When I first learned to shoot manual (as appose to shooting automatic where the camera decides all the settings like shutter speed, aperture, etc.) I learned with our family DSLR camera. It was a Panasonic G2. A great little camera, but I needed to upgrade when I went pro. My main reason for needing to upgrade was to be able to shoot in low light situations. Wanting to make birth photography my specialty means making sure that I can shoot in virtual darkness. Not many moms want bright lights when they labor. A few months ago I got my new camera, a Nikon D700 (how ironic, my last name is Cannon and I shoot with a Nikon!) So I have been getting used to this new camera. The biggest challenge for me is getting the ISO and shutter speed to work well together. I had gotten so used to the old camera that I knew exactly what ISO I need, and how high I could push the ISO, in almost any situation and did not need to think about it at all. Now I am finding myself having to think a lot more then before.

In an effort to drill into my brain what I need to do when I am in low light I have been going out with the kids when the sun has already set, but there is still some light.

A quick explanation of what I need to remember:

Shutter speed: If my shutter speed is too high I loose detail and the picture will be darker. If it is too low I may blur the picture due to camera moving. (for shooting kids you need a SS of at least 1/125) Sunny Florida day higher shutter speed. Evening or inside shooting slower shutter speed.

ISO: The higher the ISO the more sensitive your camera is to the light that is available. The lower ISO the less light sensitive your camera is. Sunny day low ISO, inside or dark out side bump up that ISO 800 or more.

With my old camera I had to use the lowest ISO possible or I would get a lot of grain. My new camera handles high ISOs really well, but I have a habit of not bumping up the ISO and getting under exposed images. I need to work on that!

I know all this stuff, but I still do stuff like the example below.

ISO:560  SS:1/160 SOOC (straight out of camera)

Had I bumped up my ISO to 800 I think I would have rocked the shot. As it is the picture is underexposed:

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Instead I had to increase the exposure in PS5. Here are two edits:

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