Photography in the "IA" Mode

Intro by Skip Cohen

My good buddy Mark Toal shared this post on the Mirrorless Photo Tips blog a couple of weeks ago. He also shared more images captured in "IA" in 2016. While most of us shoot in Shutter or Aperture mode, there are so many image captures that often don't give us the time to think about the camera settings. "IA," as Mark explains, gives him the time to concentrate on composition.

Chasing butterflies or more appropriately, waiting for them, I use "IA" a lot. I started using it after another member of the Luminary team, Bob Coates, suggested I give it a try. "IA" never disappoints me.

Stop by the Lumix Lounge and get to know all of the Luminary team. They're an incredibly diverse group of artists and educators. They're always pushing the edge of the envelope in technology and especially all the amazing features on Panasonic's Lumix cameras!

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My image above was captured with a Lumix FZ300 and Mark's below with the new GH5 and Vario 7-14 mm lens. Click on either thumbnail to learn more about Lumix!

FZ300

GH5 Body

LUMIX G Vario Lens, 7-14mm, F4.0 ASPH.

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by Mark Toal

​I frequently hear new photographers say that they need to learn to shoot in the Manual mode on their camera. When I tell them that I shoot a lot in the Intelligent Auto (IA) mode they look at me like I don’t have a clue about what I’m doing. Trust me, I spent years with cameras before auto anything was invented. I was so happy when auto exposure and auto focus came along. Finally, I was free to concentrate on composition and not the camera setting’s.

Don’t get me wrong, if I’m shooting action I will use shutter priority and for portraits I’ll use the Aperture mode. Most of my photos are vacation photos, street scenes, things I see in my travels, etc. I want to be able to take the image quickly before what caught my eye changes.
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A good example is this photo that I took in Virginia City, Nevada. I walked out of a store and saw this guy and his donkey posing for photos. I quickly walked up and took this photo on the Intelligent Auto (IA) mode with my Panasonic Lumix G85 and Lumix 7-14mm f/4 ASPH lens. After I took a few photos in the IA mode he asked me for a dollar that you can see in his hand. I then switched to Aperture priority and tried shooting wide open to get a softer background. The Intelligent Auto photo was my choice for the final 20×30 inch print.
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Try setting your camera to Intelligent Auto, or Program if you just can’t bring yourself to use IA and shoot for a few days. Just don’t tell your photography friends.

Click to read Mark's post from 2016 on shooting in IA mode