The power of the prompt

Hello and welcome to the first post of Veering Forward!

I want to share my learnings about AI (through work and my personal projects), and discuss ways to navigate the changes that AI and other technology will bring to our lives.

I read a lot about AI and other topics, so I’ll share interesting news and analysis as well.

There is so much content online on AI - it’s not my plan to cover the basics here. Instead I’ll talk about AI use on a practical level - the incredible things it can do, as well as some of the pitfalls and ethical concerns.

Let’s have some fun together!

Over the last few months at my Day Job, I’ve been fine tuning instructions for an LLM so it can accurately extract data from documents and perform a series of analyses. From that work, I’ve learned a fair bit about what LLMs can do well, and also what they can get wrong consistently. I’ll share some of my learnings in the coming weeks.

I’m going to start on prompting - the questions we ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini etc.

I started photography as a hobby in 2023. Before I committed, I booked a one-on-one session with a professional photographer. He showed me the basics and let me practice with a digital camera. The session gave me the confidence to invest in my first digital camera, and I’ve been taking photos on a semi-regular basis since then. Here are some of the shots I’ve taken in New Zealand.

If I want to learn about digital photography now, I may start by asking one of the LLMs instead.

Asking for how-to instructions is a great way to use LLMs. It’s relatively low stakes (nothing terrible will happen if the LLM hallucinates some of the information - the camera will not explode), and you don’t need creativity and out-of-the-box thinking. Tried and tested is the way to go.

To test it out, I ask Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude Sonnet 4.0 and ChatGPT the following:

I want to learn how to use a digital camera

For the purpose of today’s discussion I’ll share the start of response from Claude only. In the next post, I’ll do a comparison between the responses of the three LLMs.

Learning to use a digital camera is a rewarding journey that opens up creative possibilities! Here's a structured approach to get you started:
 
Master the Basics First
 
Start with understanding your camera's fundamental controls. Learn about the mode dial - begin with Auto mode to get comfortable, then gradually explore Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and eventually Manual mode. Familiarize yourself with basic settings like ISO, white balance, and image quality options.
 
Understand the Exposure Triangle
 
This is the foundation of photography: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO work together to control how light enters your camera. Aperture affects depth of field (how much of your image is in focus), shutter speed controls motion blur or freeze, and ISO determines sensor sensitivity to light. Practice changing one setting and seeing how it affects your images.

There are a few more paragraphs on topics such as composition techniques and light and timing.

Did Claude answer my question? Yes. These are all relevant. But it’s a bit theoretical and dry - I nodded as I read it, but am I a better photographer after reading it? No.

So I expanded my question to:

I'm new to photography and I have a Sony a6400 camera. I want to learn about nature photography. Please put together a 4-week course with a mix of theory and practical exercises to help me learn how to use the camera and build my skills.

And here’s the start of Claude’s response:

4-Week Sony α6400 Nature Photography Course

 
Week 1: Camera Mastery & Fundamentals
 
Theory (Days 1-2)
 
Sony α6400 Specifics:

1. Menu Navigation: Learn the α6400's menu system, custom function buttons (C1, C2, C3), and control wheel
2. Key Settings: Set up Back Button Focus (AEL button), customize ISO settings, and configure the Function Menu
3. Autofocus System: Understand the 425-point phase-detection AF system, Eye AF, and tracking modes
4. Exposure Triangle: Master aperture, shutter speed, and ISO relationship specifically for nature scenes
    

Practical Exercises (Days 3-7)

1. Daily Camera Handling (30 min/day): Practice changing settings without looking at camera
2. Exposure Triangle Challenge: Take same scene with 5 different exposure combinations
3. Focus Practice: Photograph static objects using different AF area modes (Wide, Zone, Center, Flexible Spot)
4. Golden Hour Documentation: Capture same outdoor scene at different times showing light changes
5. Macro Exploration: Use kit lens at closest focusing distance to photograph small natural details
    

Week 1 Assignment: Create a photo journal documenting your backyard or local park, focusing on technical execution over artistic vision.
 

There are similar instructions for Weeks 2 - 4, as well as recommended settings for different types of nature photography for my camera.

You can clearly see the difference between the two answers. I can follow these instructions to learn and try out different techniques, and have a much better grasp of how the camera works and how to use it by the end of the 4-week period.

(Will I give the instructions a try and report back in 4 weeks’ time? Watch this space)

I’m using nature photography as an example here, but you can ask the LLMs to help you learn anything. What I wanted to share in this little experiment is the importance of a good prompt. Some of you may have heard of the term “context” when it comes to LLMs. In this context (you like puns too, no?), it means background information on what you’re asking, as well as the desired outcome.

The first prompt was general. Claude didn’t know why I wanted to learn and how I wanted to learn it, so the answer was generic. In the second prompt, I provided context on:

• Who I am - a novice - so it doesn’t assume any knowledge on my part
• Which camera I have - so the instructions can be tailored to the functions of the camera
• What I want - a mix of theory and practice
• My areas of focus - nature photography - so the instructions are not on taking portraits, for instance
• How I will use the answer - this is the most important part in my opinion - by giving Claude a timeframe (4 weeks) and how I want to use the information (theory + hands-on practice), it was able to put together a structured program that meets my requirements. I’m much more likely to follow it.

When I refine prompts at work, I followed The RGTD Framework (Role, Goal, Task, Details) by Tobias Zwingmann. For day-to-day, non business use, I still follow it loosely.

The better question you ask the LLMs, the more useful the response will be.

Why don’t you …

Pick something (can be a topic of interest or a hobby) that you want to learn more about, and ask your LLM of choice the following.

Question 1

I want to learn about [topic]

Question 2

• I want to learn about [topic]
• Your level of knowledge and experience
• If equipment/tools are needed, what do you have (can be none)
• How do you want to learn - timeframe, ways of learning
• What do you want to focus on - theory, history, fun facts, deep dives, experiments

Read the 2 responses and see what you like from each, and more importantly, whether the answers motivate you to explore further.

I hope you enjoy the first foray into my experiences with AI.

Vee