Finding myself on vacation, I am taking a pleasant morning walk through a city that I did not know. I stop in the middle of a historic bridge to contemplate the beautiful landscape that occupies the entire horizon. The river, the sound of the water, a joy. It's a magnificent day, one of those that I like because it's cold but some daring rays of sun caress my face. That hot/cold mix makes me crazy.
Suddenly, I perceive a gentleman lifting a gigantic and heavy object that… wait a minute, it looks like a camera, yes an SLR camera. But if he is a hobby colleague, he looks what a coincidence. Whenever I see someone practicing photography it is a reason for joy. You connect with the person, from a distance, right?
I covertly take a couple of steps towards the young man, while pretending I'm looking at the phone, as well as who doesn't want the thing. It's not for nothing but, I'm dying to know the make and model of the camera. Hobbies that you have one. I can't help this kind of "silly" curiosity, I don't know if you understand me. I also want to know if it is one of the ones that I usually recommend .
Suddenly I see something that makes my heart break into a thousand pieces. The partner is shooting at…. Automatic mode! What the fuck?! It just can't be. With how beautiful the landscape is, the colours, the light, are you going to screw everything up by shooting in automatic mode, letting a cold machine devoid of all feeling decide the settings to take a photo that is supposed to move you? ? I can not understand it.
What I do? I stand still, while my head becomes a hotbed of negative thoughts and a lot of indignation. I admit that I am a bit of an extremist in this sense, something that I should moderate. I know. People should be free to photograph however they want. But few things can ruin a morning as peaceful and pleasant as watching someone shoot with a reflex camera, probably a very good one, in full automatic mode.
The gentleman with the camera shoots a photo. He contemplates the result on the screen with a somewhat disappointed face. «Here now! What did you expect, kid? I gloat myself, to myself. The subject returns his eye to the camera's viewfinder and a second gunshot is heard. He looks at the camera, frowning, as if he's thinking "I don't understand!" and snorts.
Maybe you don't know manual mode, or you don't know how to use it. Maybe he was confused for a moment. Wait, I'll come over and kindly point it out and that's it. I don't think he's upset, right? I don't know, maybe I should be something more moderate and suggest it to him in a softer way. He could walk right by and, when he was close to him, pretend to cough but actually mumble something like "shoot in manual mode, mecha!" , or... something even more subtle like «Don't you read the Photographer's Blog? In the blog we get tired of explaining how to use the manual mode, that's enough for you huh… ».
Well, maybe you couldn't say all that in a "cough", but you have to try. The continuity of this photographer in this hobby is at stake.
As I try to make up my mind and get closer to changing the situation, suddenly I see how two girls stop to talk to the young man. They don't seem to know each other before. God!! I am not believing what they are saying. One of the two girls snaps at the boy: "Sorry, if you want some advice, you'll never get a decent picture like that."
What joy! There are more people who think like me. Auto mode is not suitable. You have to shoot in manual mode. Yes sir.
The boy looks at him with a relieved face, camera in hand, surely wanting to know what he was doing wrong. I will feel more relieved, seeing that someone was finally going to tell the kid that he had to shoot in manual mode, or at least semi-manually. It is clear that people as indecisive and fearful as me are not going to change the world. Luckily there are these two ladies, who with a pair of noses there you have them, explaining to the boy how to take the photograph WELL. Long live manual mode, hurray!
What am I doing wrong? - asks the boy - It's just... I'm new to this... .
Bring it here, I'll show you. – Responds the girl, while she decidedly borrows the camera for a moment. She smiles, while she winks at him innocently, she removes the lens cover and jokes "If you don't remove the cover, you won't be able to photograph much".
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah Now I understand» he shouts victorious. "Thank you. From now on I'm going to swell up photos, " he continues, happy.
What happened next I don't remember well. My feet no longer supported my weight. I think the guy took a picture of the two ladies, they talked about some phone numbers. The three of them moved away, perhaps to have a drink, while I, stunned, continued to stare into the reflection of the sun on the surface of the river.
End.
PS: Thanks for reading this attempted story. If you liked it, share it. Next week I will post an article with 6 easy ways to learn how to use manual mode on a DSLR.
