This article assumes you already have a OneStep+ and the Polaroid Originals app (if not, read here) and that they are connected (if not, read here).
Manual mode gives you full control over aperture, shutter speed, number of exposures on one image and even the strength of the flash. This mode does require some knowledge of photographic principles, so there may be a learning curve if you’re not an analog expert and/or professional photographer.
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To enter Manual mode:
- Select the topmost menu option on the homescreen of the Polaroid Originals app: ‘OneStep+’
- The screen should now be blue, and indicate that you are now in Remote mode of the Polaroid Originals app
- Swipe right, moving between shooting modes, until the end. The screen should be red, and read ‘Manual’ at the top of the screen.
- The light meter along the top of your phone’s display indicates the light level. In most situations, you want the indicator to point to ‘0’, indicating a correctly exposed image.
Note: the shutter button will become unavailable to you in Manual mode if you have no film in the camera, or if the camera is charging the flash (this only takes a few seconds).
Some masterful compositions shot in Manual mode, taken on the OneStep+:
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Each setting in Manual mode will affect the final Polaroid photo:
- Time: this slider adjusts how long your camera’s shutter will stay open, from 1/125th of a second all the way to 30 seconds and even Blub mode.
- Aperture: this slider adjusts how wide your camera’s shutter will open, from f/64 to f/12.
- Flash: adjusts the flash strength. When using this feature, you’ll notice the light meter will no longer be able to properly gauge the exposure.
- Eject: control whether your camera will eject the photo after you have pressed the shutter button. This allows you to expose one image multiple times. (Just makes sure you turn it back on before the final shot, so that the camera will eject the image when you want.)
- Lens: while the lens must be selected on the camera itself, you can see which lens is selected in the bottom right corner of your phone: Portrait or Standard
Some extra tips to get you started:
- When shooting with the Portrait lens selected, we recommend shooting with a small aperture (f/32 - f/64) to ensure enough depth of field.
- The light meter being used is inside the camera, so be sure to point your camera at the intended subject, then start playing around with the exposure settings on your smartphone.