I really don't mean to be condescending, I'm genuinely trying to be helpful.
When I asked the question about your metering methods, I had no idea of your level of experience, but obviously your knowledge and experience are an important factor in order to put your answers in context. When you say things like 'I do take full advantage of the cameras light meter' after 5 weeks of using a camera - we still have no idea what you mean by that. Because to put it bluntly, after 5 weeks it's quite possible you're in a state of Unconscious Incompetence*, but it's also possible that you're much further on than that.
(lots of new users shoot more frames in 5 weeks than I shoot in a year)
It all comes down to my belief (see all over the 2 threads running on this subject - and other previous ones
) that exposure modes are the red herring that new photographers get drawn towards - when they should simply be learning about light and how to measure it. The thing is, it's easy to discuss camera modes and settings - it's very difficult to describe how exposing for the highlights works or even to see the density difference between correctly exposed images and incorrectly exposed ones - particularly when PSE has an 'auto levels' function.
To illustrate this, have a look down this forum from here and see how many auto vs manual threads there are, then see how many threads about actual exposure principles.:shake:
In fact, given the Auto Levels function, many photographers will believe that there's no point in getting too hung up on exposure, without realising that getting the basics right is what means that one day they can shoot great pictures. Whereas a sloppy attitude to technique means that their images will never completely satisfy them.
And it's not like photography is a single simple subject - with various different techniques I would still class myself as being at each of the last 3 learning levels below (after over 25 years - I know how much I don't know)
* Learning levels:
- Unconscious Incompetence - you don't realise how much you don't know.
- Conscious Incompetence - you understand how much you need to learn
- Conscious Competence - You can work things out yourself based on knowledge and experience
- Unconscious Competence - You do things without even thinking about it (also the point at which we make serious mistakes because we're not thinking)
**think about how you learned to drive and you'll see the clearly defined stages.
