Today we’re going to talk about the Manual Mode settings on your camera.Significant improvements in camera technology have steered many people away from using these Manual Mode settings. Most people opt for the Auto settings instead. While the Auto settings are helpful, it is beneficial to understand the four basic principles of Manual Mode photography. That way, you will have a deeper appreciation of what the Auto mode actually does, and how much work it saves you. Also, youmay enjoy showing off your newfound technological knowledge about one of your gadgets! In the next edition, we will explain the different Auto settings on your camera, but for now, let’s focus on the Manual Mode’s four standard settings. I will keep this discussion short, sweet, and simple, and do my best to not use too many boring technical terms!

Have you ever taken a great photo with your digital camera, it looks great on your computer screen but when your print it, it looks like a bad mosaic? This is most commonly due to a low resolution setting on your camera. 

Most professional photo printers print between 150 and 300 pixels per inch or "ppi" to achieve photographic quality. If you wanted to enlarge a photo from your digital camera to an 8x10 print, that means you would have to take the photo at a minimum resolution of 150ppi or 1200 x 1500 pixels (8x150 + 10x150).

Sometimes when you take a photo you will notice that the subject's eyes appear to be red. This is due to the flash bouncing off your subject's retinas. 

Some ways to reduce red eye when you are taking a photo:

• Increase the ambient light in the room (i.e., the light from sources other than the flash).
• Have the subjects look away from the camera slightly.
• Use a camera with a red-eye reduction setting.
• Use an external flash--The further the flash is away from the lens the less red eye you will have.

If you already have a digital photo that has red eye, there are a number of ways to improve the photo.