I failed today

[nerwin]

I gotta get this off my chest.

So today was our town's 4th of July parade. We have early than most, it's always been a tradition and they called it "Not Quite Independence Day Celebration" The parade isn't really all that fancy, but there is a lot of people and I think it's just a time for people visit family and friends and hangout. Its basically just a big get together. Everyone has a good time and take a break from life.

I typically take pictures every year and last year I missed out because I had to be somewhere but I was able to make it this year and I pretty much failed.

I took 200 photos and probably only have 10-12 good shots that I'm okay with. I just wasn't feeling it, you ever had that feeling when shooting? I was in a bad mood this morning and that probably didn't help my creative process. It was basically turned off. I could see the moments but I just wasn't fast enough.

I used my 70-200 f/4 because I thought that would be a good lens for something like this and while certain situations it was handy, sometimes I wish I have gone wider than 70mm, especially when they were close.

I don't know. Maybe shooting these kind of events is just not my thing. I suppose every photographer has their subjects they enjoy shooting and ones they don't.

But man, I felt really disappointed in myself today. I just feel really stupid, like I just should have tried harder and not let my emotions get to me. I'm going insane haha.

Has something like this ever happened to you? Please don't tell me I'm only one who has experienced this!

 

[Overread]

I find that any really new situation will generally result in more bad shots than good at first.
Sure you're at a stage where you can make a good exposure and where you can think through shots and pull apart shots after you take them. But many situations, especially events where you've little to no pause, you don't always get reflection time.

Best you can do is learn from it; go through the photos and work out what failed and why. With that info you can improve next time and next time and next time - give it a few tries and this time next year you'll be ready for it!

The other day I wound up shooting at a fair. I really wanted my 120-300mm for the reach but only had my 70-200mm; I messed up on most of the carriage racing shots because I was playing with shutter speeds trying to find a nice compromise between sharpness and blur (hint - darn that's hard!). Give it a few more tries (if I can) and I'll be far far better.

You gotta fail a bit to succeed.

 

[nerwin]

I find that any really new situation will generally result in more bad shots than good at first.
Sure you're at a stage where you can make a good exposure and where you can think through shots and pull apart shots after you take them. But many situations, especially events where you've little to no pause, you don't always get reflection time.

Best you can do is learn from it; go through the photos and work out what failed and why. With that info you can improve next time and next time and next time - give it a few tries and this time next year you'll be ready for it!

The other day I wound up shooting at a fair. I really wanted my 120-300mm for the reach but only had my 70-200mm; I messed up on most of the carriage racing shots because I was playing with shutter speeds trying to find a nice compromise between sharpness and blur (hint - darn that's hard!). Give it a few more tries (if I can) and I'll be far far better.

You gotta fail a bit to succeed.

Besides the fact, I've shot this parade for the past 10 years. You'd think I'd learn by now. There are a couple years where I did get some awesome results that I was proud of. I noticed a lot of photographers walk with the parade, sometimes up and down the road and constantly changing lenses (saw this today). I usually stay in one spot at a friends house because most of all the people who I know are there and I'd like to be with my friends and family who I don't see that often. I remember reading this article about a photographer who always shot the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in NYC in the same spot EVERY year. I gotta find that article again, it was quite interesting.

I'm sure being grumpy didn't help me at all haha. I guess we all have those days!

 

[Overread]

Aye but if you're going a year without shooting a similar event chances are you're rusty every year too. We all get like that and a year's a long time.


And yeah using the same spot; same style etc... the more you keep the same the more you can think about other things and the more you can ease into things. That's why new situations throw us because we end up paying attention to things that otherwise are in the back of our mind.
It's like driving down a road you drive down every day; you half know the speed limits the corners and turns without having to really notice them. Then try driving a totally new road and suddenly its a totally different ballgame because now you've got to pay attention to every single sign!

 

[nerwin]

Aye but if you're going a year without shooting a similar event chances are you're rusty every year too. We all get like that and a year's a long time.


And yeah using the same spot; same style etc... the more you keep the same the more you can think about other things and the more you can ease into things. That's why new situations throw us because we end up paying attention to things that otherwise are in the back of our mind.
It's like driving down a road you drive down every day; you half know the speed limits the corners and turns without having to really notice them. Then try driving a totally new road and suddenly its a totally different ballgame because now you've got to pay attention to every single sign!

I suppose you are right. I'm not an event photographer so I am a bit rusty when it comes to shoot that type of stuff. Maybe next year, The last 3 years I've been shooting it, I've been focusing on people as I find them more interesting than floats or whatever. I have a feeling that I'm not wrong here.

 

[grrr8scott]

Before you shoot next year's parade, or a different parade in another community, review the photos you just took, and decide what you could have done better. Maybe you were too close, or not far enough away. Maybe not the best angle. When I shoot the same event several times, I get stale, and my shots are repetitive and uninspired. Or as Overread suggests, try a different approach and/or from different locations. Good luck.

 

[nerwin]

Before you shoot next year's parade, or a different parade in another community, review the photos you just took, and decide what you could have done better. Maybe you were too close, or not far enough away. Maybe not the best angle. When I shoot the same event several times, I get stale, and my shots are repetitive and uninspired. Or as Overread suggests, try a different approach and/or from different locations. Good luck.

But @Overread said being in the same spot and using same style can leave your mind free of those things to think about other things. I don't know, maybe I just misinterpreted it haha.

 

[Overread]

It really depends what works for you. For people you might find that practice outside of fairs - even just walking down the street - could be all the practice you need. The rest is just working your way through the throng of people on the event.

If you're shooting more floats and such then a good spot might well work wonders; giving you a nice background; good lighting (might need a few spots as the sun moves)

 

[nerwin]

I have no idea what works for me. If I'm going to continue to even take pictures.

 

[MSnowy]

Sometimes it's just a fact that we aren't as good a photographer as we wish we were.

 

[nerwin]

Sometimes it's just a fact that we aren't as good a photographer as we wish we were.

Ain't that the truth.

 

[Overread]

Sometimes it's just a fact that we aren't as good a photographer as we wish we were.

7 times out of 10 I blame the AF

(after blaming myself)

 

[table1349]

The thing is, $#!T happens. If we never fail we never learn. The only true failure in any situation is the failure to learn from it. Asses the good, asses the bad and learn from both. Next time plan better and sooner. Shooting from the same place is a double edged sword. You do get used to what you are going to see, but you can also become complacent with too much comfort.

 

[table1349]

Sometimes it's just a fact that we aren't as good a photographer as we wish we were.

7 times out of 10 I blame the AF

(after blaming myself)

That's ironic, 7 of of 10 time when I fail I blame YOU TOO.

 

[nerwin]

The thing is, $#!T happens. If we never fail we never learn. The only true failure in any situation is the failure to learn from it. Asses the good, asses the bad and learn from both. Next time plan better and sooner. Shooting from the same place is a double edged sword. You do get used to what you are going to see, but you can also become complacent with too much comfort.

It's a tough thing. It's not like I'm here just shooting but with family and friends I rarely see and spending the whole time walking around taking photo I won't see much of them. I dunno.

The other issue is the massive amount of people, I'd never get through the crowed to even take photos anyways. Unless I walk with the parade and then get yelled from being in the way.

Either way, I'm screwed. Haha.