Do you actually feel your photography is improving?

batmura

No longer a newbie, moving up!
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If so, how do you assess the quality of your work? Do you consult friends or pros to get feedback from their regarding your output? Do you simply view and compare your recent work with your earlier photos?
 
Been shooting photos for 40-plus years..my work is 'always CHANGING...not sure about "mproving" though...in all honestly, the "improving" happened decades ago...
 
I'm not what one would consider good, but my photos are better now than they were when I originally got a little serious about taking photos. That is down to reading up a little on why photos work, trying to improve composition etc, and things like learning what portraits are often better with catchlights. I can see my older photos were more cluttered and had less subject emphasis
 
Been shooting photos for 40-plus years..my work is 'always CHANGING...not sure about "mproving" though...in all honestly, the "improving" happened decades ago...

Yepper.....:icon_cheers:
 
I guess when your photography has improved, you start getting some insight of what you should do or have done. You'll also pay more attention to composition and light to create an image, rather than taking a snapshot without thinking.
 
My quality standards have been pretty static for a while now, but I measure improvement by getting into more prestigious publications than the last time.

Started with Flickr photo of the day contests, then getting featured in social media collectives, then Instagram-only "magazines", then print magazines, now I aim my sites at bigger publications like Paper, Maxim, and Vogue Italia.

A lot of times the challenge is matching the style of the particular publication rather than taking a "better" photo per se.
 
Of course ive improved.

Ive gone from knowing nothing, sans how to load film and push that button, to knowing how to actually take a photograph. Not just an unthinking snap shot, but figuring out the scene and adjusting the camera correctly. I now know what my style is, what looks right to me.

After all, the only one I have to please is myself. Its art.
 
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Not sure what 'improve' means. I learnt to control my cameras 40-odd years ago. There is a bit to learn with each new camera but not a lot. My work is certainly changing as I am becoming more abstract in many ways which is a million miles away from the industrial archeology of the 1970s.

My method if judging my pictures has changed as well. I now rely on local artists accepting my pictures into their exhibitions - big advantage is that most artists could not care less about 'tack sharp'.

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I feel like I'm always in the two steps forward one step back mode. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it does involve progress/improvement! When you learn something new you take a giant leap forward but then you have some backslide until you learn to master your new skill. There are so many different skills to master when it comes to photography. Everything from proper hand held technique to metering to cloning to skin smoothing to doing a multi exposure merge.

I assess the quality of my photos by seeking critique on sites like TPF and from my photo meetup group, by critiquing my own images (I'm much harsher than anyone on this site when it comes to my own stuff) and by showing my work to non photographers who I know will give me their honest opinions.

Looking at my earlier photos, I think I've improved quite a bit overall but still a long way to go if I want to feel like my work is as good as what the photographers that I admire are producing.

Fortunately, like golf and sex, photography can be enjoyed even if you're not good at it!
 
I would like to say I've improved considerably this year.

On average I shoot about 900-1200 "keeper" photos each year. This year already I've shot 3000 photos so my keeper rate has gone up significantly. Honestly, I'd like to say that switching to just shooting mostly with primes has really helped me out a lot. I've also been trying to stop thinking about what people think about my work, stop thinking about gear and just be comfortable with my style or stop trying to emulate a certain photographer who I can never be. I am who I am and I have learn to be comfortable with that and just go out and make photos even if they suck, at least I am shooting for me and not someone else. I also learned it's okay to miss photo opportunities, no need to get depressed over it, just move on. I also stopped forcing myself to take photos EVERY DAY, I shoot when I want. If I take a week off, then so be it.

2017 has been a good year for my photography and to think in the beginning of the year I felt like giving it all up. I have actually improved. Who would've thought?!
 
Happy wife happy life.

Besides her, I attend regular photography club meetings and show a few photos. Show some here on TPF as well.

Getting out there is half the battle. Its the act of taking a photo to present to others which will push my boundaries.

A lot here say they shoot for themselves, I dont really. Im trying to produce a product, for the purpose of others to consume. Its a long journey of " improvement " getting to that point that others will want to consume the photo.
 
I just accept the fact I'm not very good at this. This makes it easy to at least try an improve visually. Been shooting for 2 years. I feel good when my vision of an image match's what comes out of camera, very difficult. Other than that, looking over old images is a little embarrassing. Improvement? I don't know, it's more about gaining ground on seeing the image as opposed to taking it. Kind of like the horse before the cart. My mentor retired, moved away, then passed away. He always said, "see the image first, then take it." If you don't see it, it's a snapshot 99.9% of the time. He also would say, "typically, the best photographers are the old film photo journalists because they trained themselves to see the image at a moment's notice, their paycheck depended on it."
 
I've stopped fretting about 'better' or 'worse'- I'm sure that I'm am technically more learned than I was a couple of years ago, but none of my images that I thought were life-changing came out as well as I had hoped, and some of my 'just-ok' shot have been better received than my so called winners. Bottom line- just keep mashing down on that little button and keep trying to learn more. Time will tell. :D
 

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