Demystifying Manual Mode in 5 Simple Steps: A Beginner’s Guide

Imagine this scenario: capturing a captivating image not from the planned lookout point but from a hidden gem you stumbled upon amidst unexpected rain and rushing traffic. This is the story of a photo I took using Manual Mode while walking across the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City, a testament to the power of adapting and embracing the chaos. It’s not just about the final shot, but the journey that led me there, guided by five key questions.

Therefore, I share this story for one sole purpose. To empower you, a beginner photographer, to realize that capturing epic shots in Manual Mode, is not as hard or complicated as everyone makes it out to be. 

I created this 5-step system to capture great stories, anywhere, anytime, and have taught thousands of students how to master manual mode without the technical jargon and years of training. 

So without further ado, here is the story behind ‘Heights of Brooklyn’.

I was in New York City for a photography workshop with one of my favorite photographers, Chris Burkard.

Reflecting on the experience, the biggest takeaway I got from his 8 hours of intimate conversation among 30 people was simple:

Everywhere you go, look for the opportunity to find your highest vantage point.

Though he was specifically speaking about composition for landscape photography, I know he also meant this as an internal concept. To be the best photographer and storyteller, I had to see the image before I took it. I had to envision what I wanted to create, but I also had to seek out that vision. I had to find the best perspective to create my best story.

Inspired to say the least, I left that workshop in the Flat Iron District and began to make my way towards the nearest subway station that would lead me back to Brooklyn Heights. That’s where my cousin lived, I was crashing with her for this 36-hour trip.

But that walk led me somewhere else. However, I did manage to get out of Manhattan. Hence the shot. But at this point, I had ZERO intention of being on TOP of a bridge that night.

As I walked, I began recapping the day’s conversations, interesting insights, and my takeaways. I soon remembered that Chris kept saying, “When I get to a place, I look around. I see it all with my eyes first. Sometimes I even venture out with my camera. I just go looking for the highest vantage point.”

Then A Twist of Fate: A spontaneous encounter led me to the Brooklyn Bridge, with a different vision in mind (Lady Liberty at night).

It hit me. I’m in the tallest city in America for the next 10 hours. I need to go find the highest place to shoot from. A building was my first thought. But through a window? Getting on a roof? No…

I kept walking towards Brooklyn. It was starting to rain. I paused under an awning to check my phone. An old college friend had messaged me on Instagram after I posted about coming to the city for a day. “Hey, you’re in my town. Let’s meet up!” I wrote him back instantly. And in a series of spontaneous events, we ended up here: On top of the Brooklyn Bridge staring back at New York City.

My first intention after he said let’s go on the bridge was Liberty. I’ll get Liberty with my zoom lens at night with her bold light shining bright in the dark sky. Yes! I was visualizing. I could see it now… so we started the climb.

As we walked, I started to think about what it would look like. She was over to my left (I had seen her earlier from below.) so I just had to get my tripod set up between the railings… but the rain…

Now, I’ve been shooting in Manual Mode for years and I still make mistakes. Like, why didn’t I check the weather?

I had some vision of Liberty with the light hitting her at night in the dark skyline. You couldn’t even see her. It was so cloudy and rainy.

Transitioning from Frustration to Inspiration: Rain, limited visibility, and initial disappointment forced me to shift gears and observe the scene with fresh eyes.

This is a bike path and there’s this little tiny overpass and I’m just getting anxious. All these bikers whizzing by. So I jumped into this little overpass area that’s about 2 feet by 2 feet. That’s the moment when I started hearing the cars, and then I looked over the edge and saw all the cars and the orange. Then I looked further and saw the city differently, and I forgot about Liberty. I now had a completely different story to capture.

Allowing all my senses to rush in, I started to notice the light, the movement of the cars, the depth of the bridge, and the city in the background. I started to think about how I was going to use Manual Mode to piece together the elements that I wanted in my image.

Here’s the irony. This is about 7:30 PM on a Friday, and they are leaving Manhattan. Do you think these cars are moving very fast? No, your typical New York stop-and-go traffic. So how did I make it look as if the cars are zooming by at a high speed?

The Unexpected Masterpiece: The final image, not just a snapshot, but a story woven from adaptation and sensory awareness.

There is something I did with my camera after I saw this story coming together. Remember, we are the storytellers. Remember, I didn’t FEEL calm. I heard the sound of their horns, I felt the rain and anxiety of how high we were. I felt like an outsider. I’m not from New York at all. I know I have to prepare to go to New York. I have to get in the mindset of the craziness. So I wanted that feeling to come across in the image.

How many shots do you think I took to get this shot using Manual Mode? Do you think I took a lot of shots, a few shots, or just this one?

This is not one shot. I probably took about 30-40 shots. Even 15 years after shooting in Manual Mode, I still have to “develop” my story. I have to think it through, I have to time something like this, just right. I have to anticipate what’s going to happen and know how the camera sees my experience.

Though this was a unique, spontaneous adventure, it’s still a very typical scenario where you go with one intention and then because life is never what it seems, you have to be open to other things happening and stay in tune with how your experiences make you feel.

Unlocking the Story with Manual Mode: The 5 Key Questions: Why, What, How Much, Who, Where?

Essentially, we have to pause our thoughts. We have to bring our awareness into our 5 senses, into our body. We have to identify that connection through feelings. That’s how we answer the first question.

Then by first backing up to my feelings, I now have a clear idea of what I want to do with my camera. Now I can start answering the next questions.

Immediately I realize, I have a different light on this story than the original idea of shooting the Statue of Liberty.

The first step to photo success is asking ourselves WHY?

Why am I inspired to capture this moment?

So the WHY is New York, right? This intensity in the movement of the cars represents the feeling I felt about New York… the story comes to life.

The second question we ask ourselves is WHAT?

What kind of light is there?

This is how we choose what ISO setting to use.

What kind of light am I looking at while on the Brooklyn Bridge? All kinds, right? This is true of most scenes. In this particular image, there’s the city skyline in the back, the car lights, the water below…

What do you think is causing the light on the orange structure of the bridge in front?

The street lights. See the lights down the middle? There is another one, just out of frame (on purpose), right over my right shoulder. See how it’s illuminating the cables running vertically and the bike lane to the right?

There’s also still some light still left in the sky technically because it’s raining. Water is a source of reflecting light.

So let’s use these two answers of WHY and WHAT to start answering the third step or question in the 5 Steps to Photo Success.

HOW MUCH motion is there?

This is how we choose what Shutter Speed setting to use.

I hinted at this earlier. I wanted to create motion, right? I needed you (my viewer) to FEEL the rush I was feeling.

Then the fourth question to ask is this:

Who’s in focus?

This is how we choose what Aperture setting to use.

The city skyline of course. But what else? The bridge is right in front. When we look through the depth of an image, our eyes easily fall on a clear spot in the image, that’s what’s in focus. When we can focus through the depth of an image from the front to the back, everything is in focus.

So with my intention (my WHY), I need to get the city, bridge, and all this action. I started to see the depth of field in the scene. I decide I want everything in focus in my story. That became the first setting that made me think about how to set up my camera. But I had to come up with my WHY first. 

Remember, before it was about Liberty in the distance, it was a different shot. It has a different light, no movement, and it’s far away unlike this final story.

Finally, we ask the question…

WHERE do I compose the story? 

Where do you think I chose to put my focal point? Where did I frame my subject?

Right in the middle. I wanted you to look right down the center of the bridge. Notice how I’m using the lines and patterns to pull you into the scene. This is our composition or how we compose a shot.

Those are the 5 Steps To Photo Success with Manual Mode

Finally from here, we know our full story. With these answers corresponding to our camera settings, we can take the shot. Then, to make our story better and better, we can continue to answer these questions with more detail as we examine what we want to change about our first shot.

I don’t consider myself a professional because I’m able to get “the shot” right away. And you shouldn’t judge yourself on that scale either. Rarely is my first shot the best one. It’s just not how I shoot. I shoot to tell a story. If I can see a better story that’s possible, I go for that next, meaning, I will continue to take many shots of the same scene by slightly adjusting the answer to one of these questions, and repeating the 5 steps.

Refining the Narrative: Experimenting with shutter speed to capture the essence of movement and chaos with manual mode.

Each next image is a slight alteration of one setting or another. Simply by clicking one step to the left or right with my dial, I can alter the answers to the five questions we asked above.

In the case of Heights of Brooklyn, I was perfecting the feeling (my WHY, the most important answer) of that intense movement of the cars. So which question did I continue to change the answer to?

Shutter Speed.

Shutter Speed is all about motion, movement, and ENERGY.

In each additional shot I took, I was slightly changing the shutter speed to show more of the car lights racing across the bridge. But they weren’t racing. They were sitting in traffic. This story came to life because I opened up to my unique (and sometimes scary) experience and allowed my awareness to tell me what to do with my camera.

Capture Stories Not Snapshots: Master Manual Mode

To summarize, this experience wasn’t about achieving the perfect shot on the first try, but about being open to the unexpected and using my camera to translate that journey. In particular, by using the 5 Steps to Photo Success, I can easily get out of Auto mode and use Manual Mode while staying present in the changing environment. Furthermore, I can create a capture that goes far beyond a snapshot. This is how we create stories with our images. 

Remember, the most captivating photos often lie beyond the initial plan. Embrace the detours, ask questions, and let your senses guide you. You might just discover a hidden masterpiece.

Ready to demystify manual mode beyond the basics and master storytelling with your camera like I did with “Heights of Brooklyn”?

If you’re inspired by my story and ready to embark on your own creative adventure, here are three ways you can start transforming your photography today:

Choose the path that works for you, or dive into all three. Either way, I’m excited to be part of your journey, helping you build confidence behind the camera and capture the world as only you can see it. 

Are you ready? Let’s create something wonderful.