An article in this morning's NY Times reviews yet another new camera from Sony. Aside from shooting multiple frames and then deciding which is the best there's another feature in this wee beastie that caught my eye. It's the "Smile Shutter". Yup, the camera will automatically take photographs when people smile. Of course this begs the question; Does this mean that the "Frown Shutter" (no photos will be taken unless the camera decides that the subject looks happy) is another wondrous feature we can look forward to with baited breath?
Not for a moment am I suggesting that photographs of people smiling are to be avoided, some, many, in fact most people look wonderful when they smile. However, in between all the smiles forced or natural, there are many great images which also capture mood, emotion, and a subject's character. This is simply one area where a photographer's skill comes into play. Another area of his or her skill is in deciding not only where the image is but also "when" there is an image worthwhile capturing. Yes, I'm referring to Cardinal Retz's words made famous by Henri Cartier-Bresson, "There is nothing in the world without a decisive moment."
I'm convinced, voice of the conspiracy theorist, that there are camera manufactures out there working on a "DM" (Decisive Moment) mode to add to their camera lines. They, the ubiquitous they, are probably also working on a "PJW" (Photo-journalist-mode) version as well. As long as they leave the manual mode for Luddites like me I'll be happy to make all of these decisions myself. Unless of course they do manage to come up with a super-duper beastie that will bring me coffee in the morning, record my preferences for the day and then go away and capture great images for me.
A few images captured without the benefit of the 'Smile Shutter".
