At 22:25 6/26/02, Adam Bolty wrote:
It's always great to see the works and talents of our Olympus community,
so many talented photographers...
So true . . . take a bow too . . . you're one of them . . .
It's funny just the other night the manager of AWB who runs our camera
club was saying how you could never expect to get great shots when
switching a camera to manual (including focus) because of the time spent
setting the camera and not then leaving you time to concentrate on
composition and that "Certain moment!".
He has forgotten (never learned ??) that control in making a photograph
extends to both the technical execution and artistic vision. If it's for
exhibition or display, control also extends into "presentation." Technical
execution is too often relegated to secondary or even tertiary importance,
when all three can "make or break" a photograph. Something as simple as a
single change of aperture by one f-stop to establish exactly the depth of
field depth, and setting critical focus to place it, can make the
difference between good and superb. Same applies to critical shutter speed
choices to convey a sense of motion. The automagic, programmed
Wunderziegel cannot do this very well. In short . . . it *all* counts.
I was quite happy to get up and show the club the two photos of Dog Gone
and Crazy Horse which have won competitions for me and then asked him if
he thought it would be possible to take these photos on a manual camera.
His answer was it would have to be a very lucky shot!! I told him that
they most certainly were not . All it involved was pre-setting the cameras
shutter speed and aperture, prefocusing and just waiting for that "Moment!"
BRAVO!!!
These are "learned" skills. A conscious effort to develop these skills
eventually makes them efficient. In many situations they become nearly
automatic; at least the decision-making about what to do no longer need be
pondered much. In unusual and very difficult ones, it enables extracting
an excellent image that would be merely acceptable mediocrity if left to
the camera's automation. IMHO automagic programmed exposure and focus
systems are geared to create at least acceptable mediocrity 1000f the
time. However, it's at the expense of what could be done manually to
achieve superb excellence.
-- John
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