As a professional, I’ll admit that I still get some lucky shots like the one at the bottom right which you will learn more about later.  However, I rely mostly on skill because when getting paid to shoot, luck will just not cut it.  The image on the left was skill in knowing how to light the scene and use shallow depth of field.

What about AUTO MODE? Do you still shoot in auto mode on your camera letting that computer in your hand run the show instead of you?  Go ahead, set it on manual and try some new things.  Shoot some shots over exposed and under exposed to see what happens.  One good way to test this out is to put someone in front of a window when indoors.  When the camera does all the thinking, it exposes for the light not the subject.  Try exposing for the subject in manual and watch how the background blows out.  Another thing worth trying in manual mode is playing with your depth of field.  That’s the numbers on the lens.  On a Canon consumer kit lens that’s around f/3.5-5.6.  The lower the number the more the background is out of focus and the higher the number the more the background is in focus.

The image to the right of the mime was LUCK.  Yes, I’ll admit it.  That shot happened when my flash on my professional camera failed to fire.  I’ll take some luck shots every now and then, but at the end of the day, I have to rely on skill.  That’s another reason that I don’t shoot in auto mode:  I want my skill as a photographer to shine through and not let a computer in my hand do all the thinking.

If you are still shooting in auto mode and consider many of your shots luck over skill, you can change that by taking a photography workshop.  I do offer photography workshops in Raleigh or Wake Forest NC or you can find one in your area if you are not local to take one of mine.  At the very least, pick up a book on digital photography like this one by Scott Kelby or sign up for a free online course like this one from Karl Taylor.

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