My photos arent as good as I thought

Alex Benjamin · Mar 23, 2021

Never ask for opinions, ask for ideas. That's how you learn.

Took me a few years to make a photo I actually liked. My early photographs were lousy. Know what? That's normal. Asking to make good photos a year after picking up a camera is like asking to write a great symphony a year after learning to read music. Doesn't work that way. Takes time, takes practice, takes taking classes and workshops, takes exchanging ideas with other photographers, takes taking advice from better photographers than you are, takes looking at what other photographers have done.

But mostly takes accepting that you're going to make a lot of bad photos in your life. Especially in the beginning - but not only. Took me a few years to make a photo I actually like, and I still have a lot more misses than hits. Difference is now, with more experience, I can tell why the bad ones are bad and what I should have done to make them better.

Yeah, it's great to post a pic on a website and have people say how good it is. In the long run, it doesn't mean squat. You don't become a good photographer by the praise you get on a website. It's like learning to be a good painter, a good dancer, a good musician, etc.: takes time.

I truly wish I was 19 and had all that time to make bad pictures before I could make good ones.

bdial · Mar 23, 2021

^What they said.

Welcome to photrio/apug.

Keep at it, ask questions, and please show some of your work here. There are no guarantees that you will only get praise, OTH, sometimes the critical reactions are the most useful.

wiltw · Mar 23, 2021

Alex Benjamin said:
Never ask for opinions, ask for ideas. That's how you learn.... Difference is now, with more experience, I can tell why the bad ones are bad and what I should have done to make them better.
...I truly wish I was 19 and had all that time to make bad pictures before I could make good ones.

Key question to ask, "What could I have done to make my picture better?" There is no question of like/dislike or good/bad...almost anything can be improved upon in some way. You learn what some of those improvements are.

chriscrawfordphoto · Mar 23, 2021

No one does great photography after only a year, so don't worry about the criticism. Your work will get better with practice. I've been doing photography since I was eight years old (I am 45 now). I have a university degree in photography, and I have been a professional photographer for 27 years. Despite all of that experience and formal education, and the fact that I am good enough to make a living from it, I am still improving and I still take bad pictures sometimes.

If someone simply tells you that your photos are not very good, they suck, etc; ignore them. That kind of criticism, even if it is true, is not useful for someone like you who is still learning. Pay attention to the criticism that tells you what you need to change about the photo to make it better.

Manuel Madeira · Mar 23, 2021

Thank you to all of your replies . Iwas getting a bit frustrated because i reaaly liked those photos and I tried to look at them as a stranger who happen to lool at them for the first time and I liked the to, but now I will be focusing more in improving than listenig to non developed criticism. I've already posted two photos of mine in here if you want to see them. Thank you for your help, it really boosted me up to improvr

grahamp · Mar 23, 2021

If you look at the early photographs by a lot of people - kids are a good case - they may lack in technical aspects but they often have a really direct intent - this is interesting or fun.

As one studies the technical stuff, it tends to get in the way of the intent. Eventually (one hopes!) the technical becomes absorbed and the intent dominates again. This is not to say that your intent is communicated to anyone else. (I sometimes feel I must be the sole speaker of a dead language )

Commenting on technique is easy. Thinking about intent, or expressing a personal response to the subject of a photograph is hard. A lot of people won't make the effort, or cannot do it. Certainly online forums favour the one line 'drive-by' comment.

sapearl · Mar 23, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
This website is not a camera club. You took what I said out of context. You have to read all that is posted in the thread starting with the OP and not cherry pick.

I never considered this forum a camera club - obviously in no way does it resemble one. I did start reading with the OP's post but I do apologize if I misunderstood your meaning. People here are still constructive and helpful.

sapearl · Mar 23, 2021

Old Gregg said:
I am specifically referring to the popular advice to develop a unique photographic style. Being unique is important from a business perspective, and it helps with sales, but it has absolutely nothing to do with creative expression. We are wired to constantly seek activities that give us satisfaction, and if another photographer enjoys the same style, so be it. The saying "great artists steal" exists for a reason!

I agree - from a business perspective it is a critical way of distinguishing yourself from your competitors if you want to succeed. Some people can still be creative but I get your meaning.

Regarding your saying, I think the original may have been: "Amateur artists borrow. True professionals steal!"

Ko.Fe. · Mar 23, 2021

Manuel Madeira said:
Hi mt name is Manuel, im 19 and i've been doing photography for a bit more than 1 year, everyone alaways told how great my photos were, even my photography teacher. The thing is, recently ive been posting them in critique sites and asking for opinion and the opinions were quite mixed tending to lean more to the negative side. Did this haapend to you guys to, will I improve????

Is your photography teacher paid for teacher? And "everyone" are your relatives and such? Have you tried to post on open media and see if any likes?

In general, one year in photography is nothing. Your relatives and such, teacher will tell you how great are you, but...

Will it improve? Did you learned in art school, class? Did you learned from painters and known classic photogs?

Within one year in photography nothing serious is going to happen. But if you work and learn hard, you will get noticed. It might happened soon or late, never in your life. Again, posting at known sites, instead of some places for critique will show you where you really are.

ic-racer · Mar 23, 2021

I have been doing photography since 1973 and have a MFA, and share your thoughts: My photos aren't as good as I thought also.

Wallendo · Mar 23, 2021

Very little is learned from praise. Much more can be learned from criticism. Each negative review of your work gives you the opportunity to re-evaluate what you have done. In many cases you may decide that the negative reviews simply reflect different expectations between you and the reviewer. But other bad reviews can often offer a teaching moment.

Also keep in mind that reviewers often see their roles as offering constructive criticism, not building up your self esteem.

SchwinnParamount · Mar 24, 2021

As a professional writer, I've learned that no matter how good my articles are, half the readers will hate them. The other half will find the articles well written and quite useful. So, where does the truth lie? Who cares. I love writing and some people find my work good. The same is true with photography. Even if I were Edward Weston or Ansel Adams.

Manuel, just take more pictures... and then take even more. Start by pleasing yourself as you are probably going to wind up being your own harshest critic as you start to get a feel for your style. Don't worry about the opinions of others. There will always be people who love your work and others who do not... no matter how good your work becomes.

Richard Man · Mar 24, 2021

Speaking of portfolio reviews, I just watched a video from Adam Marelli. He is a pretty good photographer, and really really great about teaching compositions. He began by saying that he once had a portfolio review with Alex Webb, one of the Magnum photographers with many published books and other works.

After looking at Adam's photos, Alex began by saying "Your work reminded me of Henri-Cartier Bresson." Adam thought "wow, that's pretty good!" but then Alex continued, something something something, and then "Have you tried doing something like going to people's houses" (perhaps to get more intimate look? I don't know...), and Adam is like "May not be a bad advice, but if you look at Alex Webb's work, none of the stuff is 'inside people's houses' " and there's that.

Personally I have gone to a number of portfolio reviews. They could provide valuable lessons, or they could be a huge waste of money and time. Choose where you spend your money wisely.

ChristopherCoy · Mar 24, 2021

99.99999% of “critique” that you’ll find is merely just opinions from untrained people trying to sound more knowledgeable than they really are. Or worse, blocked creatives trying to belittle the work of others in order to make themselves feel better about their own. My suggestion is to build your own creative support network - a few people whom you admire the work of and can trust to help you along the way. When you need “critique” or an unbiased perspective, turn to these folks, and these folks only until you find your own style.

RalphLambrecht · Mar 24, 2021

Tom Kershaw said:
Keep at it. Photography is something that you can improve with practice.

poto judges are to photography what pigeons are to statues! Just do your thing and look at great photographs to learn from hem

Tom Kershaw · Mar 24, 2021

RalphLambrecht said:
poto judges are to photography what pigeons are to statues! Just do your thing and look at great photographs to learn from hem

This is one of the major reasons why I've never been tempted to join a 'camera club'.

sapearl · Mar 24, 2021

RalphLambrecht said:
poto judges are to photography what pigeons are to statues! Just do your thing and look at great photographs to learn from hem

Those that provide helpful constructive critique that is designed to educate certainly don't fall into this category. Many clubs are built around those principles.

radiant · Mar 24, 2021

Tom Kershaw said:
This is one of the major reasons why I've never been tempted to join a 'camera club'.

I joined last year and I regret it already. The competitions are lifeless bragging in digital photo manipulation. Only "candy" photos can win. Old people with attitude problems. I will not pay for next year membership.

I think best way is to keep eyes open, read, discuss (here!) and try to think ahead and experiment as much as possible. And do not care what others think, just enjoy what you do.

Tom Kershaw · Mar 24, 2021

vedostuu said:
Only "candy" photos can win. Old people with attitude problems. I will not pay for next year membership.

- this is an in-person group? Online isn't always better though, witness the countless YouTubers who don't seem to know what they're doing or have much artistic sense.

radiant · Mar 24, 2021

Tom Kershaw said:
- this is an in-person group? Online isn't always better though, witness the countless YouTubers who don't seem to know what they're doing or have much artistic sense.

Well, before pandemic it was in-person group. Now it is online based of course.

Don_ih · Mar 24, 2021

Manuel Madeira said:
Hi mt name is Manuel, im 19 and i've been doing photography for a bit more than 1 year, everyone alaways told how great my photos were, even my photography teacher. The thing is, recently ive been posting them in critique sites and asking for opinion and the opinions were quite mixed tending to lean more to the negative side. Did this haapend to you guys to, will I improve????

I would say to reflect on the reason you started seriously taking photos. If you did it because of a genuine interest in photography, then you should let that interest lead you. That doesn't mean ignore criticism, but it does mean that your main reason for wanting to get better is simply to improve your ability to do something you love.

Tom Kershaw · Mar 24, 2021

When I first started in photography I did actually manage to produce some good results, however my output was inconsistent, and I would make more mistakes in focusing the scene etc. Learning to 'see' photographically takes time, in terms of translating an idea into imagery.

Jim Jones · Mar 24, 2021

There is as much variety in camera clubs as there is in photographers. I belong to a camera club in Kansas City that has been around since the 1930s. The opinions of the diverse members are all useful in evaluating my photos. Some members approach photography from a background in formal competitions such as PSA. Some are better technicians than artists or vice versa. Some are novices while others have decades of studying photographs. The best part of this club is the informal discussions of our photographs and photography in general. We have moved from outside judges to peer judging within the club. This invites discussions that can be more useful than what most judges provide. Questions are welcome, and answers are honest. I've learned a lot from this club over the past several decades. Books have often been even more informative: they can have specific authoritative information, and usually can be compared to other good books. Now we have Phototrio and a few other such forums. Instant gratification! It has become so easy to access so much valuable information that we might forget to actually put it to use! Study well, learn much, and shoot often.

jim10219 · Mar 24, 2021

The better you become, the more you realize how far you have left to go. When you first start out, of course everything looks good to you. You haven't developed the critical eye to determine what separates a truly great photograph from an average one. This is why all of your friends and family probably said you're photos were really good. They haven't developed a critical eye for photography, so to them, even an average photo is really good, because they probably don't take too many photos in their life that even rise to the point of average. So to them, mediocrity is almost unachievable.

Over time, as you grow in your skills, you'll improve not just your ability to take photos, but your ability to judge them. One day, if you stick with it and work hard enough, you'll probably look back on the stuff you're doing now, and think that most of it is terrible and the few you though were really good were actually kind of bad, and maybe a few of the ones you thought were bad, were actually kind of good. But if you're every going to be a great photographer, you're going to have to accept the fact that you'll never be satisfied with the work you do. Then, maybe if you have the talent, passion, and continued motivation to keep it up throughout your life, you'll be able to look back on your work one day when you're old and say "You know what? I guess I was kind of good after all".

Because greatness comes from the drive to be always be better than we are and never settling for what we are capable of doing. It comes from having the courage to endure failure, and the humility and hunger to learn from any and every opportunity. Greatness doesn't come from talent, it comes from passion and devotion.

radiant · Mar 24, 2021

There is always the dip when learning something new. That is the turning point; either you quit or continue..

https://www.pickthebrain.com/how-to-never-quit-learning-something-new/

My photos arent as good as I thought

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