I am a good photographer.
I have a good eye.
I know what I like.
I know how to convert what I see to what gets captured.
I have taken plenty of courses and read plenty of websites, books and blogs.
I am a member of Flickr, Picassa and Photobucket.
I own a great goof-proof point-and-shoot Canon G10.
I own a great serious-hobbyist DSLR Canon 40D and a collection of lenses, my favourite being my Canon 50mm 1.4
I own and can even use Photoshop Elements.
I admire great photographs.
I admire great snapshots.
All of that being said, I have recently come to a conclusion that has surprised me. I prefer to stay on Auto.
I thought for the longest time that taking photos on auto that I was "cheating". Maybe I was too "lazy" to do the "work" involved. I have finally realized that I take photos because I like taking photos. I take photos of my children, of their activities, of my everyday experiences. I enjoy taking photos of the things around me that make me happy. I enjoy taking photos for other people because they don't take photos and their kids are always commenting on how lucky my kids are to have so many pictures and layouts. Sometimes I take photos for my friends because they think I must be good because I have the right equipment ;)
So, as a result of many lessons I've learned, and continue to learn, while reading The Happiness Project, part of "Be Lee" is to let go of the expectations I have put on myself to be more, or to do the endless list of "shoulds" in life. Just because I'm a good photographer with good equipment doesn't mean staying in "auto" is cheating. After all, staying in auto lets me capture memories while they are happening, no re-enactment required and time to create even more. There is no right or wrong way to capture a memory but in many ways, emphasis on how to take the photo can become another distraction from getting my stories told.
In the photo above, see that icon, the one with the line through the lightening bolt? That is how I take 99% of all of my photos now. The only time I adjust the camera is when I'm in a low light-high movement situation, like the rink or in a gym.
Because I am no longer thinking about adjusting white balance, aperture, exposure, and all that other mumbo-jumbo, I can experiment with angles, lighting and composition. I'm happy to stick with the fun stuff!! I'm not going to be a professional photographer and I'm so happy to finally give myself permission to stay on "auto".
Tell me, do you have hobbiest photographer's guilt? Do you feel pressure to move off auto? Is there something wrong to simply settle on "auto"?
