[Petroica]

I have owned my first (digital) SLR camera for about a year now, it's a fantastic camera and I love using it. Up until I bought it every camera I'd used was a point & shot job, bugger all thought involved in taking pictures. I'm finding that I use the auto camera settings a lot. I've done one short photography course and read a few books, with lots of jargon that I'd never heard before. I take some good shots, but am still quite the novice. I have to make a real concious effort to use the manual camera settings and sometimes the results are variable. I like photographing birds and other wildlife, and find that when shooting an exciting subject the auto settings are easier. Is this cheating, or is it part of the learning curve. How long does it take for it to 'click' for you and it all to become second nature - or is it like this for everyone?
Rach