Manual or Automatic?

The internet is full of forums about photography, and a recurring discussion is the question ‘Should I use manual focus/exposure, or auto focus/exposure?’. Inevitably, you will see somebody who claims ‘professional photographers use manual focus/exposure’ often followed by ‘because manual is more creative’. Really? What makes manual focus/exposure more creative than automatic focus/exposure? In the end, both are used to achieve the correct focus and the correct exposure, so why would it be more creative to use one over the other? Do you arrive in a different place if your car has a manual gear box? Creativity isn’t in your equipment, it’s in your mind! The claim that professional photographers use manual focus and/or exposure is simply ludicrous. Does anyone honestly believe that Nikon and Canon would spend so much R&D money on perfecting the auto focus and auto exposure of their professional flagship models (Nikon D4, Canon EOS-1D X) if professional photographers didn’t use it in the first place? Does anyone believe Nikon and Canon do not have a clue what their professional customers want?

Professional photographers use whatever tool fits their needs best. That applies to the choice of camera, it applies to the choice of lenses, and it applies to the choice of camera settings. Sometimes full manual settings are indeed the best choice. If you shoot a series of pictures for a panorama photo, for example. Or if you shoot an HDR series. Manual exposure may be the logical choice if you shoot in the studio. That is not because manual settings are somehow more ‘creative’, but simply because in this particular case they get the job done in the fastest and/or easiest way. In most other cases auto focus and auto exposure will give you the same results, but a lot faster and often also more accurate.

Every time somebody tells you that you should shoot with manual settings because that is what professionals do, you can be sure that this person is not a professional photographer him/herself, or that he/she is a professional who is working in a niche field. He or she certainly doesn’t represent the average professional photographer and doesn’t speak on behalf of the professional community. And besides that, why do you care? Find the best method for your own photography. That is part of what creativity is all about!