"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 15 Dec 2007 03:02:13 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

You have to learn to take pictures which are 99% correct when you click
the
shutter, and forget that there's software, the modern equivalent of the
darkroom. Shut of ALL focus and exposure automation, and never mind the
bad
eyes excuse. Alfred Eisenstadt took nice sharp pictures with a manual
focus
camera until he was much older than you.

I disagree with that approach.

In my opinon, you start with the automagic components and see what the
camera is using as a base line for most of the images you take.

Once you get a feel for how the camera looks at the world, then you
start experimenting with the manual functions bracketing the auto
features base settings.

You have to have a feel for it first.

Admittedly, John is using a hammer to drive a stick pin approach when
he'd probably be better off with a really nice point-and-shoot, but he
has it, so coaching him through the proess is the better way to go.


OK, but one needs to understand what light meters can and cannot do. One
thing they can't do is know what you're photographing. An interesting
exercise is to evenly light 3 different flat objects: One black, one grey,
one white. Fill the viewfinder with each object and take a picture, letting
the camera choose the exposure. Of, if in manual mode, "obey" the exposure
meter. The results should raise questions in the user's mind immediately.