Not long ago, I was out shooting near the coast when someone walked up and asked, “What kind of filter are you using to get that look?” I wasn’t. I was just shooting in manual, working with the light, and letting the shadows do their thing. They were surprised—almost confused. The idea of controlling the camera instead of letting it do the work wasn’t even on their radar.
That moment stuck with me. Because I realized… this happens a lot.
I’ve been asked many times to teach people how to use their cameras—not to teach photography, but to help them get a result. Tap a few buttons, make the camera work its magic, and boom—done. And while today’s tech does make that easy, it’s also creating a disconnect between the person behind the lens and the photo being made.
Why the Tools Are Getting in the Way
Modern mirrorless cameras are loaded with smart features: scene detection, eye-tracking autofocus, exposure smoothing, AI-based color balance. It’s incredible what they can do. But when everything is automated, you don’t learn why your image looks the way it does. And if you don’t know the why, you can’t recreate it, evolve it, or push it further.
We’ve reached a point where most photos we see online feel the same. Same locations. Same focal lengths. Same trending color presets. And it’s not that people aren’t trying—it’s that the gear is leading the process instead of the photographer.
The tech is doing the heavy lifting, and we’re just passengers.
Why Learning Manual Still Matters
Personally, I’ve started pulling out my old film camera again—loaded it with HP5+ like the old days. Manual exposure. Manual focus. Full control. There’s no screen, no preview, no autofocus. You’re forced to be present and intentional.
It reminds me of driving a manual car. Sure, automatics get you there. But when you know how to shift gears, how to feel the road, how to control the machine—it changes everything. You’re no longer relying on it. You’re working with it. Photography should feel like that.
When you shoot in manual, you learn what different shutter speeds can do. You understand aperture and depth. You figure out how to focus where you want, not where your camera thinks the subject is. And over time, that gives you something way more powerful than a sharp image—it gives you creative control.
The Problem for Beginners
Here’s the tricky part: beginners aren’t being taught any of this. Most cameras now make it too easy to skip the learning curve entirely. The result? You can capture something clean, sure—but you’re stuck in a loop of “good enough” without ever getting better.
Want to try a motion blur? Or intentionally shoot into the light to create a silhouette? Your camera won’t tell you how. It won’t show you how to fail and fix it. That trial-and-error process—the part that actually teaches you—is missing. And that’s a huge disadvantage if you want to grow.
So What’s the Fix?
It’s simple. Stop letting the camera make all your decisions. Try going manual. Get things wrong. Play with the controls and figure out what works for you.
- Shoot with intent, not just instinct.
- Don’t worry if it’s not perfect—worry if it looks like everyone else’s.
- Learn the fundamentals so the camera becomes a tool, not a crutch.
Once you start doing that, the fun comes rushing back. Photography becomes yours again. Every frame, every mistake, every unexpected success—it’s all part of the process.
And that’s where the real magic happens.
