Frustrated

ams99

ams99

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1,058
Name
Alan
Edit My Images
Yes
Hi All,

I am currently getting very frustrated at my inability to move the "next" level.

I can take pictures as anyone with a camera can but, i cant make a photograph which has that "wow" factor. Now, it cant be the equipment as i have a camera and a lens. That's all that is needed right? For the record i have got rid of my Nikon kit and lenses in favour of a light weight Sony A7 with standard lens.

Therefore i assume my problem is one of or a multiple of the following.

a) Lack of decent subject matter
b) Lack of processing skills
c) Just inability to "see" a photograph
d) No idea how to use a camera


Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

i have uploaded some recent "snaps". I wont call them photographs as none have that "wow" factor i am seeking.

Thanks for any help in advance.

Cheers

Alan











 
The third is pretty nice, I think. Maybe it's a little tilted to the right. I'd maybe crop it a down to just the two trains as the left hand side seems a bit extraneous.

First and fifth maybe suffer a little from poor composition. The first has a large area of road in the foreground which is in shadow, pretty uninteresting and adds nothing. The fifth has the train dead centre and a distracting post just off-centre; that's maybe just a case of choosing a better frame or a slightly different location (or cheating and removing the post in photoshop!). Focus doesn't seem to be on the train, either.

Second and fourth could possibly do with a little better lighting but they're not bad.

And the last is quite nice, too. Might have been better if you'd caught a nice thick cloud of steam coming from the train as in the fifth.

Could you link to a photograph of similar subject matter that you think has this "WOW" factor you speak of? Might make helping a little easier.
 
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I had a very quick play around with the first. Firstly I cropped out all the extraneous foreground. Lightened the mid-tones a touch, selectively darkened the area around the tree/graveyard and the rightmost side of the church to add a touch of drama and put a dash of warmth in the sky. As I said, it was a quick five minute edit and not great by any stretch, but it's more how I would have imagined that scene.

DSC00476_1_zpszkbdndra.jpg
 
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Ghoti,

Thank you for that feedback and also your time spent editing. It has certainly given me something to think about and play with.

Also, you are right about the focussing. Ive been really struggling with the Sony in AF-C for some reason. My Nikon was excellent so maybe i need to have a tinker around with the A7.

The more i look at #1 the more sick i feel with myself. Your edit is so much better. In trying to make it look good from the RAW file i have, in fact, destroyed it. I will now go back to the drawing board and take your points on board.

Holty, cheers. I get about 1 in 10,000 :)
 
ams99 said:
PS Im not a train buff. Just went to Didcot for something interesting to photograph.
Click to expand...

That may be part of the 'problem' Alan.
Perhaps if you find something you are passionate about outside of photography and bring that into what you shoot it will show in your images?
I wouldn't say it's impossible but getting 'wow' factor photographs by just going out with your camera is unlikely to happen IMHO.
What do you actually like taking photographs of? Landscapes, people, architecture, etc?
Take it from there and plan your shoot. Start a project, choose a subject, just get to know something. Study it from different angles, lighting etc. I think once you have a direction for your photography, you will progress.
 
blakester said:
That may be part of the 'problem' Alan.
Perhaps if you find something you are passionate about outside of photography and bring that into what you shoot it will show in your images?
Click to expand...

Blow me Blakester. I think i'll just pack my camera up for good !!!!!

Thinking about it, you're spot on. For 2 years i loved football photography with my Nikon and (fairly long) lenses. I made good images too. However, i got fed up of the same subject matter (ie man with ball) and also local rags pestering me for images so i packed up, sold my Nikon and purchased the general purpose walk about. Now. Im walking about and dont have a clue what im shooting !!!!!!!!!!

Sh@t!

What do i like to shoot??????? I have no idea !!!!!!!!

That's a great reply Blakester and one i really do not have an answer for. Oh crap!
 
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blakester said:
That may be part of the 'problem' Alan.
Perhaps if you find something you are passionate about outside of photography and bring that into what you shoot it will show in your images?
.
Click to expand...


this..........

i take decent sports photogrpahs and love every minute

i take rubish landscape pics and find it boring..
 
Jayst84 said:
As mentioned - find a purpose to photograph something. Then the photographs will be interesting.

If that purpose is simply to take 'postcard' photos of scenes and things (nothing at all wrong with that), then besides a few tweaks to composition, those posted above just need more dramatic or interesting lighting.
Click to expand...

As the guys above James. Spot on.

Now. Just need to find something i like other than football !!!!!!
 
ams99 said:
i have uploaded some recent "snaps". I wont call them photographs as none have that "wow" factor i am seeking.
Click to expand...


Can you post links to images you feel DO have the wow factor you're talking about? What wows you may not be what wows me.

If it's just that wow as in instant impact, and not because the photo is actually doing or saying anything, your best friend is good light. I think the best thing you can do to move this along is post examples of what wows you Alan.
 
You're being very harsh on yourself, but I know where you're coming from. The thing which really made me start to up my game was taking part in a 365 project; something about taking and uploading a photo every day to someone else's theme forces a drop of creativity out.

As others have said, it's a small step from there to devising your own projects. The good stuff mainly comes when you get to know your subject.

You feel your own photos are flat, but I suspect you haven't really analysed them to work out why. I put a lot of effort into developing the ability to self-critique - asking others for help occasionally as I go. If you can't critique an image once it has been created then you'll have no chance of doing it before taking a photo.

btw, #3 is great - nice composition, good light, colour, drama, movement and sense of depth. #1 is nearly there & I prefer your edit - except for the crop.

In addition, I'd suggest learning about light and lighting - and IMO the best way to do that is in a controlled environment, i.e. with off-camera flash. It'll inform everything you do even when not using flash. Perhaps also find a composition book or two. Preferably one aimed at painters rather than photographers; I like this one among others.
 
I'd like to offer you some constructive criticism if I may. I'm not an amazing photographer myself, but I did notice one or two things about your images, which may or may not be missing elements for a wow factor image. This is just my opinion.

I am being extremely picky, but don't be disheartened, there is merit in what you are doing, but you want to improve...so here goes.

#1 Lighting is the main issue. The sky is blown and the foreground is underexposed, grey and a bit "meh". Ensure the sky and church are more prominent than the expanse of grey tarmac. Use the rule of thirds. I think you may have lost part of the image through perspective correction but I can only comment on what I'm seeing. It's not a bad photo by any means, composition is an "almost". But the thing you need to deal with here, is the limitation of dynamic range on your particular camera. This shot would require bracketing to be correctly exposed, in my opinion. Side note, a plain blue sky is never that inspiring, whilst often we have no choice, it's great to pick days where there are at least some clouds, to add interest. In short: imagine if you'd shifted the lens up and to the left a little more with the correct exposure (bracketing), and there were a few clouds in the sky. It's not a wow subject so you wouldn't get a wow image, but you'd improve it to a "postcard". :)

#2 Depth of field is a little shallow and focus point is too central. A wider angle take from further back would have assisted with DoF and also given further context. Alternatively, a perfectly framed and level side on shot would also have had greater impact. Remember, you can always crop a little, so shoot wider than you need in situations like this, to take advantage of the additional depth of field a wider angle offers, it can be of great benefit. Be wary of distortion, though, especially when down to 24mm or so.

#3 Composition is pretty good and subject is interesting. I'd have been tempted to frame a little more to the right. Not sure about the post processing, it seems a little over exposed to me, lacking contrast. I'd suggest a little more contrast which may also enhance detail in the steam. Again may never be a wow image, but definitely possible to make that into a good postcard!

#4 This is a good image. Framing is far better than #2 and so is focus and DoF. Over exposure of the sky has let you down here. Another candidate for bracketing as a blue sky would have infinitely improved this. Step back a little further, give more space between the front of the engine and the edge of the image frame, and also a little more space on the left by the steps, to give the feeling of being able to step inside. But, sky aside, it works.

#5 I'd crop a little more, the fence is uninspiring, the signal isn't. The track gives the lead in we need. To start with, use the rule of thirds, or shoot with a dead center subject. Sky has let you down here again. Doesn't quite look level to me either.

#6 Great image. The best of the set for me. Sky blown again, though.

To start with shoot wider angle than you perhaps wanted to help with DoF. Once you nail it, you can start to stop down when appropriate. Bracket your exposures when confronted with a scene which has both very light and very dark elements, it will really help. As will some decent software for dealing with that, such as Photomatix. You don't need to make it look like an infant's painting when creating a HDR image, even though HDR has a mixed reputation, don't be put off. It's necessary sometimes, to blend exposures.

A few of these have the makings of good photographs to my eyes. It's just technicalities letting the side down. With practice and a bit of reading, these would be relatively easy to address.

Using the rule of thirds will improve your pictures tremendously in the short, and probably long term. It may be a little cliche, but theres a reason we all use it. You may indeed find, that is the missing "wow" factor, you so desire, after you've sorted out your blown skies. You may benefit from learning how to use a histogram. It's not really that complicated but helps immeasurably. Your camera may have one built in which you can reference when shooting, to decide if you need to bracket the shot or not.

I hope you find the above to be useful.
 
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@Pookeyhead is right, there is a whole host of things you can do to improve your photography, but we probably need more context to be able to guide you with specific points.

I have very few shots that have the wow factor (as far as I am concerned). This is one of them:

Revenge of the....Hoverfly Larva! by Tim Garlick, on Flickr

You may not agree (I won't hold it against you). Compare it to this one of the same subject matter:

Hoverfly larva by Tim Garlick, on Flickr

This one is infinitely more dull. But both were taken with the same gear, same conditions, similar lighting.

As far as I can tell, there are two things that separate these two where the wow factor is concerned. Composition is important. The first is shot at a low angle, offering what is likely be an atypical angle for the viewer. The second is slightly from above and is how most people look at bugs, it's run of the mill stuff. The other factor is that the subject isn't quite the same. In the first the subject (a hoverfly larvae) is actually doing something (catching aphids) and has adopted a more dynamic pose. This adds interest to the image (although it might just gross most people out). The second image looks pretty dull and static by comparison (although I find the subject itself quite interesting).

Just be aware that, for me, these types of behavioral shots are few and far between and, as mentioned above, a wow shot is likely to be something rather special. You will increase your chances of getting one as you progress, but be aware I discard literally thousands of shots on a monthly basis, and really only work with/publish a tiny percentage of what I capture. These are the best ones in my opinion, but most are technically sound if not visually dynamic.

And that's just a small example. What might give a "landscape" shot the wow factor is likely to be something very different. Lighting will be especially important here (not that it isn't in all types of photography), time of day, weather conditions and composition. That's why you'll often see landscape photographers going back to the same scene over and over again, to get that one shot where everything comes together! For the train shots I would suggest trying to find interesting, dynamic angles, maybe playing around with close-ups or picking out key features. It depends what you are trying to achieve also. I train enthusiast might not think much to a tiny section and want to see the full engine in all it's glory.

I don't know really, it all depends on what you think has the wow factor. You can look to see what images you like then try to figure out where the gaps are with what you are doing.

What really makes me stop and go "wow", regardless of the type of photography, is when I see something different; when the photographer is thinking outside of the box. I can admire a brilliant technical shot and can appreciate the work and effort that goes into some of them, but when a photographer shows you a new way of looking at something, then that's very special. Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to advise on exactly how to do that.
 
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I would like to relate what happened at our local club one evening when we had a small competition and an external judge, subject Landscape or rural or something similar.
He went through the pictures and they were the normal scenes and the usual fair quality, but time upon time he pointed out that there were no people in the picture, as with your church. Often the picture taker waited for any passersby to leave so that they had a clear shot. I now go out my way to include people and I find the pictures I take are more interesting and relevant. I understand with the engines that they are the point of interest themselves, but even on some ( 3 and 4) of those a fireman or driver in the picture would add another layer of interest. Framing etc of course cannot be ignored but where it is a people environment try to include people.
A picture of a river is fine, light, ripples reflections etc, but a river with a fisherman fly fishing is interesting. Just a thought.
 
ams99 said:
I can take pictures as anyone with a camera can but, i cant make a photograph which has that "wow" factor. Now, it cant be the equipment as i have a camera and a lens. That's all that is needed right? For the record i have got rid of my Nikon kit and lenses in favour of a light weight Sony A7 with standard lens.

Therefore i assume my problem is one of or a multiple of the following.

a) Lack of decent subject matter
b) Lack of processing skills
c) Just inability to "see" a photograph
d) No idea how to use a camera
Click to expand...

It's a shame it takes that to realise there is more to it than buying the latest and greatest hipster camera. No matter what piano I'd buy you still wouldn't want to listen. Perhaps it is time to invest into some education (book, tutorials) and practice... lots of it. You need to have a vision and idea. The rest (the button pressing part) is just a mere technicality.
 
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