I Will always be rubbish.

G

Graelwyn

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Edit My Images
Yes
I feel like I waste my time even buying a camera, which is a main reason I ended up selling off my D200 before, and why I stopped before that.

And now some idiot wants me to help with his studio..he has not asked and seems not to care how good I am, and it seemed such a good opportunity, but I may as well tell him I am too c**p to do this sort of thing and to find someone else.

All I seem to turn out is a pile of snapshot rubbish, imo.
I don't suppose I will ever get any better. :shake:
 
i know what you mean, most of my pictures dont turn out very well... but hey, its fun taking them:):) enough fun to keep me at it. and one day who knows...might get a shot worthy of all the money and time ive put into it:), id like to think so, but if not. What the hell...its been fun doing it.
just my thoughts
nathan
 
hey Graelwyn
Don't be so negative! that's someone else's job! i looked on your gallery for evidence of your "snapshot rubbish" but there are no pics there. I feel like that sometimes, but there is always one of my pics that gives me some hope. try and be positive!
 
I think all photographers think their work is useless, we are generally all over critical of our own work. I took some shots for a friend and thought they were rubbish but they thought they were great. At the end of the day if the client is happy with them that is all that matters. Chin up and get on and run the studio, I wish that I had that sort of opportunity.
 
Graelwyn said:
I feel like I waste my time even buying a camera, which is a main reason I ended up selling off my D200 before, and why I stopped before that.

And now some idiot wants me to help with his studio..he has not asked and seems not to care how good I am, and it seemed such a good opportunity, but I may as well tell him I am too c**p to do this sort of thing and to find someone else.

All I seem to turn out is a pile of snapshot rubbish, imo.
I don't suppose I will ever get any better. :shake:
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Has he asked you to help out in studio based on what hes seen. I have been into photography for about 15 years and other probably longer and we are all still on learning curves hun
 
Not quite sure how to say this but you need to give this a try, as it's better to have tried and failed or succeeded than to have failed by not trying at all. Self doubt is a bugger sitting on your shoulder eating away at your confidence brush it off and give it a go girl, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the response you'll receive.

Russ
 
Graelwyn said:
I feel like I waste my time even buying a camera, which is a main reason I ended up selling off my D200 before, and why I stopped before that.

And now some idiot wants me to help with his studio..he has not asked and seems not to care how good I am, and it seemed such a good opportunity, but I may as well tell him I am too c**p to do this sort of thing and to find someone else.

All I seem to turn out is a pile of snapshot rubbish, imo.
I don't suppose I will ever get any better. :shake:
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ARGH I WANT TO COME FIND YOU AND GIVE YOU A HUG FFS!!!!!!

YOU ARE NOT RUBBISH!!!!!! :bang:

Jaysus christ! You definately have a bleak outlook, sucks :(

Cheer up!!!

Gary.
 
If at first you don't succeed, try and try again...and again......and again.........and again ;)
 
Aww come on we all have our ups and downs.

What I've seen so far of your work is ace! The Around the World shot is well worth the price of admission and the sort I wish I could see and take!

Take heart, step forward, smile and take more photos!!!
 
Are you paid help, and by "help" do you mean assist or actually shoot.
I'm sure if he/she was interested in your skill level, they would want to see a portfolio.
Everyone has to start somewhere, this is a great opportunity to work with a professional and get the jump on peeps learning by trial and error.
Just do the thing, be the assistant and make like a......sponge.
 
Hey Graelwyn, don't give up......
You have not had your 40D long, and there sure are a lot of controls to fiddle with on it. Why not stick it on P and just get used to how the camera and lens works/feels befor deciding it is not for you? I know you have had other cameras, but if you have been without one for a while you may just need a bit of time to get you "eye" back.
 
I take some awful shots, bad focus, ill fitting compositions etc all the time. But when I get one I am happy with it makes it all worth-while. We always take more poor photos than we do good. Stick with it and I'm sure you'll go far.:clap:
 
Graelwyn said:
I feel like I waste my time even buying a camera, which is a main reason I ended up selling off my D200 before, and why I stopped before that.

And now some idiot wants me to help with his studio..he has not asked and seems not to care how good I am, and it seemed such a good opportunity, but I may as well tell him I am too c**p to do this sort of thing and to find someone else.

All I seem to turn out is a pile of snapshot rubbish, imo.
I don't suppose I will ever get any better. :shake:
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Your post makes me feel sad. Don't say that about yourself.

Have you read any good books on photography? Maybe you need to revisit some of the basics like composition and things like that.

Find youself a good book and/or find a photo you like and try to copy it. This may help you work out what is a good photo. From then on, the world is your lobster.
 
Are you really saying that every shot you took was complete rubbish, out of focus or over/under exposed? I mean each and every shot you've taken has nothing of merit in it?

I personally doubt it :cautious: I bet that if you randomly fired the shutter as you walked there would be at least 1% of shots that would be good, so I am prepared to bet that you have at least 2% good. Personally I find that that with post production I can increase my number of good shots and turn a few good into great photos. So I think that at the very least you can end up with 5-10%.

I presume you are still joining me tomorrow evening for a stroll with round southampton with the cameras. Let's see what you get then, I am prepared to bet you a coffee that you will get at least one good shot.
 
I do not think you can bash yourself that much...

Your portrait shots of Pete were no where near @£ap or even in the region..

I have had my camera 3 years and just from being here and constantly using the camera and forcing myself to photograph new things, I think I have made a vast improvement from my point and shoot days.... (Though some might differ and I am sure they will be along soon).

A picture is worth a thousand words..... all you have to do is interpret the words and find your pictures.....

Keep you chin up and get out there....

Shutterman
 
Right, Graelwyn, stop feeling so sorry for yourself. We all take bad pictures, I took HUNDREDS of crap pictures this weekend. Am I going to sit here and worry about it? Not a chance, I'm simply going to learn from them and try not to make the mistakes next time.

Be a bit more positive. If you keep telling yourself you're rubbish, guess what, that's exactly what you'll be.
 
To be fair, you havent had the camera long enough to get used to it, you cant pick up a violin and play like vanessa mae without practice. i looked at your snaps of colin, and have to say, the error was technical. technical expertise comes with time and practise.

How many shots have you taken with your camera?? i think you said in a previous thread that you had the nikon for 2 weeks(could be wrong) this puts you in the very early stages of the very VERY steep learning curve.

just keep trying, and it will come together, if you are struggling with settings google them and learn them till they sink in one at a time.
 
Badger UK said:
Your post makes me feel sad. Don't say that about yourself.

Have you read any good books on photography? Maybe you need to revisit some of the basics like composition and things like that.

Find youself a good book and/or find a photo you like and try to copy it. This may help you work out what is a good photo. From then on, the world is your lobster.
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I did an A Level and got a B without much effort on the technical side, that is the problem... I always avoided reading up the technical stuff like the plague. I know composition, but until recently, I never researched aperture, shutter, iso, exposure bracketing, white balance in terms of how they work together etc etc, and so I am trying to get it all in my head at once, so that I choose the right combination is not as quick as I would like. Until now, I managed to get by without, but I wanted to progress and really get involved and get better so I have been trying to shoot manual and learn by trial and error what words.

I just hate my 'work'.
 
fletch5 said:
To be fair, you havent had the camera long enough to get used to it, you cant pick up a violin and play like vanessa mae without practice. i looked at your snaps of colin, and have to say, the error was technical. technical expertise comes with time and practise.

How many shots have you taken with your camera?? i think you said in a previous thread that you had the nikon for 2 weeks(could be wrong) this puts you in the very early stages of the very VERY steep learning curve.

just keep trying, and it will come together, if you are struggling with settings google them and learn them till they sink in one at a time.
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I shot film for 2-3 years, had the nikon for a few months before selling it, and now the canon for 2 days.
 
Everyone thinks they suck at one time or another, if we didnt then we'd all get complacent and no-one would ever strive to improve
Try going out without your camera and just letting your eyes see for a change, the world is full of beautiful, crazy, ironic, iconic scenes and sometimes we need to see with our eyes before working out how to frame these amazing situations thru a lens,
Remember why we all get into photography, its because it is an amazing medium, a photograph album is what people save in a fire, thats for a reason, because photography is such a powerful medium, go back to the bits you enjoy, see things, frame things with your hands or even just in your mind and then pick up your camera and just have some fun,
No point ever doing anything that doesn't make you happy!
xx
 
I've just seen your photos of Pete and the poor chap you poked in the eye and they are good. I'm even more confident that assuming you turn up tomorrow you'll owe me a coffee :woot:

One of the biggest things to learn in Digital Photography is how to post process effectively. IMO this is where good photos are turned in to excellent ones.
 
You'll get there. Photography has such a steep learning curve. Am still getting out and about, reading up on technical books in between, then absorbing the info and then applying it to my photography techniques.

It'll probably take months and months of experience, but trust me, when things start gelling, you'll be well chuffed!:) I think even the best togs are still learning different things every day about their profession.
 
Graelwyn until recently I hated all my stuff too. I had my first dslr in February and by March thought it was time to hang it all up and sell imy camera. Patience with myself is not one of my virtues but I really love photography so didn't give up. I posted a photograph I thought was just ok and told folk on here how I was feeling. I got some positive feedback and decided I loved my hobby too much to give it up and persevered. You're not rubbish you need to keep going and practising that's what I did. Find out what sort of photography you like landscape, macro, portrait, abstract, arty and give it your all.
How much do like photography and why are you doing it? Who do you take the photographs, for you or someone else. You need to get your own approval as well as everyone elses. You need to look at your images and like them. Don't be so self critical and don't wallow in self pity too long you might find you like it there and give up on something you could be really good at :)
 
Regards ability I spent a Friday morning trying to explain to a 'pro' the virtues of using RAW rather than jpegs for his weddings, and downloading Nikon software to enable him to process his '£3k' camera - D200 + 2 lens and 2 x 2gig £400 Lexar cf cards; I only called in to drop of an invoice as I was passing his 'design and photographic studio'.
I kid you not, the guy claims to have done over 2k plus weddings on film and having seen another successful local togs wedding and portrait efforts knew he could do better. Shot his last wedding on normal jpeg setting but he did use manual focus and settings??? He doesn't do manuals, they're consigned to a draw.

What I'm saying here is that even the pro's don't know everything but they have the balls to give it a try and with digital you can shoot until your hearts content and your sitters happy.

Also did you watch 'Britain's next top model' with Zandra Rhodes absolute pants, so don't beat yourself up.

http://www.livingtv.co.uk/shows/bntm4/Ep03_pic01.php
 
I love a lot of my photos.
I love it when people love my photos, but to love your work is something that is really special to me.
I am super critical, and I delete (I don't even keep) any bad raws, but I really like the photos I take.

It is THE most important thing - learn to love your work.
No one is perfect, and there are very few photographers who are COMPLETE naturals in EVERY aspect of photography. Don't put yourself down without even giving it a go because it won't help anyone, especially not you.
Learn from your mistakes (which by the sounds of things are ALL technical), and move on.
You'll nail the technical aspect soon enough, and it seems that you've got the creative aspects sorted, so you're onto a winner.
Its only a matter of time.

Be patient.
 
I've just started photography, my pictures are not that brilliant but i agree its the fun of taking them that counts. Keep at it dont' give up!!!
 
Hey Graelwyn,

Sounds like you need a bit of inspiration, go get some good books like others have suggested. I'm really into landscape photography and have some of Lee Frost's and Colin Prior's books / calanders, when I see their stuff, I tell myself I want to be as good as them one day... probably wont be, but it's a nice thought. :p

What sort of photography are you interested in? I'm quite new on here, so haven't seen all your stuff. Had a look at your solent sunset ones, I would be really happy with them if I were you, I think they are great! :clap: As for the highlights since you asked about them, maybe try stopping the aperature down, using a Graduated ND for the sky and expose for the foreground or compose it so a tree or something blocks the direct sun? :shrug:

Photography would be boring IMO if it wasn't a challenge, just keep posting on here and getting feedback! If you have flickr, add your pics to pools and hopefully other people will comment on your stuff.

Craig. :)
 
Your work is nowhere as bad as you think - just re-read these posts. People have specifically looked at your work and they all think well of it, and on an internet forum you will ALWAYS get negative feedback if there is any to be had.

When you get a new camera, and your camera is a complex item, there will always be a settling in period. For some it will be short and for others it will be longer.

I longed to get a DSLR after being used to a Film SLR (Canon AE-1) years ago and then going onto a digital compact. But my experience, so far, (3 weeks) is that I could take far better photos before!

These complex cameras are a steep learning curve, there are so many variables. So many that we forget the basics of film speed (or now ISO), aperture and shutter speed.

Spend some time sticking to the basics and LOWER your expectations! I know that's what I have got to do unless I want to be continually disappointed ;)

Cheers, (y)

Neil
 
Please put some stuff in a gallery on here so we can see it all at once:)



Ps yes you will always be rubbish-if you give up now thinking that you are rubbish-because then you will never get any better.

We all doubt our own work-its the nature of the beast.

Be critical-but not suicidal about your own work. Leave some of it and come back to it months later and then youll think mmmm it aint that bad after all

Always look for striking colours shapes and good light-those are the key to a truly great looking image
 
Graelwyn said:
I shot film for 2-3 years, had the nikon for a few months before selling it, and now the canon for 2 days.
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wll, persevere for a couple of months. then look back at what yoou have taken and see whether you can see an improvement
 
Yep I guess you will.........................
that is until you can say "screw you Cobra"
Get out there and prove you and I wrong
photography is much a state of mind as anything else.......
so you now know what to do and say (y)
 
Why don't you go out tomorrow, buy a few book and magazine on photography :) Catch up on some of the thing like aperture, shutter speed and ISO that you missed at A Level!

I guarantee that your shots will get loads better :) :) :)

Cheer up
 
Hi Graelwyn

In my humble opinion what really counts is what others see in your shots, It's too easy to get bogged down in the technical stuff but what counts is what the viewer sees i.e. the photo as is rather than what you 'hoped' it would be.

Personally speaking I have only ever posted those shots that I wanted feedback on knowing they could be better, the good ones don't get posted as I don't want the crits ;)

How long have you been at this? just give it time and it will all come together
 
Hi Graelwyn
After 6 months of playing with my camera, I've finally just took a shot that I'm happier with. Its not great, even I as a beginner can still find fault with it but it is showing that I'm getting better and I guess that all I can hope for at this stage. I dont know the technicalities but know that the aperture, shutter speed and ISO are all a balance which can be tweaked to achieve the look you want. Low/high DoF, motion blur etc.

What you cant learn is what you have ... An 'eye' for a shot. I've seen yours and many others pictures and follow the rules of composition etc but its not natural to me, whereas it is obviously something you have as you shots are good ... you have all the time in the world to get where you want to be, dont rush it, you'll get there ... as I will, eventually :)

Gary
 
digitalmaniac said:
Please put some stuff in a gallery on here so we can see it all at once:)
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Graelwyn
This is the best way to get positive feedback of your shots. If someone likes your photo, they will be quite happy to tell you, & if you are doing something wrong, they will give you a poke in the right direction with a bit of C & C.

I think most people feel the way you do, at some time or another,when they end up with a bunch of poor shots after a day out - but you can't shoot a masterpiece every day !!
Back in the days before the internet, we never had the opportunity to show our photos to anyone other than immediate friends/family - so make the most of it !!!
Keep smiling & taking photos
:wave: bazzer
 
EdinburghGary said:
ARGH I WANT TO COME FIND YOU AND GIVE YOU A HUG FFS!!!!!!

YOU ARE NOT RUBBISH!!!!!! :bang:

Jaysus christ! You definately have a bleak outlook, sucks :(

Cheer up!!!

Gary.
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This man is a diamond, have read many of his posts and i dont see negativity or criticsm, i see help and encouragement. If i could vote for forumite of the month he would get it.

As for the OP, Try lots of different things , chill and HAVE FUN, if you get one great shot out of 1000 its one more than you had before. If everyone picked up a camera, we all had the same model, we were all fantastic photographers who know it all and all had the same lenses etc etc it would be boring.

How well do you know your camera? If not as much as you would like, read specialised posts for your body read the manual and try several things. Photgraphy at amateur level is supposed to be fun and enjoyable.

One comment from me regarding your photos. Do you think about what you want to take or do you see something and think i want that captured?

A combination of more knowledge and trying to structure your captures may see some better results in your own eyes. But dont get down or dissheartened please. Your pictures will bring enjoyment to many even if you arent totally happy with them. Even people reading this site.

Good Luck
 
Thanks for the responses.
I have started reading books recently on the technical aspects I need to bring into it, but it is hard shooting manual, to say the least... I have rarely shot fully auto, feeling it to be cheating, but 100% manual is a new thing to me.

As to how I shoot... I sometimes see something while out walking and go home and think about it, but usually, I set out with the camera with a vague idea in mind, and see what looks as if it might make a good shot. I was always more impulsive than pre planned, I am afraid... what catches my eye...what is aesthetically pleasing with good lines or colours or contrast... sometimes I take a shot simply because the scene looks so beautiful to me at the time and I want to capture it and preserve it.

But I am really struggling with, for example, taking a portrait indoors and working out what aperture with what shutter speed with what iso to get the best contrast, sharpness etc...and add to that my total lack of understanding of how and when to use white balance and exposure compensation and you get some idea... I am trying to bring it together all at once as I want to be taking shots that are 100% my own work with no cheating... no letting the camera choose everything for me.

Put gallery up now.
 
heres a little tip that my partner used. she is not very technical but has a good eye for a photo.

she was never sure what aperture or shutter speed and iso to use when taking a photo so i told her to put it on P mode or full auto and line up the shot, then look at what the readouts are for aperture etc and then you can put it in manual mode and adjust to get the exact picture you want.

and dont worry its not cheating its just a helping hand. it helped Christine loads and she has a lot more confidence now.

chin up

ps. you have some great gallery shots, you definately have a photographic eye :)
 
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