A Dummy’s Lessons in Photography – 2017
2017 – the year when I took the camera off Auto-Intelligent. Which, by the way, does not mean that I attempted to go fully manual; that is still a long way off, if it ever happens. But I experimented with the Program mode, with Aperture and Shutter Priority, with Manual Focus and Macro.
So what lessons I learned – if any?
- There are times when Auto-Intelligent doesn’t work: I’ve got about a hundred photos to prove it from February, taken inside the Hungarian Parliament building and the New York Café in Budapest; not a single of which came out sharp. Was the light inside the Parliament too subdued to do justice to the gilded surfaces? Was the camera confused by the many points of light as the gold fittings sparkled in dozens of mirrors in the café?…
- You can definitely get better – sharper and more vivid – photos using Aperture Priority in good light than by using Auto-Intelligent. Obviously, this is assuming you get your aperture setting right. Blazing sunshine seems to be the only time when I got it right.
- Shutter Priority is a bitch to master. I totally failed to this year.
- You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to take a picture of a bloody fluttering butterfly. The stately bumble bee is much easier. Flowers are even easier.
- It helps if you remember that once you’ve taken your camera off Auto-Intelligent, you have to change your settings every time, instead of merely pointing and shooting!…
- It takes practice to take as good photos as Auto-Intelligent was already taking. But you’ve got a major advantage over Auto-Intelligent: you’re capable of improving!
Some Favourite Photos from 2017
Some photos that made me feel I was making some progress in photography this year… (In addition to the butterfly above.)
You might also like: ⇒ More of my photography of course! :) Check out the Photography category for posts with lots of photos. In response to the Daily Post photo challenge: 2017 Favourites
Waterblogged 
The butterfly photos are so vibrant! Whenever I try to take a picture of a butterfly that close it always flies away lol.
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That was my experience too! I took these in the butterfly house of the Natural History Museum and there are another hundred or so photos where the butterfly flew out of the frame, was out of focus, etc. 🙂
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I know what you mean about the settings. I’ve been experimenting this year also. Lovely shots!
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It sounds really stupid of me but I literally often forgot to change the settings, especially while on holiday when I wasn’t out specifically to take pictures to improve my photography but to enjoy myself.
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