Dealing with disappointing days

MrDrizz

MrDrizz

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So I spent the afternoon down in the Peak District at Monsal Head and the weir on the river Wye. And I'm very disappointed with what I've come home with, true the light was crap and I probably should've stay home but I needed to get out. My results are dull and uninspiring, I couldn't find a composition, the lighting was flat. I even hung around hoping the sun would track round, it did but went behind a hill. All in all I'm a little disheartened.

I just wasn't feeling it man!

Crappy as my pictures are, the area and walk I had made for an enjoyable afternoon, also had a good natter with a fellow Fujifilm shooter who's details I failed to get, just his name and he's not on this site. But I did recommend it (commission is the post please)
 
It happens to all of us. Sometimes I see it as being a case of 'make the most of what you've got'

I see it that if I come home with a single picture I like after half a day or a day then I am happy. It forms all part of the process in my opinion in way of training ones eye. It can be disappointing if things haven't gone your way but it will come round again and work well in your favour.

It can suck sometimes because you can feel like "why do I bother doing this?" - I know I do, but hey, you had an enjoyable afternoon and got chatting to another photographer, so all is good :)
 
Ruffmeister said:
It happens to all of us. Sometimes I see it as being a case of 'make the most of what you've got'

I see it that if I come home with a single picture I like after half a day or a day then I am happy. It forms all part of the process in my opinion in way of training ones eye. It can be disappointing if things haven't gone your way but it will come round again and work well in your favour.

It can suck sometimes because you can feel like "why do I bother doing this?" - I know I do, but hey, you had an enjoyable afternoon and got chatting to another photographer, so all is good :)
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I'm the same, one real keeper picture, and I'm usually a happy bunny. Come to think of it I did take one of the old railway tunnel and to me it's a bit meh but other might like it, going to post it and let others have at it. :runaway:
 
Likewise for me. Except I paid a kings ransom to go to Chernobyl last week, had a 'private' tour etc. etc. Came home, looked at my images and wished I didn't bother. Crap. Crap. Crap. I might like one photo. I haven't got the inclination to look at them again.
 
Jesus Quintana said:
Likewise for me. Except I paid a kings ransom to go to Chernobyl last week, had a 'private' tour etc. etc. Came home, looked at my images and wished I didn't bother. Crap. Crap. Crap. I might like one photo. I haven't got the inclination to look at them again.
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No way, is it something you should leave for a bit, give it a few weeks and go back?
 
Possibly, although my disappointment is seriously outweighing everything else. The images are very disappointing at first glance. I will go back to them in time but I'm not holding out on them tbh. I think I need to go back and re-shoot it. I'll eventually chalk it off to experience.
 
I know the feeling been out again today no wind no kite surfers. Also went o look at the flamingos Also no movement. I have been to look at these flamingos for years now at different ties of the day. All they do is feed no movement no flight. Maybe one day they will take to the sky. Maybe I will be there too. Sent and had a beer
 
As a novice I've had a few days like this, but things are improving every time for me. It sounds silly but for me one of the best moments was getting a photo you could never have got with a mobile phone. DSLR's have the ability to take great photos due to their ability to be set exactly right. It's the same reason it's easy to get results a little off, too...
 
I suppose you should ask yourself why you went in the first place if the weather was crappy? Having read the first paragraph it seems you either hadn't really planned anything or wasn't really in the mind-set or mood to go out with the camera.
Perhaps it could have been better to think about a different set up and go to the woods / forest and try something slightly different and or scout areas for another day. I think we all go through phases of camera and not inspiring weather or other conditions but thinking outside the box may save the day and put you in a chipper mood for next time :)
 
If conditions are crap, I just enjoy the day for what it is and may not even take the camera out of the bag.
 
"Don’t let today’s disappointments cast a shadow on tomorrow’s dreams.” ~Unknown

Read this.
 
That happened to us in the peaks before! You adjust you're shooting like you did! It rained when I went! So went to cathedral and tunnels and a gorge! Doesn't matter about the cloud or light! Adjust to the conditions!
 
The other day I did a 150 mile round trip to photograph the church on Brent Tor (near Tavistock), only to find it's having a new roof and it's all wrapped up in scaffolding and plastic sheeting. Not quite what I was anticipating! But the weather was decent so I went somewhere else, had a wander around, took some photos, none of them great but some were record shots I'd wanted for a while and hadn't got round to, so I don't regret going. But if anyone knows when the repairs are due for completion I'd love to know as I can't find out anywhere.
 
Don't let one disappointment stop you going out again and lose your enthusiasm. The more you go out, the more chance there is of getting magical shots with amazing light.

If the weather does turn bad, be prepared to switch to an alternative past time as others have mentioned. That's how I first went skiing. The first day in the mountains was great. On the second day the weather closed in. So I hired some skis and gave it a go.
 
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There is no thing as crap light, just different light ! Even on a sunny day midday isn't always pleasing and can be harsh. Half the trick is to study it, look at weather forecasts. Flat lighting can be challenging but offers the opportunity to introduce balanced flash into to foreground interest. Admittedly this isn't going to help if you are shooting across the valley but the early mornings and evenings offer more opportunity.
 
Jannyfox said:
The other day I did a 150 mile round trip to photograph the church on Brent Tor (near Tavistock), only to find it's having a new roof and it's all wrapped up in scaffolding and plastic sheeting. Not quite what I was anticipating! But the weather was decent so I went somewhere else, had a wander around, took some photos, none of them great but some were record shots I'd wanted for a while and hadn't got round to, so I don't regret going. But if anyone knows when the repairs are due for completion I'd love to know as I can't find out anywhere.
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Jan, if any of your shots show the scaffolding company's name and number, they MIGHT have a date to de-erect it. Possibly worth a call.
 
Nod said:
Jan, if any of your shots show the scaffolding company's name and number, they MIGHT have a date to de-erect it. Possibly worth a call.
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I didn't take any there, Nod, neither do I remember seeing anything like that. I could have gone in and asked the guys working, but I wouldn't have wanted to disturb their work with that sort of question looking so blatently like a photographer. Just a personal thing............. I'm fairly regularly around the area close enough to see it (even if only with binoculars) so it's not the end of the world. And I did get to do my recce to see how easy access is in the dark for sunrise/sunset. Everything I read had me believe it's a 'very steep climb'. No it's not!
 
This has happened to me, I've learnt to just enjoy the day for what it is, in my case it's usually a walk up a mountain to chase a sunrise and when the clouds close in I try to find something else to picture. Keep at it, you'll get the shot you are after!
 
paul100 said:
I suppose you should ask yourself why you went in the first place if the weather was crappy? Having read the first paragraph it seems you either hadn't really planned anything or wasn't really in the mind-set or mood to go out with the camera.
Perhaps it could have been better to think about a different set up and go to the woods / forest and try something slightly different and or scout areas for another day. I think we all go through phases of camera and not inspiring weather or other conditions but thinking outside the box may save the day and put you in a chipper mood for next time :)
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You do have a point, crappy week in work and I had to get out. And it is true I hadn't planned it say for getting the location on Google. I should have just gone for a walk/scout and left the camera in the bag.

I'll be out next weekend for sure [emoji1]
 
Sounds like almost all of my attempts to get out :eek:

Very rarely come back with something I'm very pleased with.
 
I go out every day (the principle joy of being retired!) and take a camera with me. Usually something gets photographed but not always. I might look at the birds instead, or lichens. I might just enjoy a walk or, if tired, enjoy a coffee. No disappointing days.
 
I've been in that situation many times, and it's not easy. I get home and dump my stuff on the floor thinking, why do I bother? But then, occasionally, you get perfect conditions and your head is in the right place, and you come away with something to be very happy with. It doesn't happen as much as we'd like, but it's those moments that make us go out at all.

If you didn't have the crappy days, you wouldn't appreciate the great ones :)
 
One of my backup themes for dull days is mushrooms. They usually grow in dark shady places. So are not affected by the "wrong" weather.
For mushrooms I like an off camera flash to make them stand out from their surroundings. But other subjects could be treated in the same way.

And who knows, while you are faffing around with mushrooms or whatever, you are still on the scene. And the weather could suddenly surprise you. As it does in coastal and mountainous regions.
 
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MrDrizz said:
So I spent the afternoon down in the Peak District at Monsal Head and the weir on the river Wye. And I'm very disappointed with what I've come home with, true the light was crap and I probably should've stay home but I needed to get out. My results are dull and uninspiring, I couldn't find a composition, the lighting was flat. I even hung around hoping the sun would track round, it did but went behind a hill. All in all I'm a little disheartened.

I just wasn't feeling it man!

Crappy as my pictures are, the area and walk I had made for an enjoyable afternoon, also had a good natter with a fellow Fujifilm shooter who's details I failed to get, just his name and he's not on this site. But I did recommend it (commission is the post please)
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Happens to me more often than not - nearly put the kit away a few weeks back after a rather negative period, love hate thing going on. Been out more recently taken different types of images and using all of my lenses as much as I can, seems to have helped getting my mojo back! Off to Snowdonia next week so hope the weather holds!
 
I had this in San Francisco twice,the first time after a 5 mile walk to twin peaks the most had rolled in covering the city so we couldn't see a thing being above it,the second time the car got broken into when we drove up there and the pictures came out crap!
 
There's always going to be disappointing days, but I like the challenge of trying to get something half decent from even the worst trips.
It's good to have a couple of projects ongoing or some different styles to try when the weather hasn't worked out how you wanted.
Like others have said macro is always something to try, dull overcast weather can be great for abstract stuff or a different approach to processing can make something of shots you didn't like at first.
The great thing about working on a project is the individual images don't have to be standout, it's more important that it makes a cohesive set, so good to collect a shot or two for that from a trip even if the main shot you were after doesn't work out.
 
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