P for Professional

[genji]

while reading kodaks Propass website i came across this article on Wedding Photographer Joe Bussink, here's the excerpt:

“I use my camera in P, program mode,” he says. “I say P for professional—I make a joke about it. But many years ago people would say, ‘P are you nuts? … I want to control everything.’ But, no. The computer in that camera is so good, it can out-think me, out-see me faster than I could possibly do on my own… I shoot this stuff so quick, and thank God that the equipment is at a level to where I am freed… to just be able to react to something without thinking about focus"

(although the article doesnt mention the camera brand, he currently uses a few F6's, and before that the F5, source Rangefinder Magazine)

Wedding photographers in this forum, what are your thoughts?

[Greg B]

I am not a wedding photog, but I do have thoughts.

I reckon this is slightly tongue in cheek.

Any wedding photog worth a damn would (at least) need to have DoF in mind with pretty much every shot.

Otherwise, it is snap shooting (which is probably not what the happy couple are after from their WP)

[gstark]

Greg has summed it up well.

If that's true, this guy is a grade-A turkey.

While what he says is true regarding the camera's computer being quick and all that, there's more to making a great image than just calculating the correct exposure. As we've said here a number of times before, it's the person behind the camera that's making the image, and the equipment is but a tool that aids us in this process.

Sounds to me as if we have two tools in this particular equation, and would all turkeys please accept my apology for flaming them earlier in this message..

[Antsl]

I work in Manual mode 95% of the time but sometimes its handy to have the P setting there .... P for Panic mode!

[Nikon boy]

Having shot my fair share of weddings over the years , i learnt very early on depth of field was a big consideration, and needed to be taken into account especially in variable/low light,/flash
Maybe this person only shoots weddings in full sun where the camera's meter gives a reasonable d.o.f.

Does he put his car gear lever into p for pace and r for race as well???

[birddog114]

1/ does this guy know what is he talking about?
2/ does this guy charge each wedding 1/2 mil. dollars in two hours with $35.00 discount coupons.
3/ Does this guy know how to switch the camera on?

Or he just earned a fresh P plate from the photography field.

So far, with few photography writers, who wrote many articles related to photography or cameras, camera bodies, comparison recently, I have no salute to them by the way they expressed their impression.

[genji]

I have to admit when i first read the article i came to the same conclusion, he's a nut! but upon further research...

1/ does this guy know what is he talking about?

appearantly he does

http://secure.mycart.net/catalogs/catal ... prevnext=1

2/ does this guy charge each wedding 1/2 mil. dollars in two hours with $35.00 discount coupons.

i thought they wher brothers!

3/ Does this guy know how to switch the camera on?

Or he just earned a fresh P plate from the photography field.

well Nikon have written a few article about him

http://www.nikonnet.com/dyn/articles/ar ... il/95.html
http://www.nikonnet.com/dyn/articles/ar ... il/74.html
http://www.prnewswire.com/cgi-bin/micro ... ul+1,+2002

So far, with few photography writers, who wrote many articles related to photography or cameras, camera bodies, comparison recently, I have no salute to them by the way they expressed their impression.

i cant remember the last time i used 'p' mode, but doesnt the user have the choice of controlling either aperture or shutter? the front wheel controls aperture, with the cpu controlling the shutter and vice versa with the back wheel?

[birddog114]

genji,
Look, once you earned some high degree in study and worked in few areas which made your name famous, then everything you said they will copy down, even if you said something wrong or garbage, people still clap their hands.

Don't you know that Nikon uses many resources to promote their products same as others, sometime none of them aren't valuable to us.

Guess what? if I can invite Bob Carr or Steve Brack or JH to one of our meets similar last Saturday and ask him to have few words or become a speaker of the event then ............... (You put your words).

Be real and live in reality!

[Onyx]

This guy's onto something. All you non-Program mode snobs - try it before you knock it.

I used to shoot predominantly in Aperture Priority - because I wanted to control DoF, but switched to Program possibly after I read that same article; and I'm finding the aperture the camera selects in P mode most of the time is what I would have selected myself.

The ins and outs of when the camera selects what under what conditions, are all listed in the camera's manual. I use P as much as I can now (and remember it is flexible, just rotate the main command dial to override the computer in situations where you know better). I'm more free to focus on other aspects of photography.

The P programming in the camera knows what lens is affixed and will select accordingly! You fit a pro f/2.8 lens on there, and it doesn't hesitate to use f/2.8 under low light. If you had a consumer lense, it will try to stay away from max aperture as far as possible, and will drop to it as a last resort. I am convinced it is engineered very well, and in some cases is smarter at picking the right parameters to shoot with than most people. Try it and see for yourself!! Sure you can try to fool it and succeed (eg. completely block the lens cap), but under normally encountered shooting conditions it seems to pick the right settings every time!

[birddog114]

Then try to buy a P&S, it's more easier, no need to think, no required to switch and a big viewfinder on the LCD, and all the manufacturer of the light meters won't produce any more products. It's also cheaper

[genji]

genji,
Look, once you earned some high degree in study and worked in few areas which made your name famous, then everything you said they will copy down, even if you said something wrong or garbage, people still clap their hands.

Don't you know that Nikon uses many resources to promote their products same as others, sometime none of them aren't valuable to us.

Guess what? if I can invite Bob Carr or Steve Brack or JH to one of our meets similar last Saturday and ask him to have few words or become a speaker of the event then ............... (You put your words).

Be real and live in reality!

birddog, you definitely speak words of wisdom, and i dont doubt what you say. certainly any 'marketing' material should be taken with a grain of salt.

but in quoting 'joe buissink' i maybe didnt make myself clear, i am intrigued by this audacous claim to using 'p' mode. And has been stated by gary, greg and yourself, it goes against our understanding, that the photographer should always be in control.

thanks onyx, i think you understand what I'm getting at.

this is a discussion forum, and we are here to discuss....

[Hendrix]

JOE BUISSINK is a professional trough and trough, he was born in Holland
and has been widely published, only a little while ago I read about him in the Rangefinder magazine, BTW thats a mag I can recommend to any serious photographer

[chris1968]

wowzers - some quite strong responses here but hey - to my mind it has to be 'P' for professional by which i mean he's using the tool of his trade as it bests suits him, and it appears he gets the results to back it up - if the blurb is to be believed he only works on recomendations - no advertising, he's working with the rich and famous and his fees are around USD15,000 for a wedding shoot - so 'P' is also for piling up the profits, far play if you ask me.....
Wouldnt take me a minute to decide if he offerd me a swap of jobs.......