Hitting a wall

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Siberdib

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310
Name
Richard
Edit My Images
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I have been doing sports photography for just over a year now. In that time I have certainly improved considerably but I have got to a stage now where I'm getting frustrated. I love doing it and a match day is a real highlight of my week. The work I produce for a football league club and the freelance company I work for is well received, often published and makes good sales. However, I'm too much of a perfectionist and after each game it would appear that my expectations of myself and the standard I should reach increases. A lot of it comes down to post processing where the scope of changing an image is limitless. I normally produce a job lot of images but constantly believe that I could go back and improve them more even though the client is more then happy.

Has anyone else been through this? I want to progress in this area but I kinder feel I need to believe what I produce is the optimum I can. The kit I have is no problem. I think my problem is similar to someone who constantly wants to buy better glass. Although I have a new D3s, my lenses are second-hand and around 10 years old - I love them and have no reason to upgrade.

I get a lot advice and tips of this forum. However, a lot of the work I produce can't be posted on here due to DataCo etc. However, I have a password gallery that I would appreciate a few people having a look at and giving me their view. I can PM over the details if anyone is interested.

Cheers guys :thumbs:
 
LOL. I don't think you have a problem - at least not one that doesn't bug most of us. I'm not sure I've ever taken a shot I'm entirely happy with and probably never will. Even some of my best ones, I can always look at them and think ...'what if..' If you ever stop doing that it's probably time to pack it in. ;)

Processing - now I can sort of see your problem there - processing can certainly improve an image but if you're constantly going back to mages looking to improve them its probable you're looking for something in the image that wasn't there to start with - I do that myself far too often but giving myself a good slap usually cures it. :D
 
Rich, There are a lot of great sports photographers around and if you are comparing yourself to the very best to make a comparison, I guess you will be lacking in some areas...I personally look at my own images and always think that I can do better...lol... but the important thing to be able to do, is look at your own work and say what needs to be better and how am I going to go about making it better...Technique, Style , Processing etc etc ...You have already stated that your images are selling so I think from that you are certainly doing something right ...
 
Hi Richard, please take this as its meant, you say you do lots of post processing, can i ask why, seriously mate if own a 3.5k camera you need to let it earn its keep, 99% of my post processing is done within camera bar the obvious crop, straighten and resize,

colour temp/WB contrast, saturation, sharpening etc, etc is all handled in camera, under lights ill also use active D Lighting quite aggressivly to bring out detail in the shadow areas which can be problematic under floodlighting.

I tend not to comment on other peoples photos that much as i personally dont think im in any sort of position to do so, mainly because i dont have an understanding of the sports they shoot, while i know what i like to see i really dont have a clue what makes something like an equine photo technically good or a swimming photo bad.

Having said that if you PM the pass to me ill have a peek
 
'I think this should actually be moved to the sport discussion forum.'

Anyway, thanks for the responses guys. I think a lot of my problem comes with post processing. I can look at a photo in camera and think excellent, pleased with that. When I open it up in the computer I don't always get that same reaction and it bugs me. All I do in post processing is straighten, crop and play with the levels. I can show the same photo to someone else and they can never see what I can see.

It's probably something I will have to 'grow out off'. It's silly, petty and unnecessary really, but it is interesting to see if anyone else has that feeling. A lot of the time now when I look at someone else's photo, be that in the national press or on a website, you automatically critique the photo and apply it to your own. It seems I have some many parameters floating around in my brain it has become too unhealthy.
 
You are going to get better all the time. If you aren't getting better, and don't believe you are, you're not trying hard enough! You likely will never reach a point where you feel you are producing the "optimum" results. Keep landing clients, and just do your best. Believe it or not, most people are happy with what we photographers feel is not very good work. That's a good thing for us, and as long as you did your best, you shouldn't feel bad about a thing!
 
conskier2003 said:
Believe it or not, most people are happy with what we photographers feel is not very good work. That's a good thing for us, and as long as you did your best, you shouldn't feel bad about a thing!
Click to expand...

That's a very common trend. At times I'm fully open to criticism. I prefer it as I see this as an important thing to help me to move on and improve.
 
My case tonight was a couple of the boys from the football team were at rugby training tonight and were looking over my shoulder as I was doing my processing and ones which I would have binned, they thought were great and asked me to include.
 
Siberdib said:
'I think this should actually be moved to the sport discussion forum.'

Anyway, thanks for the responses guys. I think a lot of my problem comes with post processing. I can look at a photo in camera and think excellent, pleased with that. When I open it up in the computer I don't always get that same reaction and it bugs me. All I do in post processing is straighten, crop and play with the levels. I can show the same photo to someone else and they can never see what I can see.

It's probably something I will have to 'grow out off'. It's silly, petty and unnecessary really, but it is interesting to see if anyone else has that feeling. A lot of the time now when I look at someone else's photo, be that in the national press or on a website, you automatically critique the photo and apply it to your own. It seems I have some many parameters floating around in my brain it has become too unhealthy.
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I don't think I could judge my own work any more harshly, and 90% of the time I'll leave the pitch thinking I've just had another shocker, and that feeling doesn't tend to go away even after I've processed the whole set. This season especially is getting me down a lot, and I've no idea whether my actual work isn't as good, I'm getting better and therefore my standards are higher, or a strange mixture of the two.

I'm trying to push myself to develop and try a different style and different more creative types of shots but I'm finding it hard. So yes I know exactly where you're coming from Richard
 
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