Very Disappointed

[iamthepip]

yup practice makes perfect. you can have all the best gear in the world for what ever your into but that doesnt make you great.. this is something i to have had to learn over and over again.. do dont be too upset just get back out there and keep taking photos

 

[Jeremy Z]

Hi pbe. It seems like you like shooting landscape type things. If that is right, I'm not sure why you bought a telephoto zoom. Put that lens away for a while and shoot with the kit lens a little while longer. Can you return the telephoto zoom?

Looking at your photos, I think you need to read & learn about composition. Buy a good photography book or two with descriptions and examples of good & bad compositions. One book that I read is by an English photographer, John Hedgecoe. He wrote toward the end of film era. Here's the latest version of the main book I cut my teeth on:

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/John-Hedgecoes-35mm-Photography-Hedgecoe/dp/1855857146/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270244330&sr=1-5]Amazon.com: John Hedgecoe's 35mm Photography (9781855857148): John Hedgecoe: Books[/ame]

I see that he has written a lot of other books on photography that are not "35mm". They might be worth looking into. But whatever one you get, make sure it has sections on composition.

Another one I learned a lot from was the [ame=http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Ultimate-Field-Photography/dp/1426204310/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270244487&sr=1-1]National Geographic Photographer's Field Guide.[/ame] I've had a few different versions of this one. The first one was a spiral bound one that would fit in a larger camera bag. Later ones went with regular book bindings, and now I think they're too big to take along.

All that said, I will also say that landscape photography is among the hardest types to get right. Composition is a massive part of it. So is light. Hardly any good landscape shots are taken in the middle of the day. They are usually around dawn or sunset. The sunlight is at a lower angle and everything is more dramatic and is colored more warmly due to the lower color temperature of the sunlight from going through more of the atmosphere. There also has to be more than just one element. It is hard to take an outstanding photo of a river, without something to spruce up the composition. A fish, a tree in the foreground, etc.

I've shot thousands of photos over the past 20 years I've been shooting "seriously." I have probably about 10-15 landscape shots that I would call keepers. I do a lot better with architecture, people and action. Would you care to try that new lens against wildlife? Sports? Maybe take your kit lens into The Big Apple and try some architecture photography?

If you really want to do landscapes though, learn a bit about composition by getting a good book. Then, get another book with works by Ansel Adams, whom many consider to be THE master landscape photographer. Be willing to get up before dawn, so you can be OUT THERE and ready at dawn. To me, he made the most stunningly beautiful landscape shots of all time, and he worked with a large format camera, which he had to lug around with a tripod and only a few plates. He did this because he knew he wanted to make big prints, and this is the right tool for the job.

Another thing that has helped me was to extend my shooting hours & opportunities by carrying a point & shoot camera. A lot of times, it will be a "Oh, this is a good moment!" shot. Sometimes, candids present themselves. Other times, you're out doing something else; something for which you wouldn't normally have your SLR with you. Keep your photographic eye open more.

I've also found that money invested in traveling to new, photogenic places, is usually better spent than on new equipment.

Hopefully that helps a bit. It should at least give you some ideas of where to go without having to spend a load more money.

 

[Jeremy Z]

Oh, and your focusing distance has almost nothing to do with your aperture.

The size of the aperture effects the depth of focus, not the focal point. Also, the focal length of the lens effects the depth of focus. For example, a telephoto zoom at 300mm will make it pretty hard to get a single sharp point of focus, unless focus is at infinity. On the other end, your kit lens set to its widest wide angle setting will shoot most photos with a HUGE depth of focus.

This is another thing that will be explained & demonstrated in a good book on photography, such as the ones I linked above.

 

[pbelarge]

I am not complaining about the equipment, I am disappointed in myself. I actually thought I was ready for the 'L" lens...well I am not.

I am about 60% sure of the subject I am after when I shoot. Sometimes I do not see the result I am shooting for composition wise, and other times I get a composition I was not expecting. Hence I have learned to take many shots hoping for a gem.

My greater issues at the moment seem to be technical. I do read a lot, and I understand most of what I read.
Applying what I just read and making work is another story. One I will be able to tell one day.
I am an expert in my field, so starting fresh in photography is a 2-edged sword. Fun to learn new stuff, frustrating to learn new stuff.

As they say, "back to the drawing board"

I have planned a very early morning shoot tomorrow, of which I plan to use both my 70-300mm and the new 24-70mm F/2.8L

I may even stop at the river location to try and shoot the same shots I have posted and see if I have learned anything.


In my profession, I used to make a joke by stating:
"I may not be any good, but I am slow"

Thats is how I feel now.


BTW:
I really appreciate the candid comments about my shots. I knew they were not nearly technically well done. Lets see if I learn anything from today.

 

[jackieclayton]

keep practicing with it, you'll get better! and the fact that you're practicing with some excellent glass will make it 10 times better.

 

[burstintoflame81]

The main differences with a good lens are going to be sharpness ( glass, and focusing speeds etc. ) Widest Apeture, and quality of picture in terms of distortion, CA etc. The pictures still come from you though.

I also think you could stand to learn some post processing too if you haven't. ( not that this should fix everything. But I think you would atleast be less discouraged if you were tweaking your pics a little. I messed with this one. Mainly just cropped to make the tree in the forground vertical. Adjusted contrast and the color in the sky and landscape.

 

[DerekSalem]

I have completely the opposite feeling. For the longest time I felt completely limited by my equipment (was using an XSi, Sigma 28-300, and kit lens). While that equipment was actually completely acceptable...I found myself limited by what I could capture with it. I picked up the 50mm f/1.8 and things started changing drastically. I found myself wanting to capture all kinds of things that I couldn't get exactly as I wanted before. Then I upgraded to the Sigma 18-200 OS and suddenly I could get much wider shots that looked beautiful as sceneries and things.

Changed to the new T2i about a month ago (got it insanely early ) and found that once again I had heightened my limits a bit. Finally pulled the trigger and picked up an L lens (70-200 f/4L IS USM) and I'm *IN LOVE* with this thing. Yes, my composition could use some help sometimes...but at least I no longer feel limited by my equipment. Now I know the things that need to upgrade are my skills as a photographer.

I'm not saying everyone should go out and buy expensive stuff...I'm saying that you should practice with what you have until you start to feel that you've hit a major wall. Figure out what you might be missing at that point...and then save up the money to do it. The thing I really need to work on now is lighting. I really want to work on how flashes and lighting work...so I'm going to work with my in-camera flash and a 430EX I'm borrowing from my dad (who's an avid photographer and has taught me a lot of what I know after doing it as a sidejob/hobby for the past 40 years).

 

[BRIANxJDM]

I like number 4 a lot.