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Photography Frustrations (Am I the only one?)

Woodrow72

Woodrow72

macrumors member
Original poster
Nov 16, 2008
41
0
Utah
Ok so I am a first year photography student and I am quite frustrated. I realize that I am still learning but lately I am frustrated with my photo's especially when compared to those in my class and I get even more frustrated
when I see the amazing pictures that are posted on this site.

What frustrates me is when I see other people take pictures at the same site that I took them at but theirs look better or they got a different angle that I didn't see. I understand that I am still learning at I hope that it will come with time.

So here is my question: Do any of you get frustrated when you photograph? And the bigger question: What do you do to get rid of those frustrations.

I would appreciate any advice and comments you have. Thanks!
 
practice, practice, practice

There is no formula. You need to get out and shoot lots of pictures. When I started, I might have gotten a couple of good frames per roll of film. It was expensive. You don't have to worry about the film cost. Just start shooting everything. Shoot what interests you. Pay attention to what catches your eye. Experiment. There is always another angle. Try them all. Pay attention to what you see in this forum and others and try it. Second most important: pay less attention to the camera and more attention to the subject. Keep the camera set on its full program mode. Most important: have fun.
 
Everyone gets frustrated. That's how you get better. You are being challenged and as you overcome your challenges you become a better photographer. If you only did things that you were comfortable with, you won't acquire the skills you need to survive as a photographer.
I just tried HDR a couple of days ago and although I don't have it nailed yet, after two more attempts, I see improvement.
 

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just keep practicing on and on relentlessly. Meaning take a hella lot of pictures! now since we have digital now (which i think you are using right now) just keep taking a lot of pictures. try find different angles or styles or ways you can take a picture be creative.

As you keep taking pictures you'll find a certain style you like to do and a way you like to do things to make that pictures.

all im saying is keep practicing. Photography is a lot of trial and error. people or a book cant just tell you how to do things you ahve to go find out yourself
 
As others have said practice. There are always people who are going to be "better" but that is always going to be in the eye of the beholder so to speak. Photography is an art form that appeals to everyone differently so you just need to find what it is that appeals to you.

Have a look through your photos and see which ones you enjoy the most and try to follow similar styles the next time and see if you get more results you like. However, once in a while try something really different and see where that takes you.

And most of all you should enjoy taking photos first instead of worrying about what photos others are taking:D
 
im no professional but my words of advise is to learn your equipment. understanding you controls and how to use them can make a big difference. when learning i just took as many pictures as i could and i would have half that would be good and started to develop a style that i like and intern looked for in my future pictures. oh and one more thing shoot in RAW it can make all the difference in post production.
 
Take lots of pictures, and know your tools.

More importantly, critique yourself as harshly as you can. Go through your library once every couple of weeks and cut the number down to 10-20%. You'll see your work improve. I sometimes find it hard to do this myself, cause some photos are good 'memories'. This is why we have rating systems in almost every photo management app. :)
 
Re: Ryan's comment - Keep a clear distinction between "critique" and "criticize." Most of us tend towards the latter instead of the former. Don't be too hard on yourself.

Seek honest feedback on your work; avoid those who make it about you.

Don't hesitate to make lots of exposures, but don't shoot blindly; consider what you're shooting, what you're hoping to produce. Better to produce a few shots you're happy with than a boat-load of mediocrity. Quality will come over time.

Photography is the art of seeing, much more than the technicalities of using a camera.
 
Woodrow72 said:
What frustrates me is when I see other people take pictures at the same site that I took them at but theirs look better or they got a different angle that I didn't see. I understand that I am still learning at I hope that it will come with time.
Click to expand...

You have to challenge yourself and step out of the box. You're pictures will always look the same if the status quo never changes.

On your own do a study in low angles or lens flares. Shoot everything wide open or tell a story in 5 frames.

Most importantly widen your frame of reference. Watch some old avant garde films, or study some new american paintings. Find some inspiration.
 
Woodrow72 said:
Ok so I am a first year photography student and I am quite frustrated. I realize that I am still learning but lately I am frustrated with my photo's especially when compared to those in my class and I get even more frustrated
when I see the amazing pictures that are posted on this site.
Click to expand...

My advice is to start with the basics of good composition- "rule of thirds," "leading lines," "near, middle, far," and "negative space." Once you learn to see what works, how it works and how it affects your pictures *then* you can start to shoot outside the box. However, if you don't have a good grasp of what generally works in terms of composition, and you don't have a good natural eye for it, then ignoring or breaking the rules really won't help you progress- the reason that art and photography codifies the "rules" isn't to force people to some sort of structure, it's because over time these rules have produced more aesthetically pleasing pictures- as does tending to get closer and frequently shooting from a lower perspective.
 
Woodrow72 said:
..I am frustrated with my photo's especially when compared to those in my class and I get even more frustrated
when I see the amazing pictures that are posted on this site.
Click to expand...

Seeing that your work could be better is the first step to getting better. One hopes you will never stop seeing that you could do better.

When you compare your work to others what you see are ALL of your shoots but only the very best selected work of others. Your best in 50 shoots are likely not that bad.

So how to improve. You need to have a purpose and a reason to take each image. Decide what you are trying to show.
 
I think a good way to deal with frustration is to seek out inspiration: when output is getting you down, allow yourself some input. Look at books of great photos, ones that inspire you. Study them, dissect them, critique them. Eventually your frustration will be replaced by a burning desire to go out and take great photos. Poof! No more frustration!

My other bit of advice would be to shoot what you love. It's easy to think of college assignments in a way that hampers creativity, so try to marry those assignments to your own interests--so that the assignment becomes important to you. Doing so is bound to make your photos better. You'll look harder, longer, and with greater connection to your subjects.
 
Thank you all SO much! All of your advice is great and I am going to put it into effect this next week when I get a chance to get out and shoot. I think that has been another on of my problems, I havent had a chance to go out and shoot lately.

Thanks all of you I really appreciate your comments and advice.
 
Sometimes it's not a matter of practice. Sometimes it's a matter of seeing. If you don't see it, you can't photograph it.

If other people are getting photos from more interesting angles than you at the same sites, then may I suggest that you pretend to only have 30-50 shots in your camera (rather than all the space on your memory cards) so that you just spend more time looking around, and less time with the camera in your face?
 
What helps me often is that when I find a nice object I take pictures from basically every angle. Then you can later decide which ones you like and the next time you know which angle looks the best. Since you shoot digitally you don't even have the problem with the cost.
 
Do more, research more.

However some people don't have the eyes.
How often do you get compliments on your photos?
It's a difficult business FYI.
 
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