Automation has come to many things in life, and sometimes it’s helpful, but not always. Having started taking photos years ago with an all manual film camera I recall the intense need to learn much about photography to get a top photo. That knowledge does help me today to decide when to make use of the helpful auto, and when to rely on my own skills.
Canon EOS cameras introduced many photographers to sharper photos thanks to autofocus. Often these days I hear photographers questioning why their camera is not able to focus on a particular subject. I have to think, would the photographer be able to achieve the desired result without AF? Frequently the answer is no, and that’s not a bad thing, it demonstrates how far the technology has come in the last thirty years.
But knowing when the subject will be a challenge for AF is when I can apply whatever skill I have to aid the AF to get it right. If you don’t recognize the difficult-to-focus subject, then a swooping bird of prey is no different from a painting on a wall. Your expectation is that the camera should cope itself.
What about auto exposure?
Now consider auto exposure; that joyous way to ensure that almost all our photos turn out with the right exposure. A wise photographer once told me there was no right exposure, only the exposure that I thought was right. There’s surely an exposure where the highlights and shadows are captured correctly. But technically correct is hardly pushing the bounds of creativity. Results can be more interesting with technically incorrect exposures.
Looking through my camera there’s auto white balance, auto lighting optimizer, automatic flash exposure, automatic lens correction, auto ISO, AF point auto switching, automatic face tracking, and many more. All this automation is good for making quality record shots of everyday photo situations. Sometimes you need to be in control and harness the technology, make it do your bidding and be creative.
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