Fujifilm HS10 hits the stores in London

Shot with lens zoomed to a setting comparable to 720mm on a 35 DSLR.

It's here. The Fujifilm FinePix HS10 is in London stores. I don't want this to be an ad but it sure may seem like one. After more than four decades shooting pictures for a daily newspaper and carrying two camera bodies and up to five lenses, I have replaced everything with two point and shoot cameras: a Canon PowerShot S90 and a Fujifilm FinePix HS10.

With all those years of professional shooting, this may come as a surprise but I don't believe in anything but automatic when it comes to cameras --- not completely true but close enough to be true. Auto can fail big time, but generally you're pretty safe sticking with the automatic settings. If you're shooting for fun, that decides it --- shoot automatic.

A few weeks ago, I purchased a Canon S90; Yesterday, I picked up a Fujifilm HS10.

Today's London Daily Photo picture is this chipmunk. This is just the third image shot with my new Fuji. It has a 30-times zoom and it is working at its max here. The camera was hand-held but braced against my kitchen door frame.

Years ago one of Canada's top newspaper shooters told me he always kept his  cameras on automatic in order to be ready to shoot in an instant. Oh, he  might use manual when shooting something that allowed time  for finagling and fine tuning --- a fashion shoot for instance --- but  for a sudden moment it was auto for this prize-winning shooter.

I think the image of my chipmunk, shot on automatic right from the box, says he was right.

Can't shoot it? Direct it!

When my granddaughter fell asleep in my arms, I thought picture. But I couldn't shoot the picture while holding the baby. The solution was to ask my daughter to shoot the picture. She has a good eye and so I had confidence. I coached her along, telling her where to stand, and I told her what to include and what to crop. Still she was holding the camera and made the final visual decisions. The resulting image is a merging of my original vision and her talents.


In photography always remember the most important thing is to get the picture --- even if you can't shoot it.

My instructions? I wanted the sleeping baby's serene face to be featured along with my large arm and hand which are cradling and protecting the child. I wanted a clean, simple picture --- one that makes a "quick read."