When do you begin to appreciate your work?

[MohaimenK]

One suggestion I heard that sounds interesting is to lock yourself in your bathroom with one lens, do not come out until you have five GOOD images.

Allan

PS. Might want to take some food in with you just in case it takes a while, heh.

I don't eat where I sh*t :lmao:
Hmm, what bout the bedroom?? Will that do?

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Hmm, what bout the bedroom?? Will that do? Hmm, I don't know, I don't eat where I spew :lmao:


Bt seriously...

Of course you eyes to see with. You've got two of them like the rest of us. But they need to be trained.

Some people will tell you that you either have it or you don't but I don't agree. No one is born with a knowledge of composition or the know-how to look at things in a creative way but everyone can learn if they are willing.

You don't need to be on the streets, you can do the same at home. Especially now when it is freaking cold Take your camera and walk around your place and try and get interesting shots. Keep walking around until you do get interesting images.

Now, I have suggested a number of times on this forum and others to actually go to an art school and take Design 101 and Design 102. From a recent search through schools' websites it seems like this doesn't exist anymore but they most probably have something very similar. Just need to figure what they call it today. Someone younger may give you the right answer...

I'm going to repeat myself here but you may have missed my previous posts on the subject... I grew up surrounded by artists and I learned a lot about "the eye" from just listening to them. But not enough to feel comfortable when I quit PJ work and decided to go commercial so I went to school and took the aforementioned 2 classes.

Besides my "Art and Law" class, they were the 2 most useful classes I took. There is so much involved in DESIGN, so much more than just composition, that it is harder to learn on your own. Being in the classroom, you get instant reaction/feedback and you can try again. And again, get instant feedback.

The one thing I often push to the forefront is that it is a 100% easier to learn that part of "imaging" when you have the reaction of others. Not too long ago someone put forth the proposition that you can learn by osmosis. My response to that is BS. BIG TIME BS!

You can look at all the photos and paintings you want and it will make no difference if you have no idea what you are looking for. On the other hand, when you do have the slightest idea what to look for, you will discover incredible amounts of info by just looking at other works.

You know, one thing that really amazes me on these forums is how so few people have seen a real show/exhibit. I don't get it. I go see every show I can because they inspire me, give me ideas (good or bad), they teach me.

How can you learn if you don't look at what else is being done?

 

[MohaimenK]

Thank you! I agree with you 100% I said this in another thread but I was told I was wrong (you have it or you don't) because like you said, nobody is born with it. Check my signature Further practice is needed if I want to get to where I want to be.

 

[Joshua_Lee]

Well, one thing to never forget is this is a public forum that anyone can sign up for. The opinion on the other side may be from someone that has little to no experience as a photographer. I say this because I have seen people say that pictures were bad when they were absolutely gorgeous and I have seen people say that something is amazing that looked like it was taken on a disposable camera from wal-mart. You see where I am going with this. Don't let the opinions on this forum negatively alter your progress as a photographer. On the flip side, there are some very talented people on here that you can learn a lot from, you just have to take everything with a grain of salt. Keep trying and don't burn yourself out. This is suppose to be fun, not a chore.

 

[GeorgieGirl]

I do agree that it comes down to talent, yet I don't think everyone has photographic talent or musical talent or athletic talent for a few examples.

I do think you are born with talent, I think that it is either noticed and developed and understood it needs to be developed or its just simply not there despite how hard you try. I know as much as I like to sing, I can't sing and thank goodness no one encourages me to do something I clearly do not have the talent for.

I think the ability to develop a talent and excel at accomplishment comes easier for some rather than others and it does not come without time and practice and honing, but I do think talent is in you at birth, if you are lucky.

Hope this is not too controversial a thought.

 

[Derrel]

Cloudwalker's post above has some gems in it.

 

[MohaimenK]

THIS is where I want to be in my wedding photography!

Vestuv?s :: R?ta ir Tomas :: 2010

 

[GeorgieGirl]

THIS is where I want to be in my wedding photography!

Vestuv?s :: R?ta ir Tomas :: 2010

OK, it looks really good, but its a folio of a white on white wedding environment. I am sure you can do this. I am sure you can capture the same sort of sharp shots. I am sure you can capture the same sort of candid shots with shallow DOF, the same sort of wide angle shots that tell a story.

Why do you think you can't?

In this instance it seems to me its all about location, location, location(s) which you have no control over. Nice though if you did! You have all of the rest of the tools, so its just about the location for this folio that helps these photos immensely.

Plus the subjects are not exactly hard on the eye.

 

[MohaimenK]

G' Girl thanks for your confidence in me! You're right, they are locations and as a starter that's what I'm lacking. Even their budget weddings look awesome! Seriously. Their churches look so nice compared to the cheapo churches we have over here. Only the nice expensive ones have weddings at nice looking churches. But who wants to hire a nobody wedding photographer w/out a solid portfolio for their large wedding?

 

[altitude604]

For me every once in awhile I get that one shot where you look at it on a big screen or printed out and say "Yeah! That's a good one!" every single time.

That's what drives me to get that reaction from every picture I take. It's almost like crack! Trying to reach that same high. :lmao:

 

[12sndsgood]

G' Girl thanks for your confidence in me! You're right, they are locations and as a starter that's what I'm lacking. Even their budget weddings look awesome! Seriously. Their churches look so nice compared to the cheapo churches we have over here. Only the nice expensive ones have weddings at nice looking churches. But who wants to hire a nobody wedding photographer w/out a solid portfolio for their large wedding?

just gotta take baby steps and working on taking a little bit better picture every time you go out. doesnt happen over night.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

I know as much as I like to sing, I can't sing and thank goodness no one encourages me to do something I clearly do not have the talent for.

How do you know you can't sing? Have you ever taken lessons? It is true that some people have a certain ease with some things. My brother can pick up just about any instrument and play within a few days while I struggled to learn to play the guitar but I can play. Thanks to lessons. Now, you're not about to see me in any band because I'm not that good but I can play a few songs at a party and nobody leaves

G' Girl thanks for your confidence in me! You're right, they are locations and as a starter that's what I'm lacking. Even their budget weddings look awesome! Seriously. Their churches look so nice compared to the cheapo churches we have over here. Only the nice expensive ones have weddings at nice looking churches. But who wants to hire a nobody wedding photographer w/out a solid portfolio for their large wedding?

Mo, you're showing us weddings from Europe where beautiful churches are just about everywhere. The US is young and there is no way we are going to have churches that look that great everywhere. There are some but they are pretty rare. So, anyway, that's the wrong way to look at this.

Now, most everything in business happens through contacts. You need to use the ones you have and make new ones. Join the local Chamber of Commerce, join the Elks or similar groups, etc, etc.

Pick the best wedding photog in your area and go visit him. See if you can work for him or her as a second shooter. It may not give you any images to use in a portfolio (depending on your contract with this person) but it will give you experience without risk...

If the best one doesn't need anyone, go visit the second best...

If need be, set up a wedding to shoot using some friends as models... But to be honest I booked my first interesting wedding without a single wedding shot in my portfolio. My very first wedding was so ridiculous I had nothing to use from it. I did learn something from it however. It doesn't pay to be cheap

So I jacked up my rates quite a bit and let more affluent people know I might do weddings. The first interesting one came from an editorial job. Someone from the board of directors of this music school I was shooting for called me to ask if I did weddings. The guy had never seen anything but the stuff I did for the school, never asked to see anything else and he hired me anyway.

And keep your ears wide open. There is way more to photography than weddings. Honestly, I don't think there's any way I would shoot weddings today. Too much work

Of course, I don't know where you are located and that can make quite a difference in terms of what kind of photo jobs you can get.

One last thought: people tend to start at the bottom of the ladder and then try to climb. I personally start right at the top and work my way down till I get a job. This way, I didn't have to climb as much to get closer to the top

 

[Higgs Boson]

The more you learn the less you realize you know, right?

I remember taking P&S snapshots and my GF, me, family all thought, oh nice pictures!
Now I learn about exposure, composition, PP, etc and lo and behold, my friends and family think I am a pro and all I've learned to do is identify more flaws!

Do you take pictures for you or for others? My philosophy is to know your audience, if they love your pics, let it feel good, smile, etc. But keep improving for yourself. If no one but you sees your pictures then it seems like it would be pretty hard to ever like them, lol.

Personally, I take pictures for my friends and family to enjoy. If they like them, then I'm not going to sweat it too much, but I will always notice the flaws. The hard part is not to ruin it for them by saying stuff like, "Oh sorry about the noise here, we are indoors and low light, high ISO, blah blah blah." They don't know what I'm talking about. I just changed my "perfect 10" picture to a "7" in their minds without cause. Doh!

 

[nonamexx]

The more you learn the less you realize you know, right?

I remember taking P&S snapshots and my GF, me, family all thought, oh nice pictures!
Now I learn about exposure, composition, PP, etc and lo and behold, my friends and family think I am a pro and all I've learned to do is identify more flaws!

Do you take pictures for you or for others? My philosophy is to know your audience, if they love your pics, let it feel good, smile, etc. But keep improving for yourself. If no one but you sees your pictures then it seems like it would be pretty hard to ever like them, lol.

Personally, I take pictures for my friends and family to enjoy. If they like them, then I'm not going to sweat it too much, but I will always notice the flaws. The hard part is not to ruin it for them by saying stuff like, "Oh sorry about the noise here, we are indoors and low light, high ISO, blah blah blah." They don't know what I'm talking about. I just changed my "perfect 10" picture to a "7" in their minds without cause. Doh!

Absolutely agree. I put the enjoyment above the technical aspect myself. If my composition is bad or wrong, I don't sweat it much and docket the information for future reference.

However, thing is I think we become over-critical of our own work because we sense that others are just being nice when they praise our work. I think that's equally bad as being too self-satisfied.

I've written a lot on the topic of so-called "constructive criticism" some time back: Take a look:
Hari's Corner - The problem with "constructive" criticism

 

[c.cloudwalker]

The more you learn the less you realize you know, right?

I remember taking P&S snapshots and my GF, me, family all thought, oh nice pictures!
Now I learn about exposure, composition, PP, etc and lo and behold, my friends and family think I am a pro and all I've learned to do is identify more flaws!

Do you take pictures for you or for others? My philosophy is to know your audience, if they love your pics, let it feel good, smile, etc. But keep improving for yourself. If no one but you sees your pictures then it seems like it would be pretty hard to ever like them, lol.

Personally, I take pictures for my friends and family to enjoy. If they like them, then I'm not going to sweat it too much, but I will always notice the flaws. The hard part is not to ruin it for them by saying stuff like, "Oh sorry about the noise here, we are indoors and low light, high ISO, blah blah blah." They don't know what I'm talking about. I just changed my "perfect 10" picture to a "7" in their minds without cause. Doh!

Absolutely agree. I put the enjoyment above the technical aspect myself. If my composition is bad or wrong, I don't sweat it much and docket the information for future reference.

However, thing is I think we become over-critical of our own work because we sense that others are just being nice when they praise our work. I think that's equally bad as being too self-satisfied.

I've written a lot on the topic of so-called "constructive criticism" some time back: Take a look:
Hari's Corner - The problem with "constructive" criticism

This is fine if you are not trying to make a career out of photography. But if you are, you'd better be your own worst critic.

Some people may think that it is not as important in the retail area because the clients don't really know much about photography but that is a self destructive way of looking at things. Photographers, editors, photo buyers do get married too