Trust me, I know learning Manual can be intimidating!
In fact, I was a professional photographer for three years before I “got the courage” to learn. I thought it was for people who liked math, or something….? I don’t even know why I thought that, because after you learn and practice – it’s second nature.
I promise!
My MAIN reason I love shooting in manual (and the point I’m going to drive home on this blog): The ‘blurry background’ (or Bokeh) in my photos are ONLY there because I have my aperture low. If you don’t know manual yet, that word probably gave you anxiety. Push that feeling down and hear me out. There are only THREE things to control when shooting in manual mode: ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed. All of those things work together to get the perfect shot.
In this video, I go over HOW to shoot in Manual.
Get your camera out and follow along!
LEARNING TIP: Turn the control over to AV (JUST FOR A MOMENT) and make sure your aperture is set to a low number (1.4 is IDEAL but not all lenses go to that number so just go as low as possible. I go into detail in my video!). Once you’re all set on AV, you can see what your camera ISO and shutter speed automatically go to. Move back over to M and replicate the settings. I did this for a few days just to get my barrings.
–
–
Here’s an example that I show in the video!
The difference between shooting
with a low and high aperture.
The low number gives distance
between the background and your subject,
like this:
Meanwhile, shooting in auto will never yield
those results. Auto takes photos with a super
high aperture number for whatever reason.
A high aperture looks like this:
One of these things is not like the other. 😉
A cheat sheet! This is give you a visual reference to shooting in M. Once I started to understand what ISO, Shutter Speed and Aperture was – this reference helped me concrete the concept in my brain.
LAST thing. You can have all the cheat sheets and videos in the world, but if you don’t practice – you’ll never learn. SO go get your camera and start practicing. I would LOVE to know how it goes. Find me on IG and send me a DM of your work!
.
.
I had a vision in my head, put out an instagram story asking if anyone wanted to jump in on my idea and one of the responses was from Deanza, an amazing model from Denver! She quickly planned to get a dress from the incredible designer, Allison Nicole Designs! . THEN to top it all off, the day we planned to shoot actually got snow?! We couldn’t have planned it to be so perfect. I’m so thankful for snowy Colorados (and the fact my husband insists on getting great snow tires each year).
Makeup by: Lani Fischer
Amazing day, right?! If you’d like to see what I’m up to on a regular basis, come follow me on Instagram!
>>Click here for the shipping update<<
.
I’ve been a photographer for ten years and one of my biggest struggles was budgeting an income that was so irregular. I tried to find budgeting systems that worked with an income that can be $1k in January then $15k in June!
But each time, I found systems that were for normal paychecks.
Five years ago, I built my own budgeting system with pen and paper. This year I had this lightbulb moment that if I had a tough time finding something I love, then maybe I could help others who haven’t been able to find the right fit either! So I built something I’m SO proud of! Cast and Copper: Percentage budgeting for unpredictable incomes
SO HERE’S WHERE I AM IN THE PROCESS:
– The journal is fully designed (took me about 2 months to get it perfect!)
– I found a manufacturer that I LOVE and I feel like they’ll do a wonderful job.
– My first bulk order of journals will cost $2k to order.
– Once I place the order in mid-January, I hope to have them made and shipped within a month.
HERE’S MY PLAN:
Because I felt like getting a business loan to cover the purchase of a budgeting/get-debt-free journal was hypocritical (LOL), I’ll have PRE-ORDERS! I’m giving it two weeks for the pre-orders and I need to sell 85 journals to pay for the cost of the first order. I’ll be making the order by January 14th! I also have the Printable version for anybody who wants to print the sheets themselves. All of those sales will also go to the order!
HERE ARE WAYS YOU CAN HELP
I have the BEST people in my corner who are asking how they can support me, I’m incredibly appreciative! Here are some ways you can help!
1. The most obvious option is to pre-order the journal from ashleekayshop.com <3
2. A Pinterest re-pin and/or social media shoutout would help spread the word!
– Click here for the re-pin!
– You can save this graphic below and share them to your social media! Tagging my instagrams would be a HUGE help!
3. Follow my new account for Cast And Copper! instagram.com/castandcopper_
I’m SO excited and so thankful for you all!
I’ve said the word BUDGETING a lot (hello SEO!) but I would love to tell you more about what the book offers, because there’s more to it than just budgeting!
Come find me at @ashleekay_photography and @castandcopper_ for stories and current details!! <3
.
© 2022 Ashlee Kay Photography|ProPhoto Photography Theme|Design by Northfolk & Co.
Vicky - Beautiful, Ashlee!!!