Special Announcement
I’ve added a Photography Basics/Introduction To Photography class starting on Saturdays for the April series of classes.
Special Announcement
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Tuesday, March 24, 2026.
It’s a setting we’ll usually find in one of the menus on our cameras— it’s called DRO, or
Dynamic Range Optimizer— what it does is control tonal contrast for us.
It sounds helpful.
It seems creatively and compositionally reasonable.
But here’s why I suggest anyone studying and practicing photography with me to turn it off: it’s because it enables the camera to make creative decisions for us, especially when it comes to
tonality.
Simply put, DRO lifts shadows and tones down highlights to “fix” contrast.
And what do we
get for that?
An image that’s technically balanced, but has nothing to do with our creative intent.
Furthermore, do technically balanced photographs really make for better, more interesting photographs?
I remember one of my teachers saying there’s a lot of technically excellent failures.
When we allow the camera to do any of our work for us, even the work done by DRO, the mood we felt and wanted to communicate, the contrast range that most effectively communicates what we wanted to communicate, and whatever we want to say visually, is taken out of our
control-it’s the camera talking, not us.
The mood we felt, the contrast we want, the story we wanted to tell—it gets averaged out.
And if you ask me, there’s nothing more boring than an average picture.
If we want to understand photography to create meaningful and expressive photographs anytime, anywhere, then control matters.
Contrast ain’t a problem to solve— it’s an element of composition that allows us to give meaning to our photograph.
When we rely on automation like DRO, we allow an unthinking, unfeeling, mindless, emotionless machine that has no idea what we want to communicate to make our decisions for us.
Photographic composition is a multifaceted process that includes everything we do, including controlling the tonality and contrast of our picture, so we can create a photograph that speaks uniquely and deeply.
If we wanna be better photographers and create the best photographs we can, we’ve got to control every aspect of our photography, especially camera operation and composition.
Enroll in a group
class or take private lessons with me and learn to see, observe, and describe light; to work your camera efficiently and effectively to create unique photographs that only you can make; and to communicate exactly what you wanna say visually.
It’s all about our intent and understanding.
Remember, I’m here to help you understand photography so you can create meaningful, expressive photographs anytime, anywhere.
Ready to be a better photographer?
Register for an upcoming Photography Basics/Introduction To Photography class, book a series of private lessons, or explore the full lineup of classes designed and taught by me that’ll help you be a more confident, capable photographer.
No matter how you study and practice with me, I’ll help you be a better photographer.
Ways to learn photography with me are listed below.
