Originally Posted by
skieur 
Pointing and clicking is a perfectly viable technique for taking average quality snapshots not serious photos. The proof of that is the number of technically weak portraits due to poor lighting and exposure visible on all forums, the waterfalls without the most appropriate shutterspeed or blown out highlights, the sunsets with no detail in the foreground because of not using a neutral grad filter or not adjusting the exposure, snow photos with grey snow due to not setting the meter to compensate, wide angle lens distortion in scenes, etc. Again, nothing has changed in this regard in 50 years and this is technique or the technical aspects.
Garbz: Read again. I didn't say it was the only technique. I said it is a viable technique. Just like stretching your hands infront of you and not holding the camera "properly" to take a self portrait is a viable technique. The proof, just look at all the wonderfully perfectly exposed photos of birds in the sunset which are easily photographed by point the camera at the bird and pushing the button.
What I am saying is 50 years ago you could judge a photo on technique in every detail, nowadays the only technique left is making sure you don't get an out of focus shot or motion blur when you don't want it. The camera is perfectly capable of doing wonders by itself in many situations. I am just arguing on the definition of the word technique here. I haven't seen anyone ever say "Well yes it's a wonderful little number with beautiful artistic direction, but I am sure it would be much more true to the art if the photographer had his camera manual instead of aperture priority with -1EV." "mmm yes quite right old chap. Cuppa tea?"
:Garbz
And I just said above that whether the camera is automatic or not is irrelevant. Technique is how you go about ensuring that your are getting a sufficiently fast shutterspeed for what you are shooting, and in auto mode that might mean adjusting ISO, fstop or using flash to accomplish it...more techniques. Technique is how you go about getting the fstop you want for shallow or a wide range of depth of field. It may mean raising or lowering the ISO and shutterspeed.
Technique is the technical decisions in lighting, tripod, flash, reflectors, focus, fstop, shutterspeed, white balance, ISO, etc. that were made to take the photo. Whether automatic or manual all the technical aspects are adjustable and any decisions in technique must positively contribute to the photo or they detract from it.
To belabour what should be obvious, a technically excellent shot is not necessarily an artistic shot and a well composed shot may be technically weak. Composition and technique are inter-related but they are definitely not the same thing.
skieur
