Can a Camera Be Creative for You?

I remember this funny scene in the old sitcom Get Smart where the Don Adams character orders his robot agent, "Hymie, hop to it!" Hymie then jumps off on one leg.

Ordering your camera to be creative for you might produce similar results. "Canon PowerShot N, be artistic," as you move the slider on the side of the camera to Creative Mode. The camera then produces a series of interesting interpretations of a scene.

Canon PowerShot N Creative Mode Photography Compact Camera A variety of scene interpretations produced by the Canon PowerShot N in Creative Mode.

The trick is, as I see it, is not to view the camera's output as final product. Rather, see the images as a series of directions that I may want to follow later in post production. I don't plan to abdicate my creativity to a point and shoot. But in just a few seconds, I can let the machine show me a collage of possibilities. Maybe the faded Polaroid look is just right for that picture. I might not otherwise have thought to pursue that direction.

And in that spirit, I like some of the creative features offered by the latest batch of cameras. I look at them as suggestions. But I'm still in charge of the final product.


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