Been using AP a lot more recently since getting back into photography. Never had the confidence to dabble with full manual, until Ultimate Dubs at the weekend. Altering light warmths from hall to hall didn`t make it easy though. Was constantly altering the white balance too. Bit of a headache at first, but soon got back into the swing of it!
I usually use M but have been on AV a lot of the time. Depending on the subjects and what I'm doing. I tend to get better results with AV these days.
White Balance is one of the few things that I leave on Auto almost all the time. As for having the confidence to 'dabble' with Manual mode; Until you do, it will remain fairly difficult for you to guess exposure, and tbh if you understand the basic concept of over- and under-exposure then you're halfway there. No doubt your DSLR has an in-viewfinder scale telling you when you're two stops (or less) away from the 'correct' exposure, so just relax and have a dabble! The old 'Sunny 16' rule (Sunny day = f16 @ 1/125th sec / 100 ISO) will also take you a long way until you decide to splash out on something like a Sekonic 308
My Dad was a photographer/processor by trade and taught me loads when I was younger, long before the advent of digital cameras and auto settings. He used all sorts of darkroom tricks to compensate for exposure mistakes (the Photoshop of it`s day!) However I`ve forgotten most of the tips and tricks, and only now just getting back into it. `Sunny 16` does ring a bell though. My camera may well have in-viewfinder scale, but TBH I`ve never paid any attention to it! Using manual the other day, I was just using good old trial and error. Still satisfying when you get it right.
i usually go and set the white balance for where I am. If for some reason I mess it up I fix it using light-room as I take all photos on RAW. Took me ages to crack the white balance and get it spot on - I tend to use custom white balance!
My white balance and ISO settings are on the 'wrong' side of the camera (left and I'm right-handed), so occasionally I have a play with them, then forget to put them back when I've finished, so I'm still using them the next time when I probably don't want to. But - I'm a woman, so it's allowed! (Thank goodness for RAW! )
Av most of the time, although M gets an outing if I'm using TTL metered flash for fill.. The only time my camera sees P or the dummy modes is if I let someone else have a go and the b*ggers fiddle with it
