Inferiority complex?

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kendun

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Don't know whether anyone else has got an inferiority complex when it comes to photography,I joined this forum thinking let me learn a lil bit about photography and bought a DSLR.All my snaps are c...p when I look at the images posted on the forums,my pics have skies are blown out,colours aren't vibrant,pics arent sharp....,the list goes on..
hmm,thinking whether to switch to just using the auto mode and staying away from the site or trying to persevere?Could say that the weather hasn't been good enough to get good pics,but guess I am blaming the elements rather than accepting I am a c..p photographer.Have tried taking some pics over the past few weekends,but all have turned out to be over or underexposed,not the kind I'd have the guts to post on any of the forums,so ended up deleting quite a lot.Just having a rant on a saturday night after a pints...
 
Only advice i can offer is you learn from your mistakes, the worst thing you can do is got to Automatic mode, at least use Av or Tv and learn how they work, Av sets the aperture for you so you can control DoF for your pics and the exposure sorets itself out, Tv lets you set the exposure time and the cam sets the aperture for you. You WILL get the hang of it, just persevere and keep reading these forums / asking questions, we are only too happy to help :)
 
I'm new to photography as well, (some three months or so into it), and I can see your point. I posted a few pics here from my first attempts and, in all honesty, I look at them now and find them a bit cringworthy. The upside is that I received some helpful and friendly advice from the more skilled people here and I learned something from my initial efforts and the feedback I received. Now I'm a little better than I was back then and that's fine by me, one step at a time and all that.

I would suggest trying AV mode as it kind of 'half puts you on your own', plus it makes it much more fun. Grab a copy of 'Understanding Exposure' as it's a brilliant book and helped/inspired me no end.
 
kendun said:
Don't know whether anyone else has got an inferiority complex when it comes to photography,I joined this forum thinking let me learn a lil bit about photography and bought a DSLR.All my snaps are c...p when I look at the images posted on the forums,my pics have skies are blown out,colours aren't vibrant,pics arent sharp....,the list goes on..
hmm,thinking whether to switch to just using the auto mode and staying away from the site or trying to persevere?Could say that the weather hasn't been good enough to get good pics,but guess I am blaming the elements rather than accepting I am a c..p photographer.Have tried taking some pics over the past few weekends,but all have turned out to be over or underexposed,not the kind I'd have the guts to post on any of the forums,so ended up deleting quite a lot.Just having a rant on a saturday night after a pints...
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thats exactly how i felt at first...then i joined here,and although my shots aren't up to a lot of what you see here..they are improving.posting your shots on here is another way of learning as constructive criticism helps you improve in the areas where your weakest.as you've said,use your camera in auto mode at first as this should give you good results,and help with your confidence.also read some books on photography as this is also a great way of understanding how things are.you might find it useful if you can find someone to go out togging with(take a look in the find a buddy section on here)who may show you how to use the settings on your camera....as regards to deleting shots..i'm happy if i get a few decent ones out of 200 taken..and afterall,they don't cost you anything if they're digital..

as regards to blown skies...this can be helped by using filters,circular polarisers,ND grads etc...do a search on here on anything you need to know,and there'll be an answer i'm sure...

good luck..:thumbs:
 
This forum, and one other, make me want to try harder and learn more. Sure, I feel my stuff is c..p compared to a lot of photogs on here, but that just makes me mad, and when I get mad, I try harder :p
 
glad to see your responses guys,
a bit ok now that I am not the only person to have been in such a situation,will try to post a few pics when I muster the guts to do it.I've got a Nikon D70,so will try using aperture/shutter priority and post some pics later.
 
Don't give in! We are all here to help :)
Everyone has to start somewhere and I'm sure that even the best photographers that post on here didn't start out with pictures like that! A lot of what you see on here doesn't necessarily come straight out of the camera - there is a lot to be said for post processing.

I now look back on some of the first shots I took with my DSLR and had the same problems - underexposed, overexposed, out of focus, bad composition - you name it, I'm guilty of it! (and the majority of my shots aren't much better 4 years down the line :lol:) Practice makes perfect - it's true so carry on and learn from your mistakes. I'm sure that even the likes of Ansel Adams and other famous photographers had the same problems to start with.

Relax, enjoy your photography and start posting some pics so people can point out what you maybe need to try to do differently. Don't be worried or embarrassed, as I said, people are here to help you.

Oh, and maybe visit your local library to see if they have any decent photography books so you can get some ideas :)
 
Automatic never never never gives you the shot you want , action will turn out blurred & portraits will have annoying backgrounds in full focus. You can spend ages getting the composition just right only to get home a see the usual "aerial coming out of a head" shot :bang:

Use Tv/Av to control the camera & manual if it's being a complete ******* :bat:

Remember, Digital means nobody else ever has to see your mistakes ;)
 
practise practise practise THEN practise some more it only gets better and when you look back youll say wow!!!!!!!!!!
 
I had my first DSLR for a year, had taken some 8000 shots and I can honestly say that out of all of them, I only actually liked about 5. You keep at it and you just improve. Don't just shoot what you see, compose the shot... best advice i was ever given. It really does make the difference between a snap shot and a nice image. Shoot in RAW... you can salvage exposure to a large extent in Photoshop if you shoot in RAW. Up the contrast and saturation slightly in PS to give your images a little more pop. Most images you see on here or anywhere for that matter have at least some post processing even if only a little. Just remember, before you start comparing your images to others you see, that are maybe more vibrant, that is more often than not what came out of the camera.
 
I for one second 'Understanding Exposure' it really is a great book.
You will improve, remember roam wasn't built in a day.
I'm also on a steep learning curve as well and I am finding my pics are improving.
Post a few pics and the knowlegdeable folk here will give you some excellent advice.
 
Stick to just using 1 lens until you know everything it can and can't do.

Get a notebook and take the camera and manual out for a few training sessions. Don't worry about getting good pics, just go through the manual and take the full range of pics against each setting, writing down what you are doing for each shot.

When you get shots that you don't understand what's happening, post them on here with as much detail as possible and I'm sure you will get all the help you need.

There is a great wealth of talent using this site - grab their help with both hands if they are willing to offer it.
 
kendun said:
Don't know whether anyone else has got an inferiority complex when it comes to photography,I joined this forum thinking let me learn a lil bit about photography and bought a DSLR.All my snaps are c...p when I look at the images posted on the forums,my pics have skies are blown out,colours aren't vibrant,pics arent sharp....,the list goes on..
hmm,thinking whether to switch to just using the auto mode and staying away from the site or trying to persevere?Could say that the weather hasn't been good enough to get good pics,but guess I am blaming the elements rather than accepting I am a c..p photographer.Have tried taking some pics over the past few weekends,but all have turned out to be over or underexposed,not the kind I'd have the guts to post on any of the forums,so ended up deleting quite a lot.Just having a rant on a saturday night after a pints...
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Want a badge? Plenty to go around!! :) Know exactly how you feel mate, but this place helps a tonne. I am much more confident with my shots now than I used to be.

Gary.
 
thank you for your encouraging words,I have started to shoot in RAW/NEF files nowadays and stopped shooting in JPEG,seem to be able to get the pics a little bit better with PP,but still way off in terms of the qulaity.Have been to the lib and borrowed quite a few photography book.If anyone's from Bolton and you cant find a photography book from the central library,it's probably with me!!! Been using photoshop CS2 after shooting in RAW,will try to get 'Understanding exposure' from Amazon.
 
There will *always* be someone better than you. Always. Stop concentrating on what other people do and concentrate on what YOU do. Before you know it, you'll be the one handing out advice ;)
 
Stick at it Kendun.

If you post even a weak shot I know that folks here will only help with constructive criticism. That way you will learn faster...and they may even help with things you had not thought about.

Have you been on any of the TP meets? Probably another great way for you to learn.

There is one coming up in North Wales which is not too far from you. You'll get to meet the other togs (friendly bunch) and get great advice...as well as great photo ops.
 
kendun - if you post a couple of pics its most unlikely that anyone here will reply with a simple "that's crap" comment. The chances are that you will get constructive crits - someone may say that you need to pay more attention to the background, or that your shutter speed is too high/low or that your focus point is off, or whatever it may be.

If you sit there thinking you're a crap 'tog, then you'll forever think that unless you join in the mix and share and learn.

You may not be as crap as you think you are. Maybe your skies are indeed blown , but your composition is excellent. Maybe your blown skies can be fixed. ...
 
Stick at it Kendun, I've learnt a lot here too. Remember you probably only see 10 % of a togs photo on here or elswhere on the net, the other 90% of their photos are probably not keepers and don't see the light of day. You will get plenty of help here on TP, if you want criticsm or help with anything the guys here are only too happy to oblige...if you pester them :lol::D

Somebody posted this Shutterfreaks site ---> Click Here a couple of days ago, I can't remember who but its got some very useful info that will help you get started, A handy site indeed.
 
frank said:
Thought I was being generous there :lol:
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I've taken 19,000 odd pics on my 30D - which I bought about 1 year ago - I'd guess there's about 30 or so posted on here. And I'm not happy with all of the pics I've posted.

I used to think my hit rate was 1/10. Now its much less. But that's because I'm much more critical of my own work.
 
I think someone said it higher up the page.. you can't compare yourself to other people all the time, it doesn't matter who you are, there's always someone better than you at something. You just have to compare your work, to your work from 2 months ago, for example.

One of my lecturers at uni is (in my opinion) in the top 3 togs in the country (along with Bill Henson and Trent Parke). But he only produces a series of photographs every couple of years or so.. So I'm guessing there's quite a lot of fails along the way that we just don't get to see.

Personally, I've spent this last week looking through around 8,000 photos from this year to pick one to print for my uni open day. I'm not happy with a single one of them, which is a bit depressing, yes. But I reckon last year I would've been made up with some of the shots I've got this year.

Basically, people tend to be very critical of their own work (which is no bad thing).
 
Definitely keep with it. I've accepted that I'm pretty much crap, but I continue simply for the pleaseure of it. Always be willing to learn and always be willing to hear "I'd do this" or "Maybe you should have done this". Only good things come from quotes such as those.
 
I have been into photography for the last couple of years and still learn something new everytime I take the camera out.

Its a learning curve we all have to go through. Nobody starts off as a great photographer.

Stick at it and never use auto .... You never learn anything that way.
 
kendun said:
Don't know whether anyone else has got an inferiority complex when it comes to photography,I joined this forum thinking let me learn a lil bit about photography and bought a DSLR.All my snaps are c...p when I look at the images posted on the forums,my pics have skies are blown out,colours aren't vibrant,pics arent sharp....,the list goes on..
Click to expand...
Pretty much the same story for ever single user on this forum...scrap that...every single photographer! Nobody would have picked up a camera and got it right from the off so stick with it. Start posting images so people can tell you where your going wrong and more importantly how to correct the problems and yuo'll be well underway :thumbs:
 
Get posting those 'c**p' pictures TODAY!! The very best way to learn is to let those that have already been there advise you on how to make improvements and no one can do that if there is no starting point. This forum has everything from absolute beginners to seasons pro's and you know what, none of them bite and very few even bark....well, not too often anyway :lol: Honestly, most of us look at our pictures knowing they can be improved, regardless of how long we have been doing it and how full we have made umpteen Hard Drives with our drivel, so take heart and courage and lets see a couple :D
 
hypnotic said:
I have been into photography for the last couple of years and still learn something new everytime I take the camera out.

Its a learning curve we all have to go through. Nobody starts off as a great photographer.

Stick at it and never use auto .... You never learn anything that way.
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Love this post .... being humble about your abilities is the best way to move forward .... time is not a factor to how well you develop your skills.

Point in mind, I've been into photography for 34 years (yup more than a lot here have been alive for) and I learn something new every single day.

Oh, and most of those who post pictures here have more guts than I do ... and I've learned from the experienced photographers just as much as I've learned from the new photographers.

Never give-up :)
 
After reading everyone's comments,thought I'd go ahead and upload a few.I am unable to compress my RAW files to less than 200kb using CS2,the minimumm I get is around 240 when I try to save it in low.How do I compress it folks and is there a way of uploading it directly to a thread or does it have to be uploaded to a gallery?thanks for all your suggestions.
 
I think you need to save a copy as a Jpeg first then re-size and save for web.
 
When I look at some of the work on here taken by people with much more experience and skill than me, it sometimes takes my breath away.
I know that I will never be as good as that. The composition of some of their shots...my "subjects" have normally got telegraph poles growing out of their heads, or brick walls going in one ear and coming out of the other.
My PP skills are non existent.
You could give me the best camera and the best photo editing software and my pics will still be "snaps" compared to them.
But I won't give up
;)
 
kendun said:
After reading everyone's comments,thought I'd go ahead and upload a few.I am unable to compress my RAW files to less than 200kb using CS2,the minimumm I get is around 240 when I try to save it in low.How do I compress it folks and is there a way of uploading it directly to a thread or does it have to be uploaded to a gallery?thanks for all your suggestions.
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Resize it to 800 pixels wide or less then save it as a jpg or Save As For The Web. you can start you own gallery here on TP or go for one of the free ones elsewhere like Photobucket or Flickr, there are others too.

Once you have uploaded to a gallery post it and put the url in between "
" like this (without the quote marks)
 
An example of a c..p pic at Castleton
Peak-original.jpg

Havent done anything in photoshop
The following's had some correction/PP done,but not the kind of an image I'd want to save.
Peak_corrected.jpg
 
kendun said:
An example of a c..p pic at Castleton
Peak-original.jpg

Havent done anything in photoshop
Click to expand...

Well done for posting. My advice may be wrong, but I think a filter known as an "ND Grad" would have helped your sky. Or you could put the camera on a tripod and BRACKET, wchih would mean the camera takes several different exposures, very quickly, giving you the best sky in one shot, the best foreground in another, and then you merge them in PP.

Gary.
 
cheers Gary,will start searching about the filter and tripods.Thank you Frank and minimeeze for helping me with reiszing/uploading onto the forum.thanks to all TP members who have been supportive.
I read about polarising filters from Hoya/Cokin,would they be of any benefit?
 
Hey Kendun, what time did you take that photo? The times of the day make a huge difference, when I take pics, I find the sky usually over exposed at mid day and the early morning or evening being the best time to take photo's, how about you get out tonight?

I know how you feel because when I look back at my first posts on this forum, they weren't the nowhere near the standard but I listened and read loads of books about exposure, composition and I can slowly see improvement in my work
 
Not sure if a Polariser would have helped in this shot. I think an ND Grad filter acts like a pair of shades over a section if your viewing area, if you used to control the sky, it would be like the camera was looking through shades at the sky, therefore, reducing the brightness and making it less prone to blowoing out.

G.
 
Hi Xplosion,took the photo around midday I think,will look at early morning/evening in the future.Had been to Castleton with my wife and was midday by the time I reached there.
Hi Gary,thanks for the info.
 
kendun said:
After reading everyone's comments,thought I'd go ahead and upload a few.I am unable to compress my RAW files to less than 200kb using CS2,the minimumm I get is around 240 when I try to save it in low.How do I compress it folks and is there a way of uploading it directly to a thread or does it have to be uploaded to a gallery?thanks for all your suggestions.
Click to expand...

This is the easiest way, and the best way if you want help as it keeps the EXIF data so that other forum members can see where you may have gone wrong. If you use "save for web" the EXIF data will be lost.

  1. Go to Image menu, Image size, in dialogue box that appears enter for the width 800 px (assuming that your photo is in landscape mode) the height will automatically change.
  2. Then go to file, save as, in dialogue box choose jpeg, then whichever quality that will give you less than or equal to 200kb in size.

I look forward to seeing your pics and I am sure that most forum members will give you helpful and constructive criticism.
 
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