Shutterbug

I have been taking photographs for at least 40 years and I have been through to at least a dozen cameras.

I know a little bit about photography but know very little about the technical aspect of the craft. Don’t talk to me about Dynamic Range, ISO speed or Aperture values. This is all Hebrew to me and I not fluent in this lingo.

I am what you might call an amateur with good instincts, a paparazzo, a maverick lensman who shoots from the hip. I am a sniper who ambushes people at a distance and who withdraws before they realize that they have been hit.

My favorite subjects are humans or animals, but to pass muster, my shots have to be candid, when my preys are totally unaware of my actions.
My forte is anticipating and catching the unique moment when the subject is totally unguarded, left to his natural impulses.

To accomplish this (especially in a foreign land) I need a small camera; something inconspicuous yet sophisticated. Something with a decent zoom that I can pull out of my pocket, fire and conceal again quickly without drawing undue attention.

I also need a gadget that is not going to slow me down. I cannot afford to fiddle with a camera’s settings when I am on the prowl. What I need is a device that programs itself automatically and allows me to catch a fleeting, unique moment.

The latest camera that I just I bought is very sophisticated and is supposed to do all these things. As a matter of fact, it does many amazing things. It will warn me when the subject blinks or when he/she smiles. It will recognize a face and will automatically focus on it when told to do so.

But it is extremely complex and even when set in the “Auto” mode, I am not sure that it is doing everything the way I would like it to do.

A new camera is like a new butler or even a new wife. You need to get used to them and understand their quirks to get along with them.

For the time being, I am still in the honeymoon phase trying to put up with my new toy sometime peculiar logic.
But it is small, nice-looking and seems eager to please.

I hope that this might be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Alain