISO numbers are used when you need more light in your shots. Shooting in high ISO numbers is great for shooting in low light areas, you just have to watch out for digital noise showing up in your photographs. Noise can be lessened during post production.
3. Aperture
The aperture controls how much light enters your photos. The higher f numbers are for less aperture, which will have more of your photo in focus. The lower f numbers are for more aperture, which blurs the background.
4. White balance
White balance is the color temperature in photos. While in auto mode, the camera will do its best to pick up the right colors, but this isn't always the case. Get to know the different settings for white balance and know when to change them to get the coloring right in your shots.
5. Light meter
The light meter on your camera helps you get proper exposure before shooting. In the beginning, make sure this is set at zero along with having all the other settings correct. After awhile you can shoot above or below zero to get over and under exposed shots.
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6. Shutter speed
Shutter speed can help sharpen your images in manual mode. Lower shutter speeds lets in more light, but can blur the image. Fast shutter speeds don't allow much light in, but can produce sharper images, even if you slightly shake the camera while pressing on the shutter button.