10 Year Challenge

[0970373]

So there's a thing on Social Media where people are posting photos of themselves from 2009 and 2019. That's not really my thing so I thought I'd go back to the photos I took in 2009 and see how far along I'd come as a photographer instead.

And I extend that challenge to you all in our little Digital Photography subform. Let's see 'em!

2009 - S. Africa is where I think I fell in love with shooting landscapes..and traveling near & far to see the most amazing ones, haha. This is @ Boulders Beach. I look at this and think about how much I would change. The angle, the perspective, it was shot on auto, etc etc. I was shooting in .jpg for goodness sake! It was still in “taking pictures for fun” mode and was still a couple years away from really trying to grow.


Boulders Beach, Cape Town, S. Africa

2019 - Scotland. I've learned a lot and the more I learn, the more I know I need to learn. I still think about what changes I'd make if I went back. But my filter & long exposure work has improved as has my framing (at least I hope so). I'm also better at post production and have learned how to bring out the best in them and how it can change the mood of a photo, hopefully without overdoing it. I understand the difference between taking a picture and making one. I focus manually for the most part and I definitely shoot in RAW now. I'm a little more confident in the photos I make and have learned to slow down to get the shot right. Hopefully I continue to grow and preferably faster over the next 10 than I did over this past decade.


Dusk on the Water

 

[mollyc]

My goal in photography has always been to capture family memories. I know many here are professionals, or prefer landscape/nature shots. But at my heart I'm just a mom with a camera.

In late 2008/early 2009, I had a newly three year old and a 15 month old. I didn't have time to set up shots, or really think about moments too much. I wish I had, and at this stage, if I had kids that age right now, I would be better able to plan and see better, but I now have 11 years worth of shooting experience under my belt. Although I did shoot raw and edit, I was still learning some fundamentals, so my energy was really still on learning exposure and editing (and kid wrangling).

I'm not a true documentary photographer, as I don't mind slightly staging a scene or editing out a distraction. But I lean more towards that than posed portraits. These two images are good representations of where I am in my vision for caputuring life as it unfolds. My new photo was a self portrait, so has to be disqualified from that regard straight away as a true documentary image, but I did see the light and the image in my head, and made an effort to get my camera and set it up to capture it. So if nothing else, I feel like my vision has grown a bit in the past 10 years, and hopefully my fundatmental skills as well.

December 2008 | Canon 30D

January 2019 | Nikon D800

 

[akash.nu]

I have definitely improved I think.

Edinburgh 2009.

Edinburgh 2019.

 

[kenoh]

Wow this is a tough challenge. So if I go by the dates, 10 years ago, I hadn't yet fallen for this hobby/purgatory we all share.

I took the brief as being two images similar so what I did find was an image taken in Vegas in 2008 and then in 2016 for a comparison.

Vs

DSC08359-Edit.jpg by Ken OHagan, on Flickr

I might swap them out later

 

[0970373]

Wow this is a tough challenge. So if I go by the dates, 10 years ago, I hadn't yet fallen for this hobby/purgatory we all share.

I took the brief as being two images similar so what I did find was an image taken in Vegas in 2008 and then in 2016 for a comparison.

View attachment 816019

Vs

DSC08359-Edit.jpg by Ken OHagan, on Flickr

I might swap them out later

It isn't really a competition but more of a reflection on how you've changed/grown in Photography. No winners/losers here. Just sharing ☺️. I just enjoy seeing how people grow over the years. I find that it's not just a bump in skill but something inside changes as well.

 

[kenoh]

It isn't really a competition but more of a reflection on how you've changed/grown in Photography. No winners/losers here. Just sharing ☺️. I just enjoy seeing how people grow over the years. I find that it's not just a bump in skill but something inside changes as well.

I know, but it isnt really 10 years apart but i havent got any 10 years apart really that give a direct comparison.

 

[Strider64]

Taken August 11, 2007

Taken January 12, 2019

For me I think it's a combination of me learning Photoshop before Photography thusly in the first picture with a Nikon D80 camera and doing HDR with it along with adding a border. The second picture was taken with a Sony A9 camera with only modification in Capture One 12 and a little bit in Photoshop. I wished I would had learned Photography before Photoshop (Post Processing), for even now it gets in the way of snapping a good picture. That is why I liked going Full Frame Mirrorless for I am 99 percent certain the picture will come out looking good. Though I still think it's good to have a good knowledge in Photography skills.

Back then it was HDR and today it's Bokeh that is the latest fad. The one thing about photography that I'm learning in trying not to do what everyone else is doing. Don't get me wrong bokeh is nice to have, but to use it because everyone else is doing it is a little silly. I listen to a podcast recently where a professional photographer said to the effect that bokeh in a lot of wedding photographs would probably cheese off the bride, for she probably would want the pictures to show the background letting people looking at them to know what the setting was for her wedding. So if you're getting all artsy with bokeh and take every photograph using that technique then you're probably shooting yourself in the foot. There's a time for using a certain technique and a time NOT to us the technique. I laughed at another podcast where the photographer said that his wedding pictures were "buttery" smooth (I hate that phrase), because the lens produced great bokeh. Don't get me wrong the pictures were very well done, but everyone had the bokeh effect. I just wonder in years to come what that particular couple is going think of their wedding album?

 

[stillcrazyman]

@kenoh - I wouldn't worry about the time lapse. I've only been shooting for about 7 years. Never bothered with photography much before 2011.

Oldest photo I could find from me, Fall 2011:

This past Christmas night - 2018.

Looking over my 30,000 plus photos from the last seven years or so, I'd have to admit I haven't grown much. I still go to the same places to wander and take photos. Some are mazing, some are not. My technical skill may have improved, but not so much on the creative front. I still feel passionate about going out and capturing something though.... If I lost that passion, that would indeed be sad.

 

[kenoh]

@kenoh - I wouldn't worry about the time lapse. I've only been shooting for about 7 years. Never bothered with photography much before 2011.

Oldest photo I could find from me, Fall 2011:

This past Christmas night - 2018.

Looking over my 30,000 plus photos from the last seven years or so, I'd have to admit I haven't grown much. I still go to the same places to wander and take photos. Some are mazing, some are not. My technical skill may have improved, but not so much on the creative front. I still feel passionate about going out and capturing something though.... If I lost that passion, that would indeed be sad.

I think you have grown, look at those colours!
[doublepost=1547672925][/doublepost]

Taken August 11, 2007

Taken January 12, 2019

For me I think it's a combination of me learning Photoshop before Photography thusly in the first picture with a Nikon D80 camera and doing HDR with it along with adding a border. The second on taken with a Sony A9 camera with only modification in Capture One 12 and a little bit in Photoshop. I wished I would had learned Photography before Photoshop (Post Processing), for even now it gets in the way of snapping a good picture. That is why I liked going Full Frame Mirrorless for I am 99 percent certain the picture will come out looking good. Though I still think it's good to have a good knowledge in Photography skills.

Back then it was HDR and today it's Bokeh that is the latest fad. The one thing about photography that I'm learning in trying not to do what everyone else is doing. Don't get me wrong bokeh is nice to have, but to use it because everyone else is doing it is a little silly. I listen to a podcast recently where a professional photographer said to the effect that bokeh in a lot of wedding photographs would probably cheese off the bride, for she probably would want the pictures to show the background letting people looking at them to know what the setting was for her wedding. So if you're getting all artsy with bokeh and take every photograph using that technique then you're probably shooting yourself in the foot. There's a time for using a certain technique and a time NOT to us the technique. I laughed at another podcast where the photographer said that his wedding pictures were "buttery" smooth (I hate that phrase), because the lens produced great bokeh. Don't get me wrong the pictures were very well done, but everyone had the bokeh effect. I just wonder in years to come what that particular couple is going think of their wedding album?

It’s brilliant to see an old school cinema still in existence. I like the second shot as it isn’t so cheesy, you have taken it from a better angle and not got the neighbouring shops in the shot.

 

[someoldguy]

I'll play .... Both taken within a few days of each other ( early July) but the top was in 2009 , the bottom was last summer .

For reasons that were probably perfectly clear at the time , the top shot was shot as a jpeg , the bottom was a RAW file .
Top shot : 5D2 , 24-105@24 , f5.6@60 , ISO 400 , sRGB
Lower shot : 7D2 , 18-135@18 , f8@1/100 , ISO 800 , AdobeRGB

 

[Cheese&Apple]

Wow this is a tough challenge. So if I go by the dates, 10 years ago, I hadn't yet fallen for this hobby/purgatory we all share.

I took the brief as being two images similar so what I did find was an image taken in Vegas in 2008 and then in 2016 for a comparison.

View attachment 816019

Vs

DSC08359-Edit.jpg by Ken OHagan, on Flickr

I might swap them out later

I’m sitting here trying to remember where I put that back-up drive of older photos and I cant help but smile...Ken, you’re often very self critical of your shots and skills as a photographer but I say you’ve come a long way baby!

 

[oblomow]

2008

2018

The holiday snaps are still b/w. Not much has changed.

 

[kenoh]

I’m sitting here trying to remember where I put that back-up drive of older photos and I cant help but smile...Ken, you’re often very self critical of your shots and skills as a photographer but I say you’ve come a long way baby!

Thank you kindly.
[doublepost=1547717060][/doublepost]

2008

2018

The holiday snaps are still b/w. Not much has changed.

Is that the place of nerd worship on Buchanan Street in my home city?

I think there are subtleties to the way you have improved. In the latter shot you are more conscious of angles and lines. In the first shot your timing was off with the bloke behind the tree. Textures are nice in the new shot, in the old one you cut off the top of the entrance and so missed a key piece of the beauty of that building.

 

[oblomow]

Thank you kindly.
[doublepost=1547717060][/doublepost]


Is that the place of nerd worship on Buchanan Street in my home city?

I think there are subtleties to the way you have improved. In the latter shot you are more conscious of angles and lines. In the first shot your timing was off with the bloke behind the tree. Textures are nice in the new shot, in the old one you cut off the top of the entrance and so missed a key piece of the beauty of that building.

Thanks. I honestly think I'm still crap and haven't improved a bit over 10 years. But I guess the glass is half full...

The first shot is indeed in Glasgow.

 

[kenoh]

I'll play .... Both taken within a few days of each other ( early July) but the top was in 2009 , the bottom was last summer .
View attachment 816081
View attachment 816080

For reasons that were probably perfectly clear at the time , the top shot was shot as a jpeg , the bottom was a RAW file .
Top shot : 5D2 , 24-105@24 , f5.6@60 , ISO 400 , sRGB
Lower shot : 7D2 , 18-135@18 , f8@1/100 , ISO 800 , AdobeRGB

Really interesting to see how the same spot has changed over the past decade. Much better in the new shot. straight horizon for a start. Very interesting though in that I imagine that humans havent shaped that too much over the past decade but there are definitely changes to the trees there.

 

[someoldguy]

Really interesting to see how the same spot has changed over the past decade. Much better in the new shot. straight horizon for a start. Very interesting though in that I imagine that humans havent shaped that too much over the past decade but there are definitely changes to the trees there.

STRAIGHT HORIZON!?!?!?! It's the curvature of the Earth !!! Besides , everyone on here knows I lean toward landscapes .
Actually I was surprised at how the trees behind the bridge had disappeared , but the undergrowth behind the bridge had increased greatly . There's an old (18th Century) building behind the bridge so maybe something went on around it . In the Spring ,I'll go back there and check it out . Figured that leaning tree would have gone over , too.

 

[kenoh]

Thanks. I honestly think I'm still crap and haven't improved a bit over 10 years. But I guess the glass is half full...

The first shot is indeed in Glasgow.

Join the club.... I share the same view. I still get embarrassed at the sight of my images. However, based on a comparison from the old shot above vs what you post now.... the only thing that hasn't improved is your sense of humour!

I know that means very little coming from me but I say that in all seriousness. Your sense of humour is rotten.... your images meanwhile are a lot better.

 

[kenoh]

STRAIGHT HORIZON!?!?!?! It's the curvature of the Earth !!! Besides , everyone on here knows I lean toward landscapes .
Actually I was surprised at how the trees behind the bridge had disappeared , but the undergrowth behind the bridge had increased greatly . There's an old (18th Century) building behind the bridge so maybe something went on around it . In the Spring ,I'll go back there and check it out . Figured that leaning tree would have gone over , too.

Sorry didnt realise the lens was that wide angle to show earth curvature... I am sure one of my legs is longer than the other because I always have "earth curvature" in my SooC shots!

Ha ha ha... yes I noticed that about the leaning tree and the big one behind it. Quite interesting really.

 

[tcphoto1]

I believe that if you think you know it all, it's time to quit. Photography is a never ending journey and can be quite humbling. I started my career shooting fashion but the economic downturns can be tough, so I started experimenting with food and product images. Here is an image from '09 and another from '19.

 

[F-Train]

I made photographs ten years ago that are as good as anything I'm likely to make, and I've made many photographs recently that have been sent to the bin. The common theme is that I probably keep less than 5% of what I shoot.

The 5% consists of photographs that I'm happy with and photographs that I keep to remind me "don't ever get it into your head to do that again".

I have a whole collection of photographs the function of which is to remind me of lousy ideas and technical gaffs.

 

[The Bad Guy]

I apparently didn't take any photos in 2009, haven't really taken any this year either. So I'll go with 2008 & 2018. I'll also go with a similar theme.


2008

2018

 

[Apple fanboy]

I apparently didn't take any photos in 2009, haven't really taken any this year either. So I'll go with 2008 & 2018. I'll also go with a similar theme.


2008
View attachment 816562

2018
View attachment 816563

Have your drawing skills improved since you drew that kola?
Your portraits certainly have.

 

[F-Train]

I apparently didn't take any photos in 2009, haven't really taken any this year either. So I'll go with 2008 & 2018. I'll also go with a similar theme.


2008
View attachment 816562

2018
View attachment 816563

I think that the first photograph, which I quite like, is the better of the two.

 

[MacDevil7334]

2009 - Just got my first iPhone (the 3G) and also my first camera. Looking back, that 2 MP sensor with no autofocus was rough. We could probably do a whole thread on just how far smartphone cameras have come in 10 years! I always wanted to take pictures of landscapes, sunsets, and the stars. Night time was absolutely out of the question with an iPhone camera, and you can see how much it struggled with the lower light of a sunset. This was taken in Phoenix AZ.

2019 - I finally decided to get a more serious camera than my iPhone and learn how to photograph the stars and the Milky Way in 2017. I had put it off for several years thinking it would be too hard to learn and my iPhone was good enough for everything else I take pictures of. I've still got much to learn but am thrilled with how much progress I've made in 2 years. Getting out of the city to find dark places to see the stars has been tons of fun and it has always been a dream of mine to take pictures like these. This is the geminid meteor shower last month over Big Bend National Park. It is a composite of over 50 frames with meteors captured and the scene is being lit by a half moon. Technically a 2018 shot but I just finished editing it yesterday. So, I'm calling it a 2019 shot!

 

[kgphotos]

I started out in photography by taking a class in high school back in the 90s. It was with film and seeing the photos come to life in the darkroom was really magical to me. Broadcasting was my true love, so I went on to college to get my degree in that. Fast forward to 2012, eight years after beating a rare form of cancer, I decided to pick up a camera and get back in to photography. I took classes online, joined a local photo group, go on photowalks, read books. I taught myself. I love taking on new, creative photo projects, such as flat-lay, macro, long-exposure, lensball, etc. I am a photo geek I guess. I love buying new toys that will expand on my learning. Although it hasn't been 10 years yet, it's been 7, but I know I've come a long way. I have disabilities that I deal with everyday, but I don't let them stop me from doing what I love and that is taking photos. Somedays it's very hard to take photos. For example, I like to take photos of the snow, but the cold really wreaks havoc on my breathing, so most of the time, my snow photos come from my house. I stand inside, and open the door. Or step outside for just a moment to get a shot. Or I'll shoot from the inside of a car. I like to look at it as being a cancer thriver. Alright, enough about me...

2012

2018