How Good is Auto mode?

We are spoiled. Few years back, there were many obstacles if you wanted to take photos.

• Cameras were expensive. 
• They were bulky too so we would not have them with us all the time. 
• They needed some expensive batteries like 123. 
• You needed to pay for the film which would give you only 24 or 36 photos!
• You needed to develop those films and order prints. That costed money and time!
• After you click a shot, you needed to wait few days before you can look at the photos.
• Someone would have to meet in person to see the photos you took.
• Many cameras required you to do manual focus.
• Many years ago, you needed to meter the light and take photos manually.

We are really lucky that, for many of us, our phone works as camera too. There is no need to buy film or to get it developed. No metering is needed not focusing. Our cameras focus, meter automatically for us. There is a wonderful default mode of Auto! 

How good is the Auto mode? 

Auto mode works great for most situations. This is one reason that we do not need to worry about technical jargon or need to know camera technologies. All we need is to find the shutter release button or the mechanism to tell camera to take photos for us.

Auto mode works great, probably 80-90% of the time. However, there are times when it does not live up to our expectations. Most of us blame the camera or the phone. However, in my opinion, instead of blaming the camera, if you help it, you can take better photos. Camera fails in Auto mode because of various reasons. Sometimes, it is too dark or low light when we are trying to take photos. Or, it is too bright. Or, there is strong back-light. Sometimes, the scene has high dynamic range (Some areas or spots are very bright and some are comparatively very dark). Camera is a stupid machine. It does not know if your subject is moving or not. Or how fast or how slow it is moving. It does not know if the light is natural or artificial. It does not know if the overhead light is warm or cold. Camera does not know what kind of photos you like- generally bright, darker or realistic. So in short, you camera will make many assumptions. It will make some decisions and then take a photo. So there are times, when the camera fails please you. In such situations, you can blame the camera and look for a better camera. Or, you can decide to help it a bit where it is struggling. You can guide the camera and tell it to fire a flash, or to meter light off of some particular object or area, or tell it to take more or less light. If you provide some more inputs to the camera, I am sure your camera would give you better images in return. 

What to do when Auto mode fails?

Keeping a camera is like a relationship. You can expect your partner to do wonders for you. If sometimes, your partner does not live up to your expectations, you can blame her/him. Or look at other friends and think that they are lucky. They have got better partner. However, reality is, one has to put efforts to make things work. There is no perfect thing in the world. When the other person struggles, you have to offer a helping hand. If you apply the same analogy to working with camera, you would find this man-machine relationship much more satisfying. 

Trial and Error Photography is all about taking your relationship with your camera to the next level. Use the camera in Auto mode. When it takes good photos, fine. However if some photo is not good, offer some help to you camera. Tell it if you want it to take more light or less. Tell it what you want it to focus and/or meter on. If they light is low, see if you can hold the camera is steady. If the light is low and the subject is moving, understand that there is very little your camera can do. Trial and Error Photography works on this same simple premise.
 Take a photo. If the photo is not good, help your camera take it better.
If photo is not good, determine what the issue is. Once you know the issue, see if you can help the camera overcome it. Help your camera and take a photo again. You will be please to know how good is your camera.