The statement “real photographers shoot manual” was one of the first pieces of advice I received when buying my first camera. I was getting an affordable Canon DSLR for a trip to LA, and interestingly, a friend I visited there also questioned why I wasn’t using manual mode. In hindsight, both comments felt somewhat patronizing. Here’s why I believe it’s completely fine to use auto mode in photography.
Years later, having turned photography into my livelihood, I rarely shoot in manual mode.
It’s unfortunate, but some photographers can be quite snobbish. In the past, photography equipment was expensive, travel was less common, and the skills required to operate a camera and develop film were significant. Not everyone has embraced the advancements that have simplified these processes. There’s a notion that using auto ISO, shooting with the back screen, or relying on your camera’s dynamic range instead of manual bracketing somehow diminishes your skills as a photographer.
Shooting in auto mode is practical, especially in fast-paced situations. Consider photographing a bird in flight against varying backgrounds, or capturing different lighting conditions at an event. In such scenarios, manually adjusting settings can mean missing crucial moments. Why fiddle with settings when your camera can handle them, particularly when timing is crucial?
There’s a misconception about ISO’s impact on image aesthetics; usually, anything from 100 to 1600 ISO won’t show much difference, and with some cameras, you can even go higher without losing quality. Similarly, shutter speed variations, like between 1/400th and 1/4000th, are often indistinguishable in common scenarios such as street, wedding, or event photography. So, why lose precious moments adjusting settings manually?
The idea that auto mode means the camera takes over your creative control is misleading. Using auto mode doesn’t imply a lack of understanding. Modern cameras allow you to set minimum shutter speeds and maximum ISO levels. Aperture priority mode, combined with exposure compensation, lets you influence other settings to achieve your creative vision without manually adjusting each one.
Manual mode has its place – for instance, in landscape or astrophotography where specific settings are crucial. It’s important to recognize when manual mode benefits certain types of photography, but it’s not always necessary. What matters most is enjoying the process and capturing the shots you desire. If manual mode helps you achieve that, great, but don’t feel pressured to use it for the sake of fitting in or impressing others.
I’ve noticed photographers who use aperture priority but won’t admit it, indicating a need for change in our community. Today, when even smartphones can produce stunning images, what sets us apart as photographers are our aesthetic sense, understanding of lighting and composition, and not the size of our sensors, camera brands, or whether we shoot in manual mode.
