If you are of a certain age you will be able to cast your mind back to the driving lesson when it ‘all came together’  that lesson when it just worked.

I had that experience with my photography this weekend. Two very different jobs, one a party and one a portrait shoot.

At the party I got all the pictures I wanted. Exposures were spot on, framing was tight, used the correct equipment for the right moment. I got a range of shots from portraits, wide angle, tight shots, flashes, ambient and balanced sets. I even had a great time with the fish eye lens I got earlier in the week.

At the portrait shoot the lights were balanced, exposure right, subject at ease. Nothing blown out, angles for texture, results not flat …

Both of these were very different shoots but both are the kind of work I do.

The big difference this weekend was taking the time to review and changing settings on the fly knowing the result with certainty.  Once that happens the camera is a bit like an x-box controller in your hands. If you watch kids play they can just do it without looking. I was moving from shot to shot quick review and a turn of a dial or thumb press made all the difference. This time however I was making subtle changes knowing the effect it was going to make and it did. Shutter speed, aperture, flash, iso flash levelsand compensation, all changes happening at once.

Ultimately this all means I’m getting better pictures in the camera, which means better results and less work at the computer.

It means I’m getting a wider variety of pictures at an event.

It means I’m more relaxed and therefore so are the people being photographed.  It means I’m enjoying it moreand worrying about the outcome less.

What it means to you is your going to get the best pictures I can take, in the most suitable way and a variety of pictures to look back on.