Why I Love Intelligent Auto

Today’s Post by Mark Toal

I frequently hear new photographers say that they need to learn to shoot in the Manual mode on their camera. When I tell them that I shoot a lot in the Intelligent Auto (IA) mode they look at me like I don’t have a clue about what I’m doing. Trust me, I spent years with cameras before auto anything was invented. I was so happy when auto exposure and auto focus came along. Finally, I was free to concentrate on composition and not the camera setting’s.

Don’t get me wrong, if I’m shooting action I will use shutter priority and for portraits I’ll use the Aperture mode. Most of my photos are vacation photos, street scenes, things I see in my travels, etc. I want to be able to take the image quickly before what caught my eye changes.

A good example is this photo that I took in Virginia City, Nevada. I walked out of a store and saw this guy and his donkey posing for photos. I quickly walked up and took this photo on the Intelligent Auto (IA) mode with my Panasonic Lumix G85 and Lumix 7-14mm f/4 ASPH lens. After I took a few photos in the IA mode he asked me for a dollar that you can see in his hand. I then switched to Aperture priority and tried shooting wide open to get a softer background. The Intelligent Auto photo was my choice for the final 20×30 inch print.

Try setting your camera to Intelligent Auto, or Program if you just can’t bring yourself to use IA and shoot for a few days. Just don’t tell your photography friends.