Help - Auto to Manual

Hi everyone,
I have a Canon EOS 400D and have been shooting in Automatic for a year.
I am reading and reading about f stops, ISO, metering and getting more and more confused as I try to put all this together to take one shot. My question is to you is there an easy way to graduate slowly from Auto to Manual by using the AV an Tv modes and slowly learning about fstops and so forth and getting one correct till it is second nature and then going on to the next till eventually I get to full manual mode. And as for metering I dont even go there.
Hope someone can help.
Thanks Michelle

You could do that but you may spend another year in each mode.

Seriously though, I would recommend learning about what makes a good exposure. It is a combination of things.

Bryan Peterson has a great book out titled "Understanding Exposure". It can be found in any Barnes and Noble or you can order it online. It is easy to read and the information is put out in an understandable fashion.

Good luck.

I also recommend that you get the book - it will explain things in an easy to understand manner.

Take a look here:

http://web.canon.jp/im​aging/enjoydslr/
https://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthre​ad.php?t=414088

Welcome to POTN!

welcome !

Understanding Exposure

+1 on Understanding Exposure by Peterson. I just finished it. Not only does it start from ground zero, it gives you creative reasons to make your selection of f/stop and shutter speed (and ISO). Lastly, it does a great job of explaining how to use the scene in front of you to get the most out of your light meter. Lastly Lastly (sorry) the book gives you guidance about what types of scenes are safer in Av or Tv modes, and which are likely to fool your camera.

What I did was shoot subject material in auto mode, then tried to replicate it in the other modes to see if I could get the same shot. I did this for about a week, and it worked pretty well. YMMV

+1 on Understanding Exposure... since I just returned from Chapters with it

I agree with the other posters...get the book Understanding Exposure. It has been a great help to me as far as understanding f stops and aperture and iso and how they combine to get the shot you want. I would recommend getting out of the basic modes and start using Av or Tv and then advance to Manual from there. This forum has been a great help to me...so read all you can and take that info and apply it to your photos...and if you have questions...ask This is a great place to learn! And most of all...have fun!!!!!!!

One more thing - I'm starting to develop a habit of walking around with my camera in Av mode for quick reaction if necessary, then switching to manual when I want to work on a shot that has a challenging exposure that might fool the electronics.

Now if you're really good, or have been doing this forever, you walk around in manual mode and set the exposure every time the light changes, not when you want to shoot. I'm not that good.

Buy a book relating to your camera. But don't waste any more time NOT trying a few things on your own. For example:

P mode: This one is almost a full auto mode, except that you can change the WB as you wish, and a few other things.

Av: remember that using this mode is much like using a film camera on "aperture priority" mode. You control the aperture of the lens, and the camera automatically adjust shutter speed to match the aperture. You still can change a few things manually (change the ISO accordingly).

Tv is just the opposite. You control the shutter speed of the camera, and the camera matches the lens aperture to the speed you have chosen (change ISO is needed). For example, if you are using this mode and the lens aperture is not enough to gather the necessary light for the photo (things will be blinking in the viewfinder to tell you that something does not match), increase the ISO.

A-Depth is pretty much an automatic mode, although you have control on the settings. What this mode helps you with is as follows: selects a depth-of-field for you so that as much as the foreground and the background are in focus. Lots of people don't care about this mode, and I don't disagree with them (I don't use it). But the main reason why I don't use it is because when using super wide-angle lenses like I do for landscapes, the lens itself takes care of the depth-of-field. And, if I am shooting on Av mode, I can control the lens aperture to increase-decrease DOF accordingly.

Thanks to everyone,
I went out and bought "understanding exposure" today and it has been a great help.
Thanks again