Help.....am going backwards!!!

SJD2011

SJD2011

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400
Name
Sam
Edit My Images
Yes
I just need a bit of advice/support/a hug really!! LOL!

I have owned my DSLR for about 10 months now, and think I am going in reverse in terms of progress!

I have done 2 shoots for friends in the last week - 1 for her business to use on her website, and 1 for a couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.

On both shoots I was really nervous - I never asked for the shoots, my friends approached me, and I never asked for any form of payment. I felt really panicked and kept messing up the exposure/focus in my haste/panic.

I showed my friends on the shoots some of the images on the back of the camera, and they seemed to like them, but when I got them onto my laptop I was (am) so disappointed with them. I managed to get maybe 10 or 15 semi-decent/ useable ones from the first shoot (out of about 40 images), and maybe 4-5 from the second shoot (out of 25-30 images).

I just feel I am not getting any better. I read a lot of books and magazines and get out with my camera as much as possible (work permitting). I just thought that by now, I would have 2 or 3 shots under my belt that I would happily put on a wall or at least feel really proud of, but I dont. I see the image before I take the shot, but I can never get it to appear the way I thought it would in camera. I try using the tips & techniques but I still dont seem to be getting better.

Does anyone else get this? Has anyone got any advice for me..I feel really down and soul-destroyed with my lack of skill. I have never done any courses, but have spoken to togger friends and got feedback on here. I seem to have friends with point and shoots who take better pictures than me.

sorry for the rant...just need to off load......:thumbsdown:
 
I don't think your experience is so much different from many others here - including myself. You just need to stop over thinking everything and get back to enjoying what you're doing then the results will improve again. Worked for me :)
 
SJD2011 said:
I just need a bit of advice/support/a hug really!! LOL!

I have owned my DSLR for about 10 months now, and think I am going in reverse in terms of progress!

I have done 2 shoots for friends in the last week - 1 for her business to use on her website, and 1 for a couple celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary.

On both shoots I was really nervous - I never asked for the shoots, my friends approached me, and I never asked for any form of payment. I felt really panicked and kept messing up the exposure/focus in my haste/panic.

I showed my friends on the shoots some of the images on the back of the camera, and they seemed to like them, but when I got them onto my laptop I was (am) so disappointed with them. I managed to get maybe 10 or 15 semi-decent/ useable ones from the first shoot (out of about 40 images), and maybe 4-5 from the second shoot (out of 25-30 images).

I just feel I am not getting any better. I read a lot of books and magazines and get out with my camera as much as possible (work permitting). I just thought that by now, I would have 2 or 3 shots under my belt that I would happily put on a wall or at least feel really proud of, but I dont. I see the image before I take the shot, but I can never get it to appear the way I thought it would in camera. I try using the tips & techniques but I still dont seem to be getting better.

Does anyone else get this? Has anyone got any advice for me..I feel really down and soul-destroyed with my lack of skill. I have never done any courses, but have spoken to togger friends and got feedback on here. I seem to have friends with point and shoots who take better pictures than me.

sorry for the rant...just need to off load......:thumbsdown:
Click to expand...

This probably has a lot to do with it, you need to be confident in your own abilities, take your time and stay calm. I found whenever i was rushing or nervous i would produce a much lower hit rate than normal
 
Your ability isn't going backwards, your standards and expectations are getting higher. This is a good thing, as complacency is what stops progress.
 
The above post sums it up perfectly. Standards and expectations are rising which is a good thing.

I had a similar issue after around 12 months with my camera and felt i was going backwards resulting in me trying all sorts of settings and seemingly getting worse.

I decided to put my camera into P mode for a short while and focus on capturing / framing a good image. As my confidence came back i then moved back into Aperture priority / Shutter priority depending on what i was trying to achieve.

Going back to P mode really helped as i was getting some good images through spending time framing my shots. The enjoyment came back and i learned a valuable lesson.

A really rubbish image will remain a really rubbish image irrespective of what settings are used.

Spend some time on trying to get the composition correct and let the camera worry about the settings for now. Then move on.

Hope this helps.
 
Don't worry...
I've been doing this photography thing for more than 30 years.
We all have those days or shoots - trust me on that one.
The results from my last two events have, at best, been very underwhelming.

If you're comparing your results and expectations to some of what you see on the forum, maybe you are expecting too much given your relative lack of experience, after all, as you point out, you've had your camera for only 10 months.
Some of those images you've been looking at are probably from people who have many years experience.
As you are finding out, photography isn't something you can simply decide to do and be good at - it takes time.

Don't get confused between your ambition and ability.

Personally, if I was in your boat, I wouldn't have taken on those two shoots - particularly if one was for someone's business.
You probably got caught up in their hype about your photos - all your friends will tell you your photos are great, even when they aren't. The trouble is, usually they don't know the difference between a good shot and a bad one.

Also, never use the LCD screen on your camera to judge how good an image is. Use it as a guide only, but don't take it as gospel.
The only real way of telling, is after you've downloaded it and got it on the computer screen

Keep practicing and you will get better - it just takes time.
For some people it takes a bit longer, just relax and let it happen.
Trying to force it will just make it harder.

Post some of the images you're referring to - especially what you consider to be bad ones. That way we can see what you're talking about and maybe can offer some suggestions/critique on how to improve.

Edit...
What about post processing...
How much are you doing, or are you expecting them to look good spot on straight out of the camera.
I've just had a look at your blog and most of those look to be all unprocessed and straight out of the camera.
Pretty much every image, whether it's shot in jpeg or raw NEEDS some amount of post processing. There is no escaping this fact.
The bulk of the shots that you see on the forums have all had some amount of pp done to them.
If you're not doing any pp, that could be a fair chunk of your problem....
 
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Thank you all.

I think going into P mode for a while is a good idea...as you say, it will help me frame compose the shots without worrying about my settings, thus hopefully putting some of the pleasure back into this for me. Thanks

Phil - thank you for your advice. PP is something that I try to avoid if I can, mainly because I dont really know what I am doing, so yes. most of them on my blog are straight OOC. I never assume my shots are good on the lcd, I always go by the large screen as I can see the image in more detail.

I must admit, my friends and family do say they like my images...I am always pointing out their flaws i.e. too soft, poor composition, under/over exposed etc trying to educate them and get them to provide better feedback. This is a bit silly really as they dont really know what I am on about!

As for posting on here...I have done in the past, and received some helpful feedback, other times there seems to be loads of views but no comments. Recently I just dont want to post on here as I dont like what I am capturing. Its kind of a catch 22 really - I feel a bit fragile about posting cos my work is rubbish (in my eyes), but by the same token, I know its probably a good thing to do so I can see where I am going wrong.

thanks again for the advice all.
 
Are you shooting raw? The LCD will show the jpg with all the presets on it... when you load into the pc it will look flat in comparison until you start to adjust a few things.....

I've been doing this for a year with an actual dslr, but in an obsessive geek lol and really hard on myself... I know exactly what you mean.
For a long time I immersed myself into studio shoots till I got to grips with it, then outdoor stuff, threw me completely as it is such a different discipline... I felt really annoyed at first as I was struggling with it.

I do a lot of shoots and find my hit rate about 2 in 3, do that's 2 I like and one I don't...

But the keeper rate is low on some, I'm not unhappy with 30% good to bad (or what I call bad, as in there's something somewhere I don't like).

I wouldn't worry, seems to be normal :)
 
I feel the same atm, just massively underwhelmed by most if not all of my photos, and having massive difficulty seeing decently composed (landscape) photos- which is really peeing me off as where we live is stunning. :(
 
HMansfield said:
Your ability isn't going backwards, your standards and expectations are getting higher. This is a good thing, as complacency is what stops progress.
Click to expand...

This^
That doesn't seem like a bad keeper rate, the difference between a novice and a top pro isn't the keeper rate, it's the quality of what doesn't make it.

At first you'll throw shots that are technically incompetent, eventually you'll dismiss shots for very minor issues.

If people approach you, it's up to you to manage their expectations, remember if they really need 'work' doing, they have the choice to pay someone competent and reliable, expecting you to do it for free should bring it's own risks - otherwise all pro photographers are just chancers?
 
I think you are being too hard on yourself. I am my own worst critic, my wife reviews my images and keeps far more than I would. Sometimes we have "interesting debates" about which images should be kept or not.
Do yourself a favour and lighten up. Also, why not go on a few courses. Your nearest Jessops should have some going.
 
25% keeper rate on the first ...


I'd say that's pretty darn good!


I'm hovering around a 40% keeper, but I have fairly low standards and post process to cover any mistakes (also means I'll keep a few blander ones...)

But there are a few that I really like where everything came together jsut right.


As to people approaching you... Use it as experience. Keep shooting and perhaps see if there are other people nearby you can go shooting with as practice.

Most of my macro shots from the recent nma tp midlands meet looked ok on the camera, but on the screen were shaky. Its been a while since I took some so my fault for not keeping up the practice.

Composition does make it better though, and taking your time. For people/events you usually get low light though, and this impacts a lot. High ISO body or a faster low light lens help, but aren't cheap.

So stick with it and if you are unsure, do some test runs first (you can post on here for feed back and further ideas/settings to use).

Good luck! :)
 
start putting your pics on your blog, it will force you to progress, practice more than reading now, reading is fine but set yourself challenges and mini projects to progress and read at the point where you dont know how to solve a problem.
 
Thanks all. Its good to know it happens to other people too.

There is some good advice, so thank you all. As people have suggested, I am going to go back into P mode for a while, concentrate on framing and compostition and relax.

If people ask me to do stuff for them, I always strongly remind them that I am not even on the same page as a pro, and that others will do a far better job, but they still want me to do things, so I do, as it gives me experience.

Thanks again for the support......things dont seem quite so bleak now.
 
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