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<blockquote data-quote="BackdoorArts" data-source="post: 272176" data-attributes="member: 9240">There are many things I could, and probably should, do if I could just make myself really want to.&nbsp; LOLI really appreciate the compliment, because whatever eye I have is not something that came naturally.&nbsp; I've spent years as a mimic and as a student of others, and I still am.&nbsp; Two years ago I began a conscious effort to slow down and force myself to really look at the ordinary - to find the things that we all overlook unless we are purposefully looking for them.&nbsp; Some of these things are the little things that make a great picture ordinary because we didn't bother to avoid them when shooting (a stray car, power lines, etc.).&nbsp; And many require that we move our eye from where it is to where it isn't - either lower our perspective 2-3 feet, move a couple yards left or right, climb on top of something, or just get closer instead of zooming in.&nbsp; I've spent hours going through 500px and Flickr Explore noticing, not what others declared &quot;great&quot; but what caught my eye - photos that I look at and say, &quot;I could have shot something like that at (insert place here) if I'd only taken my time and thought about it!&quot;, or &quot;I really like that and never thought to try something like that - now I will&quot;.&nbsp; It's a forever learning curve, and we constantly refine our skills.&nbsp; So you're not a &quot;bad&quot; photographer, you're an underdeveloped photographer.&nbsp; So when you look at your own work and say, &quot;God, that's awful!!&quot;, know that we all do it.&nbsp; The key is not just to pitch it but to look at it and figure out what it is that you did or didn't do that made it so unpleasing when you thought it would be something different.&nbsp; For me, 9 times out of 10 it's because I didn't take the time required to just do it right - I snapped and moved on instead of slowing down, really looking, and finding the picture in the scene in front of me.&nbsp; I'd heard my brother and his photographer friends often use the phrase &quot;Making Pictures&quot; and it struck me how different that is than &quot;Taking Pictures&quot;, which is merely shooting snapshots.&nbsp; &quot;Making pictures&quot; is where the art is, because you're extracting the extraordinary from the ordinary.</blockquote>

[QUOTE="BackdoorArts, post: 272176, member: 9240"] There are many things I could, and probably should, do if I could just make myself [I]really[/I] want to. LOL I really appreciate the compliment, because whatever eye I have is not something that came naturally. I've spent years as a mimic and as a student of others, and I still am. Two years ago I began a conscious effort to slow down and force myself to really look at the ordinary - to find the things that we all overlook unless we are purposefully looking for them. Some of these things are the little things that make a great picture ordinary because we didn't bother to avoid them when shooting (a stray car, power lines, etc.). And many require that we move our eye from where it is to where it isn't - either lower our perspective 2-3 feet, move a couple yards left or right, climb on top of something, or just get closer instead of zooming in. I've spent hours going through 500px and Flickr Explore noticing, not what others declared "great" but what caught my eye - photos that I look at and say, "I could have shot something like that at [I](insert place here[/I]) if I'd only taken my time and thought about it!", or "I really like that and never thought to try something like that - now I will". It's a forever learning curve, and we constantly refine our skills. So you're not a "bad" photographer, you're an underdeveloped photographer. So when you look at your own work and say, "God, that's awful!!", know that we all do it. The key is not just to pitch it but to look at it and figure out what it is that you did or didn't do that made it so unpleasing when you thought it would be something different. For me, 9 times out of 10 it's because I didn't take the time required to just do it right - I snapped and moved on instead of slowing down, really looking, and finding the picture in the scene in front of me. I'd heard my brother and his photographer friends often use the phrase "Making Pictures" and it struck me how different that is than "Taking Pictures", which is merely shooting snapshots. "Making pictures" is where the art is, because you're extracting the extraordinary from the ordinary. [/QUOTE]

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