Shooting in Manual Mode (M) means you control how bright or dark your photo looks and how much is in focus. You balance three settings, called the Exposure Triangle: Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO.

1. Aperture (f-stop) – “How wide the lens opens”

• Think: How much light and blur.

• Wide aperture (low f-number) (f/1.8, f/2.8): More light, blurry background. Great for portraits.

• Narrow aperture (high f-number) (f/8, f/11): Less light, everything sharper. Great for landscapes.

👉 Tip: Start at f/3.5-5.6  for everyday shooting.

2. Shutter Speed – “How fast the camera blinks”

• Think: Motion and light.

• Fast speed (1/500, 1/1000): Freezes motion. Great for kids, pets, sports.

• Slow speed (1/30, 1/10): Lets in more light but can blur movement. Think capturing a waterfall. 

👉 Tip: Keep it at least 1/200 (natural light) to avoid shaky blur.

3. ISO – “Camera’s sensitivity to light”

• Think: Brightness and grain.

• Low ISO (100–200): Clean image, needs good light.

• High ISO (800+): Brighter image in dark spaces, but more grainy.

👉 Tip: Keep it under 800 on Nikons for noise control 

4. How to Put It All Together

1. Set Aperture for the look you want (blurry background or sharp details).

2. Set Shutter Speed depending on whether your subject is still or moving.

3. Adjust ISO last until the exposure looks right.

4. Check your light meter (the little scale in your viewfinder). Aim for the middle.

The Exposure Triangle: How It All Works Together 

Think of Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO as three doors that let light into your camera. Together, they decide:

1. How bright or dark your photo is (exposure)

2. How your photo looks (sharp, blurry, clean, or grainy)

If you change one door, you usually need to adjust another to keep the balance.

How They Affect Each Other

Imagine you’re filling a glass of water:

• Aperture is the size of the faucet opening.

• Shutter speed is how long you leave the faucet on.

• ISO is like how thirsty the sponge at the bottom is.
  
  

You can fill the glass in different ways:

• Open the faucet wide but turn it on quickly.

• Keep it narrow but leave it on longer.

• Make the sponge extra thirsty so it soaks up more.
  
  

Same glass filled — but different process, different results.

When using natural light, it is important to get as much light into the room as possible- open up windows, blinds and turn on overhead lights if needed. 

You will want to use a shutter speed of 1/200 or higher to ensure that baby will not be blurry and you are freezing movement. 

Your aperture (fstop) will be 3.5 if using a 35mm or 4.5 if using a 18-55mm

Your ISO will be dependent on the room and the only setting you should change. If using Nikon hospital camera, the ISO should not go above 800 due to graininess. 

When using flash, it is important to remember that flash is a lighting assistant and not a main lighting source. You need to have some type of light in room (window light or overhead lights)

You will want to use a shutter speed of 1/80 - flash freezes motion so you can use a lower SS. 

Your aperture (fstop) will be 3.5 if using a 35mm or 4.5 if using a 18-55mm

Your ISO will be dependent on the room and the only setting you should change. If using Nikon hospital camera, the ISO should not go above 800 due to graininess. 

See flash drop down. 

These are the menu settings for Nikon cameras

Quality- Normal, Medium

White balance- AUTO (unless you are highly educated on manual white balance)

Focus Mode- Single Servo Auto Focus (AF-S, not AF-A or AF-C)

AF Area Mode- Single Point (not auto)

Metering- Matrix

If your White Balance has a * next to AUTO, please read HERE.

If you take a photo and it is TOO DARK-

You cannot move your SS or fstop as they should already be at their lowest (re: above), so you need to RAISE your ISO. If you are already at 800, move closer to the window, turn on lights or use your speedlight. If lower than 800, raise your ISO in increments until lit correctly. 

If you take a photo and it is TOO BRIGHT- 

I'd start by lowering the ISO and testing. If you need further adjustments, you can raise your SS higher than 200 until lit correctly. 

If you are using a flash, see Using a Flash Page