Constraints in Exposure: Manual Mode

By using prime lenses, we can apply a constraint to our field of view. Another way to constrain the way we shoot is to use Manual Mode. Generally, I don’t think Manual Mode is a must for street photography. Some photographers swear by it, but I feel in some cases it can be a hindrance, though in others it does allow for more precise, accurate, and most importantly, consistent exposure. However, for the most part, I use Aperture Priority when walking about town and shooting street photos. However, in the context of this article, I do feel that Manual Mode is a must for training one’s understanding of exposure. It applies a constraint in the sense that it forces the photographer to think about the three main settings that are available in almost every camera, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO, and understand how they relate.

It’s also possible to take it a step further and ‘lock’ one or two settings for a day. That is, you can choose a particular combination of settings for two of the three, and then only adjust the third one to maintain a correct exposure. For instance, on a sunny day you can select f/8 for the aperture, and 1/500 shutter speed, and then only adjust the ISO as needed in order to get the correct exposure. Similarly, on another occasion, say at night, you can choose f/2.8, 1600 ISO, and then adjust the shutter speed as needed. The point is to get an inherent understanding of how these settings work together and individually. Once you have this intuition, it becomes much more obvious what’s happening when shooting in semi-auto modes like Aperture Priority with Auto ISO enabled. The final goal of all this is to move beyond the phase where the camera’s operations are a kind of ‘black magic’ and move into a mindful awareness of what the camera is up to. This will allow for more consistent exposure when you’re out doing street photography, which is very beneficial in a photographic genre where speed is important and there are few second chances.