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I’ve so enjoyed catching up on this thread!
I was so tempted to switch it to Sports, and maybe I should have, but I was stubborn and wanted to bear through with Manual.
Good for you Kina!
Just a couple things to add:
2. Don’t be afraid of raising your ISO
Of course the rule is “as low as possible, as high as necessary”, but the main reason we have a reasonable amount of flexibility with ISO these days is because it can be somewhat removed in post.
3. Watch your shutter speed. Make sure it’s fast enough to freeze your movement and the movement of your subject.
Yes, make sure it’s fast enough, but it’s amazing how slow it can be too. 1/160 is a good starting point, but I’m still going to maximize it as much as possible, by shooting “as slow as possible, as high as necessary”.
Our eyes are incredible, and God made them to automatically adjust to color temperature changes,
The more I study photography, the more amazed I become at the incredibleness of our eyes. God is SUCH an incredible designer!!
And, in answer to a couple of your later questions:
* This visually helps me understand how metering modes work: https://digital-photography-school.com/cheat-sheet-understand-metering-modes-camera/
* Yes, Spot Metering is one of several different metering modes. Here’s how to change it on a T6 https://ditchauto.com/metering-modes-on-canon-rebel-t6i/
* Probably the best way to know whether it is actually as much of a lens issue as you feel it could be, is to run some low-light still-life tests.
* Yes, it is normal for low-light images to have that grainy, sandpaper look. For folks who don’t appear to get as much grain, perhaps you were looking at their camera’s LCD screen, whereas for your shots you are looking on them on a monitor? My photos always look more grainy once they’re pulled up on a screen.
By the way, what retreat were you attending?