A Lesser Photographer?


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Jia Wang

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Feb 20, 2004
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Hi... I've been shooting for about 5 years... enjoy taking nice pics... But I've always been relying on my Canon EOS's TV mode (i.e. time variable) most of the time... I control the aperture via this mode...

Does this make me a lesser photographer since I'm relying entirely on my camera's metering all the time? I guess I'm just slightly better off than a P&S kind of photographer as I decide on the shutter speed & aperture that I want... Still have not ventured into shooting manual yet... Is it another big step toward becoming a really 'pro' photographer? :dunno:

Would appreciate any comments from u guys and gals... :)
 

Why do you have the impression that one must go into using manual mode to become a 'pro'?

The term 'pro' somewhat is very vague. You don't see a professional sports photographer relying on the M mode, right? Neither do you see many 'pro' shots from people who use the M mode.

I don't consider myself a 'pro', and I don't photograph to make a living (maybe just as a sideline), and I rely very much on the P mode. I use Av/Tv/M for specific situations only.

M2CW: stop thinking so much and start shooting more pictures.
 

When starting out, shooting in M mode helped me alot in understanding the different effects of various shutter/aperture settings for a given EV. It forms a basis from which to decide what works for your images and allows you independent control.

I'm using Aperture priority mode 99% of the time for both film and digital cameras.....and Ah Pao is right....stop worrying about it too much (if using Shutter Priority Mode will make you less of a photog) and shoot more. The other 1% of the time is on idiot-proof P or Full Auto mode when using flash.

Now IF you're using a certain mode (Tv for your case) and dont know how to use it to control the outcome of your images, then there's a genuine cause to make a little more of an effort to understand that particular mode and how to manipulate it to your style. But u seem to not have this problem.
 

Jia Wang said:
Hi... I've been shooting for about 5 years... enjoy taking nice pics... But I've always been relying on my Canon EOS's TV mode (i.e. time variable) most of the time... I control the aperture via this mode...

Does this make me a lesser photographer since I'm relying entirely on my camera's metering all the time? I guess I'm just slightly better off than a P&S kind of photographer as I decide on the shutter speed & aperture that I want... Still have not ventured into shooting manual yet... Is it another big step toward becoming a really 'pro' photographer? :dunno:

Would appreciate any comments from u guys and gals... :)

Saw a documentary on the photographers taking sports illustrated. One of them used a P&S to shoot. so you go figure. Think at the end of the day its whether you can reproduce what you want to.

But having said that, think that you should explore your piece of equipment to it fullest. If you don;t then how do you know that you are doing your best? Jsut my 2 cents.
 

coke21 said:
Saw a documentary on the photographers taking sports illustrated. One of them used a P&S to shoot. so you go figure. Think at the end of the day its whether you can reproduce what you want to.

But having said that, think that you should explore your piece of equipment to it fullest. If you don;t then how do you know that you are doing your best? Jsut my 2 cents.

well said. each exposure mode does have its purpose. M mode will give you ultimate control over your settings, but most of the time Av and Tv will give you quicker reaction times. Of course, nothing beats P mode for speed.

As you progressively move toward controlling your aperture (Av) and shutter speed (Tv), you gain creative control over how your image will look like. M mode will give you the most creative control, and the decision for the final exposure is entirely in your hands.

That said, M mode still allows you to use your camera's TTL light meter, so it's not totally unguided.
 

Very meaningful thread. So long as you get what you want to show, it does not really matter which mode you use. The only restriction most of the time the the man behind the camera.
 

Jia Wang said:
Hi... I've been shooting for about 5 years... enjoy taking nice pics... But I've always been relying on my Canon EOS's TV mode (i.e. time variable) most of the time... I control the aperture via this mode...

Does this make me a lesser photographer since I'm relying entirely on my camera's metering all the time? I guess I'm just slightly better off than a P&S kind of photographer as I decide on the shutter speed & aperture that I want... Still have not ventured into shooting manual yet... Is it another big step toward becoming a really 'pro' photographer? :dunno:

Would appreciate any comments from u guys and gals... :)

I don't think it makes you a lesser photographer. However, I would be quite surprised if your camera can meter perfectly in all situations.. so I would imagine you would need to apply some exposure compensation or bracketing for situations with tricky exposure.
 

point being... if u go and start using M

There will also be metering wad...

just that i feel that in manual compensation is much easier... cos i guess when you use Tv sometimes u'll go like... "hey this subject is too bright" den u'lll use your exposure compensation button... correctly if i'm wrong, but ultimatly it is just a matter of control and you wanting to overide the camera's auto functions... i.e under or over exposing on purpose.

The other thing is... (i dont know what cam your using) some fuctions are only avaible in manual.

I'm not a pro, just sharing my thoughts... I guess i share the same thoughts as you and when i reflected thats wad i realised. I only want to master metering with my eye cos i have a spotmaticF with a dead meter and i really want to start using it again.

But all said and done, it is possible to master metering, my friend did it, shes much of a novice really, and shes shoot with a dead Olympus OM-1... you've gottaa give kudoz to that. haha..


Hope i helped, by the way, i think sulhan has a good explanation of exposure in his article. i glanced thru tho, you might want to read it.
http://www.md-sulhan.com/spotmeter.html


sorry and to add:
Try out different modes, for the correct purpose lor, i shoot on Av almos all the time, only recently shoot on P cos kena influenced. haha

but use Av for control ove DOF and Time for things like panning shots or wad lor.. its not that you dont go to manual makes u a lesser photog but i think good photogs know hwo to get the best from thier tool.



:lovegrin:
 

I think sometimes we can get too technical given the kind of options available for shooting P or Tv or whatever. Whilst there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, we need to balance other things not found in your camera.

By this I mean - composition, decision on colour or B&W, flash or natural light, choice of filters etc etc.

So really, I wouldn't worry about the definition of pro but just go out and shoot to improve and enjoying the whole process and final pix.

Good Luck!
 

the TV, AV modes are just to save time in the field

as long as u understand the principles behind exposure, its still ok
 

i believe there are people who shoot purely in auto mode and produce great pictures
 

Thanks for all the very useful and meaningful discussion on my comment.

The reason why I started off relying on the TV mode is because I wanted to concentrate on the composition and basically taking good pictures. I didn't want the technicalities to slow me down in taking some decisive moments.

I figured out some time back that I had to use the technique mentioned in Sulhan's article on 'Spot Metering' to get good exposures for difficult lighting situations... So I guess that sort of compensated my need for learning to shoot in M mode.

I'm well aware of the fact that there're many good photographers who use very basic equipments (like a Lomo camera) and could produce stunning photos.

I guess I'm now even more convinced that photography is more about "seeing the same things with a different eye". And having said that, I'm also completely convinced beyond the point of doubt that I've joined the right forum... Cheers everyone! :cheers:
 

coke21 said:
Saw a documentary on the photographers taking sports illustrated. One of them used a P&S to shoot. so you go figure. Think at the end of the day its whether you can reproduce what you want to.

the Swimsuit edition? that's Terry Richardson... famous photog.
 

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