I haven’t always been a photographer. Not professionally at least. But aren’t all parents photographers? We own cameras. Back in the day, we spent a fortune on film and developing and on fancy digital SLR cameras now. We have boxes of negatives and pictures gathering dust in our basement and hundreds of megabytes of images taking up space on our computers.
Why? Because we are photographers. We are responsible for photographing our lives and our children’s lives. We record our family history. We want to freeze time for just a moment. It all passes too quickly and we hope that the images we capture will help us remember the moments that meant so much. The only thing standing between professional photographers and us, is knowledge.
Two years ago our daughter was born. We already had three sons. Our oldest was 13 and the youngest was just about seven. We were given the chance to have another child, a daughter, after three amazing sons. We wanted to capture every moment more fully than we had the first go around. This time, we knew how rapidly time passed, how easily we forget the little moments, and how quickly children grow up. After all, it had happened right before our eyes.
We bought a fancy camera in an attempt to document her life and our life with her. I wanted to tell our story through images. I was sure that with my new camera, all my pictures would be amazing, just like the ones I had seen online.
The problem was, when the camera showed up, I had no idea what to do with it. I had bought the camera body separate from the lens and I didn’t even know how to attach the lens to the camera! I was intimidated by all the dials and buttons and so I set it to program mode (which is simply a glorified auto mode) and went about my business, essentially using my new Nikon D90 the same way I had used my Sony Cyber-shot: as a point and shoot. The only problem was, I had in my mind what I wanted to create and it was more than snapshots.
For the last three years I’ve written a blog. I write for our friends and family to read and I love it. At first I would just write details about how the day went or what we were doing. It became rather boring to write and boring to read. I decided to change things up a bit and document our life through stories. I started using a thesaurus to find words that invoke an image. I tried to draw my reader in through anecdotes and emotion. It became fun for me and I knew I was preserving memories that would otherwise fade.
After Miss B was born and my camera arrived, I became interested in photography. I spent the majority of my time learning how to use images to reinforce the stories I was writing. I tried different angles, subjects, lighting, and composition. I loved the results. It’s amazing how an interesting photograph can change everything.
Over time I learned how to capture images that evoked emotion. I studied other photographers and their use of light. I read blogs, studied books, watched videos, and practiced constantly. My first year with my camera, I took over 100,000 images, all in program mode. Little by little I came to understand my own small corner of photography. I photographed friends and family and started to photograph others as well. Simply b Photos was born.
Then I hit a wall. I couldn’t predict the results of each photograph consistently. I could see in my mind what I wanted an image to look like, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it with my camera. The lighting seemed to always be off; the subjects in my photograph were too bright or too dark.
I knew it was time to turn my dial from program mode to manual. I’d like to say I dove right in. But I didn’t. I tiptoed. Reluctantly. Slowly. I read and studied but I couldn’t seem to figure out how to put it all together. It took me close to 15 months before I was comfortable shooting in manual mode. Eventually I figured it out and the difference between my photographs has been astounding. I haven’t used program mode since. Manual mode is now a vital part of how I tell a story through pictures.
I’m excited to share the details of what I believe makes the difference between a snapshot and a photograph. I’m including my tips and tricks on how to use your camera to its fullest potential in manual mode. I want to demystify your camera. I want to help you capture the best images you can to preserve your special moments forever.
(Excerpt from A Day With Amy Photography Workshop Workbook.)