Learn how to set your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO for a variety of shooting situations—from landscapes and portraits to sports and macro. You’ll gain confidence in handling your camera’s settings so you’re ready for just about anything. Manual mode gives photographers the most control. It’s not the easiest option, but it helps you understand the rules of photography so you can better decide when it makes sense to use manual mode and when another mode might serve you better.     

Shooting in the dark or low light is a challenge for photographers. Whether it’s a city at night, an interior, or evening portraits, these photos are often plagued by digital noise, blur, and a loss of detail. I’ll show you how to properly set up your camera for low-light and night photography, what to avoid, and how to use adjustments and the right equipment to get great pictures.

You may not have realized it, but you can find a histogram in every camera. Even in the lowest models. Photo editors, including Zoner Photo Studio, have histogram displays too. But do you know how to use a histogram well?

Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO make up what’s called the “exposure triangle.” Today’s infographic will show you how these three values influence each other and how to get precisely the

Where do short exposures end and long exposures begin? Actually, there’s no precise definition. But we’ll try to present our own. We’ll call exposures long when they manage to capture

Many photographers are afraid to shoot facing the sun, for fear of either damaging their camera or producing ugly photos. But if all goes well, you can get remarkable backlit photos.

We see the world in color, and cameras can reliably record the colors we see. Despite this, a black and white conversion will often make a photo better. When does black and white pay off?

Dynamic range is a term often used when describing scenes, reviewing cameras, and exorcising a variety of photographic demons. But there’s nothing supernatural about it. By understanding how it works and learning to work with it as you shoot, you can prevent overexposed and underexposed scenes.

Take Auto ISO. It’s been in cameras for years. Isn’t it time to give it a chance to shine?

If you depend on your camera’s automatic settings or you rely on the inbuilt meter when you’re in manual mode, then don’t worry—you’re probably getting correct exposure every time. However, you’re often robbing yourself of unexpected, interesting photos that you could get with creative use of exposure. Don’t be afraid to leave the safe zone of average exposure and try getting creative with your pictures!