Please talk me off the ledge

[JackandSally]

Over the last two years I have really been concentrating on my photography. The last two months especially. Tonight, while looking at my photos from my recent trip to Philadelphia, I look at my laptop and feel defeated. I have read so many blogs, forums, tutorials, watched multiple videos, practiced, practiced and practiced some more.

I feel like I'm hitting a brick wall and never going to have my "ah ha" moment - even though intellectually I understand everything that I read, I'm not getting it when it comes to putting it into practice. Then when I open my photos and try to edit, I look at the photos and can't make a decision as to what to do with it. I know I'm trying too hard, and that's the problem. My head is just in too many places at once. I think I may need to take a step back from all things photography for a few days and give myself some rest.

So frustrating!

 

[480sparky40 39]

What do you feel has failed in your images? Perhaps you could post an example and explain why you don't think it 'came out'.

 

[RxForB3]

Taking a break can be good. You get to go back with a fresh mind, you've distanced yourself from your initial perceptions of your work and may find that what you did wasn't so bad.

It's like how I feel when I play a jazz improv solo, or perform any music forv that matter. In the moment I know what I wanted to do and I'm always disappointed I didn't actually do it. But when I go back and listen to a recording of the performance later, I've forgotten what I INTENDED to do and find out what I did do wasn't so bad.

Also, I've found that if I take a few days off, my playing sometimes improves more than if I'd kept practicing. When you hit a wall, sometimes it's best to start listening to others more (or in photography, looking at others) and doing less.

 

[manaheim]

Taking a break is a good idea.

Making sure not to force it is a good idea.

Plateaus like this are normal occurrences for everyone. Don't fret too much.

Two years is not a lot of time. Everyone is different, but I've been doing this 7 and I still feel mostly like a hack who occasionally gets lucky or manages to stitch something together that works.

Don't beat yourself up over it.

 

[JackandSally]

Thank you all so much for your support. I really do appreciate it. And really does make me feel better.

Sparky - I would love to, however, my oldest just decided she wants to wake up and not go back to bed so it looks like the laptop has to be put away for the evening. I will be more than happy to post some tomorrow.

 

[swiftparkour94]

Thank you all so much for your support. I really do appreciate it. And really does make me feel better.

Sparky - I would love to, however, my oldest just decided she wants to wake up and not go back to bed so it looks like the laptop has to be put away for the evening. I will be more than happy to post some tomorrow.

Give her tylenol or some other medicine that causes drowsiness

 

[RxForB3]

Don't say that with a pharmacist reading the thread You might get a rant you don't want to hear!

 

[texkam]

Give her tylenol or some other medicine that causes drowsiness

^ Stupid post of the day ^

 

[RxForB3]

Ok...I can't resist. Even though I know you were joking, so no hard feelings, but still...

So first off, Tylenol won't put anyone to sleep except by overdosing, killing the liver, then the kid would be sleeping a lot longer than you intended.

What I assume you mean is something like Tylenol PM which is Tylenol plus Benadryl. Only the Benadryl part has anything to do with sleep, so if anything, giving straight Benadryl is both cheaper and safer. Besides, with all the Johnson and Johnson recalls, you never know what you're getting with brand-name Tylenol these days.

That being said, the first problem is that you aren't addressing the underlying issue of bad sleep habits and setting the kid up for a lifetime of insomnia. I realize I'm not one to talk about that. My son is still awake. The second problem is that Benadryl can sometimes cause paradoxical excitation which is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of causing drowsiness, in kids it often does just the opposite.

So unless your kid has allergies, don't use Benadryl.

Even melatonin or valerian root or any other herbal remedy is no substitute for good sleep habits.

End pharmacist studies...

 

[swiftparkour94]

Isn't their Tylenol for kids? Unless I've said the wrong medicine, I get names mixed up easily. Anyways, it seems to always put me to sleep. I thought it was one of the side effects...unless it was all just in my head. Don't spoil it for me! x'D

 

[pgriz]

Probably one of the hardest thing for a parent to do (in the earlier years) is to instill good sleeping habits. Requires patience, discipline, persistence, good humour, in large dozes. For parents who are tired after a day of work, and who may have to deal with lots of other things, it can be almost impossible. But this is where good parenting skills really come into play. If you don't get them before they are teen-agers, that is. Once they are teenagers, there's no force known to humanity that can change the sleeping habits of a teen.

@ JackandSally: Plateaus are a normal part of learning. Sometimes the stuff, once absorbed, needs to ruminate in the back of your mind for a while, where your busy subconscious mind sorts things and tries to organise them. Other times, the cause is a conceptual block, or a "bad habit" which you're not even aware of. Usually the easiest way (granted, not easy when you have little ones) is to join a club and have more experienced members watch you take pictures. This can happen formally, or during the participation in workshops. If that option is not open to you, then following Sparky's suggestion and posting a specific image with EXIF data, and a description of what you were trying to achieve, and how you went about it, on a forum like TPF could give you a lot of feedback.

 

[SCraig]

Where Are You On This Chart? Sounds to me like you are progressing much like most of us do.

 

[Designer]

Ok...I can't resist. Even though I know you were joking, so no hard feelings, but still...

What makes you think he was joking?

 

[RxForB3]

I'm hoping?

And yes, there's Children's Tylenol, but it's still just Tylenol (for pain and fever). I've never heard someone say straight Tylenol caused them drowsiness. However, there are many Tylenol products (like Tylenol PM) that combine Tylenol with other drugs. Any that combine with an antihistamine (usually diphenhydramine...Benadryl) may cause drowsiness. Keyword MAY.

If you ever want an OTC med to help you sleep as an adult, just stick to Benadryl. 50mg of diphenhydramine will do it for most people.

Even a new product on the market called ZZZQuil made by the company that makes Nyquil and Dayquil is just diphenhydramine. So why waste your money getting more than you need?

That being said, everyone is different, so YMMV and as my personal disclaimer, some people should not take Benadryl, so talk to your pharmacist/doctor or read the package WELL before taking any med. Believe it or not, most pharmacists are against taking anything in a lot of cases. There's a time and place for meds, but a lot of times they can cause more problems.

Oh...and I've always wondered how many people we could "cure" if we just didn't know about the placebo effect

 

[JackandSally]

Okay. Gave myself a day of no photography. Put away the camera. Stayed off the forums. Didn't read any tutorials. And didn't watch any videos. I feel much more confident than I did the night I wrote this. I'm going to take my time and not try to jump right in with both working with my camera and editing. For now, until I know I have the hang of exposure - which I think I do for the most part - I am going to only focus on taking photos. No editing. So all photos I post for awhile will be SOOC.

And, no, I will not give my child any type of sleep aid. It'd be nice, but unless she absolutely 100% without a doubt needs medication, I won't give it to her. There is no reason to be filling up a "virgin" body with drugs if it's not necessary. A movie and cuddle time with Momma does the trick just fine.

Sparky - I am comparing my photos to the photos that you all with lots of experience post. I am trying to instantly take amazing photos instead of understanding that it takes time and patience. I am also comparing my work to everyone else's work who has experience in editing, which clearly I do not. So I'm beating myself up over absolutely nothing. I plan on posting a few pictures within the next few days.

Until I post some photos, I am going to excitedly take photos of what Sandy does to the Poconos. Just right now... she's not doing much.

I thank everyone for their input and support. It made me feel much better and gave me a bit of a boost that was very much needed!