Paul Lester Photo

In a couple of posts, Paul Butzi writes here and here about the camera’s exposure meter and its lack of doing the right thing. I guess as far as digital camera use, I’m a minimalist.

I shoot exclusively JPEG, never raw, 90% of the time I use the meter’s reading unless I’m very sure that it’s going to flub the exposure. I’ll check the histogram to see that it’s about where I want it, if not I use the exposure compensation button to change it up or down to get where I want. If I still cannot get it ‘right’, I’ll take 2 exposures, one exposing for highlights, one for shadows. I’ll blend them later using Photoshop.

The only time that I can think that I use manual is when I’m shooting sports in a controlled environment, such as a gym. In this case, I take a few readings before the game starts, one at each end of the court and one in the middle. I take a few test shots, see how I like the outcome/histogram, then set the camera to manual and let ‘er rip. I can squeeze out the maximum number of frames per second by letting the camera forget about trying to change exposure each time I point the camera a different way and setting the limit switch on the lens so that it doesn’t have to worry about certain distances.

Since I don’t use manual much, does this make me less creative, less technical, or less anything? I think not, but I have seen discussions and comments where some photographers think that if you don’t always/mostly use manual, then you are not a true photographer. I just love these rules and yardsticks. They crack me up. I’ve been shooting for over 20 years and I have rarely used manual, save for when I used my Minolta SRT-101, which was an all manual camera. Heck, I’ve even been known to place my camera, dare I say, on program mode and let it make all of the exposure decisions, but this is rare. Most of the time it’s aperture priority for me!

Oh, BTW, I use auto focus, too, except for really close in macros !!! Shame on me! I wonder if that makes me less creative? Perhaps I’m just a point and shoot guy!

About the photo: Taken on 2006/09/22, Jekyll Island, GA at a landscape workshop. 1/50 sec @ f/11

I finally got around to cutting and trimming the grass. No, I didn’t mow down those pretty flowers that were featured a few days ago. They are safe and sound!

When I went to remove one of the guides from under the downspout, this fellow and a bluish colored skink were hanging out under it. The skink sped off, however this guy hopped onto the patio and tried to hide in the corner. After I finished my chores, he was still there, so naturally, I had to get my camera. I had the macro lens on and got all in his face, as you can see. Not only did I disturb him from his home, I had to shove my lens in his face!

After the ‘voluntary’ photo shoot, I shooed him away into the tall grass and let him go on home. As you can see, there are pieces of cut grass on his head. My bad!