This weeks Photoblog of the week is ottok. It’s a great photoblog that I’ve really been enjoying over the past few weeks. The photographer behind it is Otto K and he’s been kind enough to answer our two photoblogger questions (read them below) and share a couple of examples of his work.

Otto is an amateur photographer based in Atlanta USA. He uses a variety of cameras (digital and film) and produces one of those photoblogs that you go that you never quite know what you’re going to get in terms of style and subject matter. As he says in his About page - he’s no photography purist and the mood that he’s able to add to his shots in post production (mainly on digital shots) is fantastic. I hope you enjoy his photos and tip below.

Woman In Alps Holga-1

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In a Manual Frame of Mind

A big improvement to my photography occurred when I learned to shoot in manual mode. It was actually easy to do, especially with a digital SLR. And once I made the switch, setting the aperture and shutter speed myself, I never looked back. So what are some of the benefits of shooting in manual mode?

  • Better understanding of light - I found that, when I started working manual mode, I needed to read a scene to determine where to take the light reading with my camera. As a result, I believe that I got better at understanding light overall and the exposures of my photos improved.
  • Better use of aperture and shutter speed - Prior to my move to manual shooting, I know that I was guilty too often of composing the shot and letting the camera choose the aperture and shutter speed for me while occasionally switching to another mode if I wanted achieve a particular effect, like a shallow DOF. Now in manual mode, I am more cognizant for each shot of what DOF my aperture is giving me and how the shutter speed is going to affect my subject. I find that I am more likely to have these values set to achieve what I really want to accomplish with the image instead of leaving it up to the whims of the camera’s automatic settings.
  • Ability to use certain specialty lenses - In my camera bag now are two lenses that are completely manual that will not communicate with my SLR at all, requiring that I operate the camera in manual mode. If I did not know how to do that already, I would not have been able to use the lenses, and I really love having them in my arsenal.
  • Slowing down - I think that this is one of the biggest benefits. Compared to when I just shot in automatic mode, shooting manually is definitely slower. It makes me think a bit more about what I am shooting, the composition of the scene, the overall exposure, and what I want to accomplish (DOF and/or shutter speed) with the image. Consequently, I would like to think that the resulting photos are the better for it since I have made the switch to manual shooting.

Now that I have talked about moving to manual shooting and some benefits, should you shoot in manual?

Maybe. If you are a beginner, you should probably get a good handle on the basics first before jumping into shooting manually. Before diving right in, there are ways to get your feet wet first. You can use Aperture Priority mode or Shutter Priority mode on your camera to start gaining some control and confidence over exposure. In fact some people prefer to use these modes over shooting exclusively in manual mode. I do think it is beneficial, though, in learning how to read a scene and shoot in manual mode whether you continue to shoot in manual or not.

Old House Holga

Briefly Describe Your Camera Kit - Camera, Lenses and Accessories.

Check out more of Otto’s work at www.ottokphotography.com

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