I mentioned to a friend a few months ago that I wasn't that great of a photographer. And while I have the desire to be a good photographer - I have neither the time, nor the money for desired equipment [not that I think equipment makes a good photographer, but it certainly doesn't hurt].
I also said to the person, who is a photographer, that while I knew what was wrong with my photos, I wasn't entirely sure how to fix them. By that I don't mean, how to edit them - because I know enough to know that editing won't save a bad photo. But when I get the exposure on a shot wrong, I'm not positive what to do with my aperture, or shutter speed, or ISO. I know about each individually, but when I put them all together I get confused. I still struggle to nail my focus each time. It's probably because I'm photographing a baby and a 3-year-old.
I'm sure it's something that I could sort out if I had a lot of extra time; I wish I was able to take a photography course.
I really would love to be able to do photography on the side, as a means to support our family while still concentrating on Marine Reach. But I don't feel confident in my abilities just yet.
I post the occasional good picture, but there are soooo many duds. I'm afraid of not getting enough good shots.
Like the picture above, there's so many things that I don't like about it! But there are parts that I love. I tried to "edit around" the problems, but the problems still remain.
But at the end of the day, I have gorgeous children. So the pictures can't be all that bad. ;)
*And for the record: The light's on the wrong side of her - it should be on her face. The back of her head is blown out from too much exposure. And the focus hit the grass just in front of her face, rather than her eyes/face like I intended.*
Check out Ree Drummond's blog thepioneerwoman.com . She has alot of good info on photography and editing and so on. Maybe it'll help you.
ReplyDeleteCarol
hmmm, I looked at the photo, and liked it.
ReplyDeleteI know part of that is the subject, but I like the feel of it too.
Sometimes mistakes can be good. (don't be afraid to make some!)
I'm right there with you Susie! I think it really just takes tons of practice to get to a point where it's just natural and you find yourself nailing more shots than you fudge up. But how do you find the time to practice when you have a house full of small children to tend to, on top of the many other obligations of every day life? I know I sometimes have weeks that go by when I don't even have time to pick my camera up for a snapshot, let alone a good practice session.
ReplyDeleteSomeday we'll both have more time to perfect things, but for now I'm just happy to have a hobby to tinker around with when I have the occasional 5 minutes to myself :)
For the record though- I love your pictures! They're beautiful. One of the many reasons I keep coming back to your blog over and over. (despite being a really horrible commenter, I am always here reading along! lol)
Don't give up on it! You have a natural talent that deserves to be nurtured!
~Keri
I have to say, I think that your pictures are great! It makes me smile to read how you pick out the things thatyou don't like, because I do the same thing. :) And I completely understand what you mean about taking tons of pictures, and only ending up liking a few. When I took my little guys's three month shots, I took over 150 pictures and only ended up with 3 that I really liked. :)
ReplyDeleteYour girls are beautiful, and that does help with the photography :), but like Keri said, you have a knack for it too. Good luck with your learning process! I am sure you will just contine to get better and better!!
I have the same problems with my photos. Know what Im looking for, seeing the mistakes in the photos, but not sure how to correct them. Dont give up..you are very talented, and have beautiful subjects to practice on.
ReplyDeleteI personally like that photo. I think the shadow on her face is pretty nice. It's very emotive!
ReplyDeleteI do feel your pain though. I think I have a 4 in 100 ratio of good to bad at the moment, and I think I read before that our kit is the same too, so you must be doing better than that! :P