P Mode

Spent the day on a portrait workshop run by Doug Chinnery and James Davies. James is a wedding photographer and he was talking to a mixed group of fairly experienced photographers so you can imagine the faces when his opening remark was "turn off all those auto gimmicks like auto ISO and 'blinkie' detection, put your camera in 'P' mode and leave your tripod and filters in the car." In fact it was the lead in to one of the most enjoyable days I have spent with a camera. Using a single flash source he lead us through the techniques of mixing ambient light with flash, both indoors and outdoors. We actually spent most of the time using manual mode not 'P' mode but that opening remark certainly set us  into the appropriate mindset, away from any preconceive ideas.