Marty’s photo of the day #4476: When I’m out photographing nature, I carry two cameras with me: my new Canon R50 with interchangeable lenses, and a pocket-sized Panasonic DMC-ZS100. Usually I use the Canon when I need a powerful lens, and the Panasonic for casual shooting or when I don’t want to take the time to switch lenses. While technically the Panasonic isn’t as good as my Canon, it has a larger photo sensor chip than most pocket-sized cameras, so I end up using it a lot and am seldom disappointed with the photos I make with it.
One thing I rarely do with any camera is use the various scene settings, as they scream “amateur.” But last week, while wading in a river near the U.S. Forest Service cabin Deb and I rented, I decided to lower the Panasonic inches from the surface and use the “Glistening Water” scene. I got some interesting shots. While photos using that scene are too unrealistic for my tastes, a big part of the art of photography is experimentation.