discouraging - how to motivate me?

[Paul_Yeo]

found that i have taken over 7000 photos this few months....but most of the photos are not very nice. (quantity not equal to quality :cry: )

a bit discouraged .... wondering how to motivate myself and how to improve skills?

 

[espn]

Pass me your D70 and everything else, go buy a F80 and shoot film

 

[Paul_Yeo]

Pass me your D70 and everything else, go buy a F80 and shoot film

shoot film will improve skills?

 

[sbs99]

Probably suffering to photography burnout like me....juz take a break...go do something else....seek inspiration for future photography...etc..go read a book or play xbox or watever...go take a holiday.

Im still not shooting after a year plus....guess there's no fixed time. All the best!

 

[megaweb]

Did you post your shots and ask for critique?

After critiques, did you correct your mistakes?

Join SEED and seek for senior's advice and join outing to share experience between the photographers.

 

[scud]

shoot film will improve skills?

go back to basic, learn 1 shoot 1 kill.
if digital, then u shoot all the way and tends to think PS can help.

hahaha :bsmilie:
v encouraging if you hand over yr dslr to espn and starts shooting film.

 

[espn]

shoot film will improve skills?

It should improve your composition, coupled with thinking before pressing. You should see why then your images on digital are losing out to images on film, (not just gamut range) but more of settings used, framing and subject.

Try it.

go back to basic, learn 1 shoot 1 kill.
if digital, then u shoot all the way and tends to think PS can help.

hahaha :bsmilie:
v encouraging if you hand over yr dslr to espn and starts shooting film.

Agree... come come pass me your D70 :devil:

 

[Paul_Yeo]

It should improve your composition, coupled with thinking before pressing. You should see why then your images on digital are losing out to images on film, (not just gamut range) but more of settings used, framing and subject.

Try it.



Agree... come come pass me your D70 :devil:

then, i can bring a 64MB CF card , then i will shoot carefully

cannot pass u my D70.....that's my preciousssssss

 

[sebastiansong]

Digital is probably the best learning tool... providing instant feedback and allows instant reshoot if required.

Film, dependent again on the particular stock, on the other hand has the better latitude and is able to handle highlights better.

If you are not improving, you are probably

1)shooting without thinking
2)not identifying the subject
3)not respecting the subject enough to explore it further

developing an awareness is very important; there are bad photographers for those who employ either or both digital and film.

"Bad" photos are often the best learning tools as they allow one to realise what one did or didnt achieve. Oft we just delete them but it is more importantly to file them separately and review the common mistakes they we oft commit. So making a mistake is never a bad thing if one can learn from it.

as for motivation... reading the works and talking to better photographers often helps. there is no point, however, in consulting those of limited skills and potential for guidance.

 

[mpenza]

perhaps, find a niche and try to improve on your skills on that particular area?

 

[gooseberry]

Have a quick read of this for some suggestions on learning to see...

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/learning-to-see.shtml

 

[zaren]

found that i have taken over 7000 photos this few months....but most of the photos are not very nice. (quantity not equal to quality :cry: )

a bit discouraged .... wondering how to motivate myself and how to improve skills?

some suggestions...
1. learn to appreciate art
2. learn to see the light
3. learn the beauty of simplicity
4. tell a story through your photo
5. work the subject, explore all shooting angles to get the best one
6. embark on a personal photo project, e.g. interesting sights around your neighbourhood, and try to be as creative as possible when shooting them.

good luck and happy shooting!

 

[Snowcrash]

found that i have taken over 7000 photos this few months....but most of the photos are not very nice. (quantity not equal to quality :cry: )

a bit discouraged .... wondering how to motivate myself and how to improve skills?

Simple. after every shoot, Ask yourself,

1) what is 'not very nice' about the photos you take?

2) What should I do to improve the shot the next time round?

3) Choose only one picture to print big big from that shoot (8R or above)

4) Delete the 'cannot make it one' after the above

When more thinking process is put into the above, one will definitely improve.

 

[whoelse]

Jack Dykinga: "Cameras and lenses are simply tools to place our unique vision on film. Concentrate on equipment and you'll take technically good photographs. Concentrate on seeing the light's magic colors and your images will stir the soul."

 

[espn]

U need to post and let people comment... ignore worthless comments, but heed those that are harsh and yet true. They strike, they hurt, but you'll learn

Thus I always like harsh comments. There's always so much to learn, I love it

 

[waileong]

I encourage you not to post your pictures for critique. With all respect to CS-ers, most of them do not know what you want to achieve and the comments they give may not be appropriate. This is not being arrogant. Read Mike Johnston's column to understand why.

Digital creates a machine gun mentality which is not conducive to improvement. Also, the desire to keep reviewing the last shot focuses your mind too much on the past, when what you should be worrying about is the next shot, not the last.

To really improve, you have to really want to improve. You need to know what you are not doing well, and find out how to improve those areas. Read more (about technical stuff, techniques, composition, etc) and practise what you learn. Take a class.

Go see exhibitions, photo essays, etc. to see the works of the master photographers, try to learn how they created their works, see if you can learn something from them.

Take notes of what you shoot, and try to improve on the same picture every time you shoot it (eg. I like to shoot sunrise from my room window, every time I shoot it, I try to make it better than the last).

Wai Leong
===

U need to post and let people comment... ignore worthless comments, but heed those that are harsh and yet true. They strike, they hurt, but you'll learn

Thus I always like harsh comments. There's always so much to learn, I love it

 

[espn]

I encourage you not to post your pictures for critique. With all respect to CS-ers, most of them do not know what you want to achieve and the comments they give may not be appropriate. This is not being arrogant. Read Mike Johnston's column to understand why.

It's the duty and the responsiblity of the photographer to explain what he was trying to catch and learn from other people's perspective of seeing things and how to capture a more creative expression/pose/subject for that matter, I don't think CSers don't give good comments, it's just how well people can accept the comments. Of course, some comments are trash (namely mine? ).

Digital creates a machine gun mentality which is not conducive to improvement. Also, the desire to keep reviewing the last shot focuses your mind too much on the past, when what you should be worrying about is the next shot, not the last.

To really improve, you have to really want to improve. You need to know what you are not doing well, and find out how to improve those areas. Read more (about technical stuff, techniques, composition, etc) and practise what you learn. Take a class.

I can also say the same thing about shooting and learning, taking a class is only so much, shooting (practical) is still what that matters. There are many ways to learn, not only through reading,

Go see exhibitions, photo essays, etc. to see the works of the master photographers, try to learn how they created their works, see if you can learn something from them.

Take notes of what you shoot, and try to improve on the same picture every time you shoot it (eg. I like to shoot sunrise from my room window, every time I shoot it, I try to make it better than the last).

This is one way to improve. Practising and practising and practising. :thumbsup:

 

[zekai]

i suggest taking a break to cool down.

 

[Sion]

found that i have taken over 7000 photos this few months....but most of the photos are not very nice. (quantity not equal to quality :cry: )

a bit discouraged .... wondering how to motivate myself and how to improve skills?

Spend time studying the images of your favorite photographers.

 

[weevil84]

i'm a film shooter... read in a book that in average, having 2-3 photos that are keepers that don't need major touching up is considered very very good already.

I love the works of Eugene W Smith and even he needed to spend work on 'post production', much less other people?