A question of confidence?

swag72

swag72

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Sara
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Simple really - What knocks your confidence with regards your photography? Or are you lucky and you're bullet proof? Or do you not care?

Interested to hear your thoughts.
 
not really sure how to answer that - in what way do you mean?
 
well if people are constructive about my images is doesnt bother me and actually helps me. but if people just plain go "i dont like it" and cant give reasons i just take it with a pinch of salt. if thats what you're on about.
 
I have started looking far more for a photo than I did 6 months ago. I have read books, I thought I was getting a bit of a hang of it - Right now feeling very much as though I have been deluding myself.

I can take crit, no problem at all. Of course it is very helpful to have another point of view. I am struggling at the moment with the total lack of feedback on any image at all. I think 'Boy these must be REALLY crap'
 
Feedback or the lack of it, on the internet shouldn't really bother you. People on a busy forum such as this rarely take the time to properly critique an image. Nevermind that its less than a 200kb file, some images completely lose their impact and the whole point of the picture at that size.

Also, unless you know the person offering critique, and where they're coming from, it can't mean too much anyway.

Personally it takes a lot to knock my confidence. I know how good I am and where I fit in. I also know how much effort I'm putting in, and how far I've come as a result. I was a bit down at times last year, but that was largely due to me not knowing what direction I wanted to go in.

Jamie.
 
Sara, i agree the lack of replies does make it feel that images are poor, I have seen some of your images and they are not bad by a long shot. If you want confidence, look a year back at your work and compare that to what you can acheive now. I do that from time to time for a reality check.
 
I am a very new newcomer here and I have looked at the galleries and most of them to my eye are great but I wouldnt offer any critisism as I dont know enough. I know which ones I like and which ones I dont but thats about it. I have seen some really nice ones with no comments at all and wondered why but as you say its very busy and some of them for whatever reason dont get looked at.

Dont think I could take any critisism yet TBH as for various reasons my self esteem is at all time low. Saying that I only have about 6 which I would actually show to people anyway!

What I do feel silly about is taking the actual photo itself and people stopping to watch me! (self esteem again!!)
 
Do what you want to do, if you want to make fuzzy, out of focus pictures that ignore the rules of composition, then do it.

Too many people conform to a perceived 'right and wrong' when it comes to photography. If it works for them then fine but never be afraid to plough your own furrow. This hobby/profession/craft/art/science is still in its infacy and has a long way to go, there is room to experiment and innovate. Digital costs so little beyond the initial outlay so just get out there and photograph all the crazy stuff you want to.

I once heard somebody say they don't mind if people love or hate their images, as long as they express something. I never understood that but I do now.

Provoke reaction, even if feedback is negative somebody has felt strongly enough about your image to say something about it. That in itself speaks volumes.
 
swag72 said:
I have started looking far more for a photo than I did 6 months ago. I have read books, I thought I was getting a bit of a hang of it - Right now feeling very much as though I have been deluding myself.

I can take crit, no problem at all. Of course it is very helpful to have another point of view. I am struggling at the moment with the total lack of feedback on any image at all. I think 'Boy these must be REALLY crap'
Click to expand...


It's this last paragraph that's confusing me. You say you can take criticism so presumably you wouldn't be hurt if somebody did actually say 'boy these are REALLY crap' (but perhaps not in those words). Yet you then immediately say that you conclude no response as meaning just that and as a result feel hurt and deluded. Lost on me I'm afraid Sara. Sometimes you have to accept that your pictures just haven't moved anybody enough to prompt a response. That doesn't necessarily mean those pictures are good or bad.
 
I realised a long time ago that you can post a photo here and get very little feedback on it.
To a certain extent I don't mind because what's more important to me is the feedback I get from friends and family who look at my pictures but have no idea about photography in general.
They may like a particular photo my I can find faults in it that I can learn from and hopefully improve on.
I took some photos at a wedding last year and the bride asked if she could have two of them so that the official photographer could add them to the album.
As she is family I didn't mind at all.
What did surprise was an email from the official photographer saying that the two pictures were very good.
I've since looked at his work and found that it is of good quality so I am very pleased with his feedback.
 
No matter what kind of photo I put in (good or not so good) I never get any feed back, so I just go with "do I like it?" .

Jenny.
 
Sara, I know where you are coming from. I know that compared to a lot of people on here, I'm not very good, and that's fine. I know that sometimes people will like what I've done and sometimes not, that's fine too. I'm more than happy to be told that's utter tosh, it's nice to hear why and what can be done to improve.

But... And here's the problem... Take my 52 submission for crowds last week, I really struggled to get what I wanted on camera, and then when I looked at it, I thought they were rubbish and after looking at everyone else's shots, thought they were utter rubbish and not worth it, just good for the bin. But as I wouldn't get anything else and as I signed up to the challenge I went ahead and posted anyway. I was really surprised when I got lots of positive comment.

(Where was I).... I have become far more self critical since attempting to improve and joining TP, to the point where I think I'm expecting far more of myself than I'm in a position to achieve, or capable of, with my current limited understanding of a lot of the aspects of photography and whilst, logically, I can think that through and it makes sense, but on a deeper level I'm not convincing myself and feel I've plateaued and I'm not making progress.
 
Crit I get on here is never bad anyway.... I think I would only post pictures which I felt where worthy of comment about possible composition issues etc... but dont think i'd ever post pics which where clearly out of focus or had elementry exposure problems... Im surprised some people do... even people learning!

What can knock my confidence... and it was even worse when I used film... was just having an off day... when you got the pictures back and there was nothing in the 36 that actually was all that good... It just made me feel bad... like the time spent was a waste and the money too....

The other thing that really knocked my confidence once was someone having a real go at me as I snapped them in the street and got caught... It was a stupid woman when I think on her now... but she made me feel about this size... Im glad I was on my own but never shot another candid for a while.

On the other side of the coin... It's a huge confidence boost when you get great comments on here about your pics!
 
I think I have only submitted a couple of photos here for C&C. I know I am extremely amateur, but the comments I have had here have always been constructive - showing me where I have gone wrong.
I spend a fair bit of time grazing here, looking at the comments on other folks' photos, so usually get a good idea where I go wrong with my shots from that.

What really knocks my confidence though, is spending an entire day taking photographs then finding none are worthy of keeping. (in my own opinion obviously) Then there is the one I think is good, which makes it all worthwhile.
 
I think you can tell a lot by how people post their images. If you post a single shot that you personally think is great, I think you have to be confident in yourself to do so. You also have to accept that others may not like it, although sometimes expressing their view can inadvertently come across as a bit strong. It's a bit like that email you get from someone which you take completely the wrong way you know?

I think the most productive posts that receive critique for me on here, generally have multiple shots or a collection and people tend to say which one they prefer, you can then sorta hide your personal favourite within the collection and see if others agree with you! The other posts are those that post a shot that hasn't quite worked and are asking for advice, you know along the lines of.."I took this, and thought it would be great but can you help with what could make it better?" Etc.

Bottom line is..If you simply post an image and put "C&C Please" at the bottom with nothing else, you can expect little interaction from the forum generally. If you post a shot explaining the story/background info etc behind it,together with some questions or how/what you did etc. You are much more likely get a constructive and response.

Just my two pennies...
 
Rule of the internet = take nothing to heart.

Learn how to do this, and you'll be fine.

I used to get knocked by all sorts, then I learnt not to bother so much, now i'm 'bullet proof'. Anything negative that gets said online goes over my head, without so much as touching it, and it's helped me in life too. Anything anyone has to say, or anything someone says to try and offend/upset me, literally doesn't touch the sides, and I laugh it off.
 
The other downside of starting a thread like this is of course you then run the risk of people making positive comments in an effort to show support and hopefully boost your confidence. Either that or you yourself start to wonder if the positive comments made towards your pictures have been made simply as a gesture of kindness however genuine the comment might be. Whatever, if you're going to post an image on a forum you must be ready to accept that you may get positive comments, you may get negative comments, you may get a mixture of both, you may get comments that are helpful, you may get ones that are not or you may not get any comments at all. That's forum life, don't let it get to you.
 
me again! after reading these posts it has prompted me to have another thought and I am aware that this may make me an unpopular newbie but sometimes I feel that people are posting almost to show how good they are or is that the only way I am looking at things? I am a complete begginer and havent put any on yet but to my eye some of these are pefect and dont need aything at all doing with them.

at the end of the day you can ask 20 people views and get 20 very different answers so as long as its in focus, is correctly exposed etc and you like it yourself then doesnt really matter what anyone else thinks.

I also realise though that others who are more experienced can help in suggesting things which may the photo better in some way or another. If I had any half decent photos I would be happy!!
 
swag72 said:
Simple really - What knocks your confidence with regards your photography? Or are you lucky and you're bullet proof? Or do you not care?

Interested to hear your thoughts.
Click to expand...

It helps if you don't care too much, don't take yourself too seriously. Don't expect too much - magic just doesn't always happen every time you pick up a camera, same as with any other creative/artistic endeavour. Worthwhile images always have a lot of effort invested in them, one way or another.

And certainly don't expect anything of others. Why should they care? That way you won't be disappointed ;)

For most people, photography is light hearted, fun, and disposable. It is generally easy and therefore has a low 'value.'

Pictures of gurning babies mean the world to the parents, and nothing to anybody else. (Pictures of cats often fall into the same category.) Most photographs are 'personal' in that sense, and simply don't have any wider significance or appeal.

If an image doesn't relate to you emotionally in some way, you cannot respond to it. When pressed, people then tend to fall back on technical criticism of exposure/focus/composition when what they really mean is 'I don't give a damn.' And frankly, why should they? How to you respond to other people's everyday snaps? Don't try and read artificail significance into them, that's phoney. Real quality shines out.

If your photography is more recording than creating, then prepare for a low hit rate. Even the greatest photographers cannot go out and bag a load of great images at the drop of a hat. It doesn't happen.

But what you will find, without fail, is that those folks who consistently post great images have put in a huge amount of time and effort getting them. Good photography was never easy, and despite amazing technology today, it still isn't. The great landscaper Ansel Adams, who was largely at the mercy of nature and the elements reckoned than 12 keepers a year was a very good score! And he was at it every day.

If you are more into creating stuff - maybe portraits, still life, unusual technqhues etc - basically stuff that does not present a great image without you doing something to change it, you have a better chance (but fewer excuses).

I'm lucky in that photography operates on three levels. Of course, taking great pictures is the biggest buzz, but I also enjoy employing skill/knowledge/craftsmanship in a creative way, just for the sake of it. Satisfaction of a job well done and all that. And then I also like the kit - I'm a bit of a gear head! I also enjoy reading and writing stuff on here. All part of the fun. So that's four enjoyable aspects!
 
shopaholic said:
me again! after reading these posts it has prompted me to have another thought and I am aware that this may make me an unpopular newbie but sometimes I feel that people are posting almost to show how good they are or is that the only way I am looking at things? I am a complete begginer and havent put any on yet but to my eye some of these are pefect and dont need aything at all doing with them.

at the end of the day you can ask 20 people views and get 20 very different answers so as long as its in focus, is correctly exposed etc and you like it yourself then doesnt really matter what anyone else thinks.

I also realise though that others who are more experienced can help in suggesting things which may the photo better in some way or another. If I had any half decent photos I would be happy!!
Click to expand...

People are not posting to show how good they are, that is not the point of the forum - they are posting to get opinions, advice and constructive criticism. Some of us obviously have greater experience can can better shots/results but that is just the way of things in life.
 
To be honest i dont give a toss, i take photos that i like to see. Of course i try to improve taking them
and its always nice if someone else appreciates them. But if they dont then i'm certainly not going
to lose any sleep over it and i wont change the reason why i'm wandering around with my camera
in the first place....
 
Lots of great replies and insights into what makes people tick and why. I would just like to say that under no circumstances have I started this because I want an ego massage and that I really think I am great. Neither so that people could blow smoke up my arse - Sorry, just wanted to get that clear.

I do accept crit totally, and will ponder over what has been said and why. I think I have just maybe thought I could run before I could walk. I've read a few books, taken on comments from this forum and really thought that I was improving. I thought that I was able to put into practice the lessons I had learnt.

Of late, I have tried to put into practice all that I thought I understood. I have posted here for further help and certainly as a newbie 8 months or so ago, the support came in bucket loads. Now, I find the majority of my posts clogging up the 'unanswered posts' section. I look around that section and try to help a few others out, then mine are still showing no replies to shedloads of 'looks' - That's what makes me think that things just aren't sinking in or making sense.

I have tried to be self critical, sometimes it is difficult.

I will stay inspired as I have promised myself I will enter the comp each month. I thank you for your replies and taking the time. Please if you see any of my images, don't go for the pity vote!!

Rambling now ................. Sorry!
 
Personally, I've reached the stage where I know how to produce pleasing images and I do, but sometimes go off the 'beaten track' and produce something a bit weird which I love, but nobody else does. Then I don't care if people hate it or whatever because I like it, and that's truly all that matters :thumbs:

(unless of course you're trying to sell them!)
 
when i first joined here. i got alot of feedback on my shots in all fairness it was not hard to comment as there was alot wrong with them . when i took them i thought they were great:clap:. but they were not :'(


now i have been on here for nearly 3 years now and i hope " well i feel " that i have come on alot due to the advice given...


now when i post my replies are less and less is this due to the fact i post alot :lol: possible is it that the pics are cr@p / great :shrug: more so as someone already said this is a busy place and unless a photo really moves people it will get washed aside


just my thoughts..

md:thumbs:
 
Criticism doesn't knock my confidence at all. I haven't posted many photos on this forum, but when I do it's because I want criticism, and I'll always ask for it. I won't post a photo I don't like, but a photo doesn't have to be technically good for it to be a likeable picture. I like posting photos for opinions on the web because people I don't know are likely to give a more honest opinion. eg recent pictures I have taken have been called everything from 'nice' to 'awesome' by people I know, which is cool but not always constructive.

I have a picture on my wall here that I framed 5 years ago. In terms of subject, composition etc, it's a rubbish picture. But I like it because it means something to me. People look at it and frown, and I know they're wondering why I have such a bad picture on the wall next to two really nice ones (people have asked), but it doesn't bother me at all. If I like a picture I've taken, I'm confident enough to say so.

With the exception of the odd occasion when I'll photograph friends' track cars for them, or the calendars I get printed for friends/family as Christmas presents, I take photos mainly for my own enjoyment / amusement, but as it's something I'd like to take more seriously and I want to improve, I like to know what people think; if they think my pictures are a load of nonsense I want to hear about it!
 
Crit can knock me back, but only when it's delivered thoughtlessly. It's all too easy on a forum to just type and hope for the best, as you don't know the person and chances are you may never meet them. Add to that that there's no such thing as facial expressions, body language and tone of voice in type and it can all make matters worse.
 
Sara, I've seen an enormous improvement in the quality of your work in the time you've been posting here, and you really must feel that yourself. You've probably just hit a plateau which happens from time to time. We can't go on improving indefinitely at the same rate - life isn't like that. ;)

The fact that your images received little feedback means less than nothing quite honestly. It certainly doesn't infer your work is rubbish because no-one replied. It's nice to get feedback, but you should be confident enough in your own judgement by now to know when your work is below par and when it isn't. If it is - don't post it. Be hyper critical of your own work and make yourself your biggest critic.
 
I have days when I lose confidence in my ability, mainly from getting stuck in a rut and thinking my creativity is spent. So I'll go and do something completely different which for me makes me go back to basics ie "what makes a good photo" rather than rehashing an old favourite.
I'll maybe post them on here and get good/bad/indifferent comments, but that helps me to go out there another day and try again.

Keep at it, you've got some nice shots on your flickr.
 
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