Not sure I have what it takes

[Mike D90]

. . . . there are occasions when I think I have taken a great picture only to see someone else's on the same (similar) subject and think "bugger - if only" if you get my drift in a positive way.

Man, I feel this every time I come in here and read the forum. Sometimes it bums me out really bad. Other times I sit and ponder about what that person did to get that shot. Was it the shot itself? Was it their PP? Why are they so much better at this than me?

Sometimes I blame the equipment. Sometimes I blame the lack of the same opportunity, or, not having the same surroundings. Sometimes I blame myself because I know I didn't put as much into the effort as I could have. Then I wonder why I didn't and I get bummed because I then realize it was my own fault. Viscous cycle.

Sometimes I really do try very hard and even manage to get everything pretty much right. I get some decent shots here and there but I never get that one that just pops. Almost every photo I take requires a lot of PP just to make it a keeper. I will be honest, I get sick of it sometimes and just erase everything. There are many days I feel I am going backwards instead of forward.

Of all the photos I have taken with this DSLR, my first, only a handful have been satisfactory to me.

I honestly have no idea what to do about it other than to keep on shooting.

I just scanned through all 70 pages of your 365 thread and I have to say that you definitely have some fantastic photos in amongst your postings. But I also see a lot of photos that remind me of what I get myself. I don't know what your situation is but I see something going on that takes you away from the photography. Be it medical issues, personal issues, work or other, it is there.

What I am saying is that maybe there really is a reason for you feeling as if you have hit a plateau in your learning. It might be in your best interest to look at it closely and reassess what it is you are actually capable of dedicating to your photography.

If you cannot dedicate the time necessary to meet your own expectations maybe you should make some adjustments to certain things, accommodate what is really necessary in your life and really analyze what you are expecting from yourself as to your photography. Maybe you are actually setting yourself up for disappointment.

Please do not feel I am trying to criticize your work here. I am not. What my intention is here is to get you to look closely at your everyday life versus your photography and see if you are actually able to put the time into learning at a rate that your life will allow. That way, you do not set your expectations higher than is actually possible.

I am not suggesting you do the same as me, but I had to drop out of the 365 due to health reasons. I had so many issues, so many appointments at the clinic and other crap happening that it took me away from being able to focus on the photography. I was really unhappy on a daily basis. Everything I shot was boring to me because I did not have the drive to make the attempt genuine.

If you noticed I have not been as active here on the forum lately. I am still in that "spot" where I just do not feel the drive, the passion, for taking photos.

 

[Pretzel]

Not quite sure what you're trying to go for, but that 5100 will NOT cut after a certain point. Sure, it can take some awesome shots when squeezed to its limits, in perfect lighting, on a tripod, but it's still no 7000 if you know what I mean. Just keep on keeping on and save up to move to FX. That's when you'll really start breathing photography.

I beg to differ. Did Ansel Adams have a D7x00, or an FX camera of today's capabilities? I'd warrant that the entry level D70 from years back MORE than eclipsed the capabilities of what one of photography's "Jedi Masters" ever used in his lifetime. Granted, a higher end camera might make it easier to make quick adjustments, or give you an edge in starting your PP work, but give me a master with a well loved base model over a n00b with a $5000.00 FX any day.

I'll quote the man himself... Adams said, "The single most important component of a camera is the twelve inches behind it." Or how about, "A good photograph is knowing where to stand." No mention of equipment there!

BackdoorHippie recently posted a link to a blog that made me more aware of this than ever before re: the "creation" of beauty in the impoverished areas of Cuba. It's definitely worth the read.

Now, having said all of that, yes... I did just recently upgrade to the D7100. Why? Many different reasons... none of which increased my skill or bettered my "eye" in any sense. I'm still just a boy with a new toy, and I've got a TON of learning to go through myself. I'm often just as discouraged as what you're expressing, @Lawrence, and it's often from viewing the works of others on this very forum. Then something happens like friends commenting on a photo I've posted on FB, or a family raving ON and ON and ON about how much they love the photos I took for them (btw, all of those family sessions were with the D3100 as of yet), or that moment (recently) when I sold my first "artsy" shot, and I think: I've just started, but I've got something here... and I keep plowing on.

Is EVERY shot I take a jaw-dropping specimen of the art? No. But I've had a few, and I've got the determination to keep learning until it happens more often. I've got so much more to learn, and not a lot of life left to learn it, but I'm not doing this just because I can, I'm doing it because I've found a joy, a thrill... a LOVE for photography. It may be that I never become the 21st century's Ansel Adams. In fact, the odds say that I won't, but... I'd rather live my life as a man striving for excellence than be a man who joins millions of others in the category of "the best quitter".

And if I come up with... say a dozen images a year that make people marvel at the beauty I have captured? Well then... I have rivaled the MASTER himself! (at least, in my own way) "Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop." - Ansel Adams

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Wow, that was deep. Sorry for the long winded trip to the soapbox there, but the suggestion that a better camera makes a great photographer hurt my heart just a bit. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming!

 

[Pretzel]

When learning a new skill you will go through four stages:

1) Unaware you can not do it. (Buy a camera and showing your friends the amazing shots you made of a wet leaf on the a park bench, thinking it'll rock their socks off with your artistic perception)
2) Aware you can not do it (Comparing your shots over the last 2 months to others and realising you suck bad my friend)
3) Aware how to do it (You've learn tricks and rules, and now produce photos conforming to them but it requires you to really think hard and analyse when shooting now, you're slow but aware of what to do)
4) Unaware that you are doing it. (Your mind does all the work for you subconsciously without you even putting thought into it. Putting a camera to your eye is like putting food in your mouth, the next step is natural)

I'm bouncing between points 2 and 3 right now and expect to do so for a fairly long time yet.

Don't be fooled, it is not about time, it's about effort. Some people own a camera for 10 years but never learn anything after their first 6 months because they didn't seek to progress.
Only you can put in the effort, and switch on your brain to ask questions..... what if I did this....... and tested it! There are so many books out there to read and learn from, and there are so many things out there to shoot and practice with.
The only thing stopping you, is you!

@dukatum

Not sure if this is yours, or if you got it from somewhere else, but this is pure gold! I'm going to print it and keep it in my face in the hopes that, someday, I might finally hit step 4. I'll hang it right next to my sign that says: "If you're going to quit, then quit quitting and get back to it!"

 

[Dave_W]

^^^ What he said!!

To equate quality with the tool used is like saying a $50 hammer will build a better house than a $20 hammer. It's all about the operator of the tool and not the tool itself. Pin-hole and iPhone photo contests clearly demonstrate that this principle.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

When learning a new skill you will go through four stages:

1) Unaware you can not do it. (Buy a camera and showing your friends the amazing shots you made of a wet leaf on the a park bench, thinking it'll rock their socks off with your artistic perception)
2) Aware you can not do it (Comparing your shots over the last 2 months to others and realising you suck bad my friend)
3) Aware how to do it (You've learn tricks and rules, and now produce photos conforming to them but it requires you to really think hard and analyse when shooting now, you're slow but aware of what to do)
4) Unaware that you are doing it. (Your mind does all the work for you subconsciously without you even putting thought into it. Putting a camera to your eye is like putting food in your mouth, the next step is natural)

I'm bouncing between points 2 and 3 right now and expect to do so for a fairly long time yet.

Don't be fooled, it is not about time, it's about effort. Some people own a camera for 10 years but never learn anything after their first 6 months because they didn't seek to progress.
Only you can put in the effort, and switch on your brain to ask questions..... what if I did this....... and tested it! There are so many books out there to read and learn from, and there are so many things out there to shoot and practice with.
The only thing stopping you, is you!

Wow... Such an awesome summation.

I'd like to amplify the comment, "it is not about time, it's about effort" by saying I could not agree more. Getting better at photography requires more than just shooting. You have to learn and think about and then apply principles of good photography. Practice does NOT make perfect. PERFECT PRACTICE, makes perfect.

And then too what @Dave_W says about hammers. Throwing money around and buying bigger, faster, more powerful kit is easy, but you can't buy better photography.

...

 

[STM]

Although the learning curve is still steep today, it is nothing like it was back in early 70's when I first started when all there was was film and manual everthing cameras. Digital has enabled people with little experience to progress much more quickly than we ever did. Yet, as you have found out, the more you learn, the more you realize what it is you don’t know. And keep in mind that you must never STOP learning!

The best way to lessen the learning curve is to read as much as you can and shoot as much as you can. Digital is essentially free compared to film, processing and printing.

Take a photo course at a Junior College if one is available and look into joining a photo club if there is one in your town

 

[Eyelight]

A camera sees light and records it with the settings we tell it to use. Click a shot and compare how the camera saw the light with how you saw the light.

DSLRs have a huge learning tool built in as we can review the settings that we used to tell the camera how to look, see and record the light. The old way was carrying a little notebook, so you could review it later. Work on the settings that bring what the camera sees closer to what you see. It's all there for every shot and if the data is on the photo you are comparing to yours, you can see if it was camera settings or something else that makes a difference between your shot and the other’s.

Example of how the camera sees different: When we look at a subject (person, animal, object, etc.), we see the subject, but when the camera looks, it sees the subject and everything else. Using DOF to separate the background from the subject makes the camera see more like we see (because we were looking at the subject and didn't even know the background was there). Using a flash to light the subject differently than the background has a similar effect.


Bear in mind that sometimes a photographer may be going for a vision of the mind and not the eye, but adjustments to make the camera see the same thing still apply.


Mainly thinking exposure and focus controls. PP applies as well, but how the camera sees the light and records the light has to be close enough for PP to finish.

 

[Horoscope Fish]

Since some of were so intrigued I did some digging around and found what is called the Conscious Competence Learning Model. The provided link will take you to the Google search results. Interesting stuff!

...

 

[SkvLTD]

Haha, with the hammer or any example like it- if a more expensive hammer gets the job done faster and more comfortably than a cheap one, you can start hammering more nails/doing it more comfortably and efficiently. As I said previously, better gear just adds a higher threshold of what you can squeeze out of it and not go insane trying to do so.

Best and personal example, getting action shots in poor lighting with 5100 - PITA both during and in post. Quality will not be there either way.

 

[Lawrence]

Wow some seriously deep stuff here and for that reason this has turned out to be a good thread.

Very observant @Mike D90 I do indeed have issues that distract me from time to time and almost daily but I love photography so making one snap a day should be a breeze. Trouble is I want each photo to be better than the last. So just a snap is not good enough. The photos are OK and the PP is barely passable but each are getting better on a daily basis.

@Pretzel I hear you man and that is exactly how I feel. Striving to get better and I would be over the moon to have people like my stuff enough to buy it. BTW I did "sell" one which I didn't think was a wall hanger. Hence I gave it to the lady.
Onwards and upwards ...

 

[Horoscope Fish]

... Trouble is I want each photo to be better than the last. So just a snap is not good enough.

My best advice: Study composition; everything else will follow.

...

 

[nidding]

Lawtence, I can really relate to what you are saying. I too am very new to photography and sometimes I actually can see the progress I make. But then at times, like right now for instance, everything just seems to stop or even move in the wrong direction, like my photos gets worse from day to day.
I think this feeling add up with what we would expect from the conscious competence model. While if can be used to describe the acquiring of a skill such as 'taking photos' this would probably be an over simplification of things. I mean, photography is not one skill, but a wide range of skills or that has to be put together to perform the action of taking a good photo., Thus the different sub skills involved in the process do not all develop at equal pace and at times our own incompetence stand overly clear to ourselves, and even appear to be getting in the way of our own creativity, as we want to do things that we might know we are not capable of but are not yet aware of why we are not. But luckily all aspects of the total skillset of photography are sure to be developed if we keep trying. That's what I keep telling myself when I fail miserably in capturing images like I saw envisioned them

In other words, just keep on going and keep being an inspiration

 

[Lawrence]

I was sent some awesome PDFs from a very nice guy, helpful and supporting member of this forum and have heaps of reference material to get through.
I live in New Zealand so I figured the landscape PDF is a good place to start.
Watch this space ...

Jonas ( @nidding ) you hit the nail on the head - now go get a bigger hammer so you can hit it harder

 

[Moab Man]

Like others have said, it's not the tool. The longer I shoot, and the more jobs I have been hired for, the more full time pros I run into with cameras that too many will tell you are inadequate.

For example, the D5100 and D7000 are the same sensor. All the rest between the two is bells and whistles.

 

[dukatum]

@dukatum

Not sure if this is yours, or if you got it from somewhere else, but this is pure gold! I'm going to print it and keep it in my face in the hopes that, someday, I might finally hit step 4. I'll hang it right next to my sign that says: "If you're going to quit, then quit quitting and get back to it!"

Thanks, its a combination of myself and mixing up things I've learnt from others while I was a trainer once, it seems to help me keep things in perspective and always know the fault is my own and not my tools.
@Lawrence, and anyone else who might enjoy reading. I am currently reading through several photography books which I am really impressed with. I've read lots from the likes of McNally, Kelby, Batdorff, and watched many video's from places like KelbyOne, Framed Network, CreativeLive (best of the bunch btw).
But I swear by the books authored by Michael Freeman. He breaks them down into nice categories, and his Photo School series which I am working through now, are very good even if the name might make you feel a bit like you're a kid at school again. His Photographers Eye series are probably his most well known work, and I'm sure that even if you are not normally the type of person who enjoys reading, you'll find his books really interesting, quick to read and fast to learn and get inspired from.

The Photo School series will also get you up and practising as each section ends with an assignment for you to complete. Sometimes going back to the start can help revive your photographic senses.

Good luck in your journey.

 

[wreckdiver1321]

Okay, so I'm a little late to the party on this thread, my apologies.

Lawrence, your photography that I have seen in your 365 has been steadily improving, and you are leaps and bounds ahead of where you were when you started out. I always love looking through your stuff and I really think there are some pure gems in there. You have the eye, and I think you have the desire. The key is to keep shooting for you. Take photos of what you enjoy taking photos of. Make it fun for yourself, and start to look at things from angles you wouldn't normally. Maybe even start shooting things you normally wouldn't shoot. Mix it up and try a bunch of different things. I know that I get worn out shooting the same sorts of things over and over, which is why I like to change it up. It also expands your skill set and introduces you to things that you might like. Experimentation is a must in photography I think.

I remember my biggest struggle when I first started shooting seriously was getting ideas of what to shoot. If given a little time, I can come up with nice compositions, but coming up with what to shoot was the hard part. I just kept at it and kept looking at the world. I looked at what other people were doing and tried to come up with ideas and inspiration. This can be a double edged sword though, because it gives you ideas at the same time as making you feel bad about your work because you feel like other people's stuff is so much nicer. Harness the ideas part of it.

The other thing I would focus on is post processing. Sometimes it takes seeing the potential for a good shot, capturing it, and then revealing the real shot through PP. Mind you, great editing can't fix composition errors, but it can make those shots pop a lot more.

Keep at it buddy, I am a fan of your stuff and I really enjoy seeing what you come up with!

 

[Frands]

Lawrence, I bet you can do it. Just keep on shooting. I have seen your photos posted here in forum, and they looks great to me. Most important is it that you have fun and like what you are doing. I have had the same feelings about my photography over the last past 46 years so many times that I can't count them on my fingers and toes, and I don't know how many times I have looked at another photographer's photo, and wished it was one I had taken. But I'm just doing what I like to do, and I have great fun with it no matter what. I bet there is a great chance to make some great shots in New Zealand. I bet there is a bazillion opportunities . I believe it's about to look at things from another angel than you usually do and go to places where you are not around that often. If I had the chance to go to New Zealand, you couldn't see my shoes for dust, believe me. So keep on shooting and have fun. Learn the technical stuff step by step (It took more than a year to build up Rome). Remember, photography is like go hunting somehow. Be patient my friend.

 

[Lawrence]

Thanks guys - seriously means a lot to me to read your words.