civilized # 3589 ~ what complexity?

George Washington bridge ~ NYC, NY (embiggenable)• iPhone

There has been a fair amount of angst being aired on TOP, re: complexity of digital cameras. Nothing new, the complaint has been around for quite some time and, whenever it rears its head, my response is wonder what the fuss is.

While it is certainly true that digital cameras have become ever so menu items rich, they are, iMo, complex to operate only if the user makes them so. The same could be said of Photoshop. However, since my first venture into the digital picture making world, I have been keeping things simple. Not by deliberate intention but rather by the manner in which I use a camera.

I have always, analog or digital, wanted my camera to be set-it-and-forget-it in order to be able to concentrate on the the aesthetics side of picture making. In the analog world, that meant setting the aperture and shutter, focus and get on with it. In the digital domain, I follow essentially the same routine.

I am able to keep it simple because I have set image capture parameters when I first acquire a camera ....Manual Mode, auto WB, neutral color, AF+M focus, RAW files .... and that's the way it remains. I occasionally adjust the ISO and that's about it. In some situations, I make a small +or- shutter speed or aperture adjustment relative to what the auto exposure indicates in order to protect highlights or shadows.

My intention with this M.O. is to get a good RAW file which can be processed using Photoshop-after conversion using Iridient Devloper-to achieve my desired result. My processing technique uses the same few tools for nearly every file.

So, for me, from start to finish, it's simple is as simple does.