My photos arent as good as I thought

[Pieter12]

There's always this chart (applies to most endevours)

 

[grahamp]

One problem with viewing one's own work is that you know a lot more about the circumstances surrounding the image than might appear to another viewer. That's also why there are overlooked images on a roll of film - they did not fit the mood at the time and are not considered on their own merits. Come back after a period when the original emotions have faded and you look afresh.

Finding someone else to tell you what they see and feel, and not how you could have made it 'better' is incredibly valuable. Treasure any you find.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

There are very few people who's opinions really matter. The trick is to find those people and listen to them.

 

[Luckless]

I've been taking photography seriously as a hobby for about a decade now.

My best photos from my first year of photography likely aren't ones I would grade as even in the middle of the quality of photo I cull when sorting what photos to share and which to bin. But I found improvement was always driven by self study, not external feedback.

Friends and 'supporters' will blow sunshine and rainbows up your backside, and declare everything amazing. Haters will try to rip everything down without any real sense of support or improvement.

Those who can actually engage with you, you personally, as an artist and hold useful productive discussions on your work? Those are rare. And those who can engage with other artists aren't always those you can also engage with you. There is no 'One True School of Art', so be wary of any who tell you that their version of the truth is the one and only version. I'm sure some will disagree with me on this, but that's their problem. Even my own take on all of this isn't going to hold true with everyone, so take what you like and use what you can of it. Or don't. I'm not your boss.


For me the key to advancing my personal photography has been on going review of my past and current photos. What do I like, what works, what doesn't. Constantly asking myself 'how can I improve these', and adopting a willingness to readily bin stuff that doesn't meet the cut. The ongoing review and reflection of my work in turn allows me to raise the bar higher and higher, and pushes for ongoing improvements and changes.

But as far as dealing with negative commentary [which I differ from valid criticism of work] - Share to an audience, your audience are happy consumers of your work, and if they're not happy consumers of your work then they're not really audience members you need to worry much about. Improve your own work based on positive feedback, helpful criticism, and your own personal review. Improve the quality of work you present your audience for the sake of improving your work rather than chasing approval of those offering negative commentary.

It is really a sort of paper shield in the grand scheme of things, but I find it works to help balance against a flood of dragging negative commentary that can really sour one's mood for sharing art.

 

[jimjm]

There's always this chart (applies to most endevours)

View attachment 270425

It's taken me 45 years to get to somewhere around "Acute Procrastination". But hey, at least I'm on the upswing!

 

[logan2z]

There's always this chart (applies to most endevours)

View attachment 270425

That's funny - because it's true.

 

[MattKing]

I have had excellent experiences with photography in-person groups/clubs: one (my Darkroom Group) that is currently active on Zoom, one that is on hold due to Covid, and an earlier, larger one that has a lot of connection with the group on hold.
The larger group was the one where I experienced the greatest variability in the quality of feedback, but there were always things to learn and enjoy. I only left because it didn't make sense to devote so much time to club activities - effectively two meetings a week in total between the three clubs.
One of the biggest reasons that clubs/groups are valuable is that photography itself can easily become an insular pursuit. The groups get you engaged with other people who have some commonality of interest with you. That can be really worthwhile, even if the club competitions feature an inordinate number of pictures of cats (or the local version - birds on a stick).
If you are as fortunate as I have been, you may also meet some people who will turn out to become really valued friends.

 

[Sirius Glass]

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.

There are camera clubs and there are camera clubs. The one I went to was good at giving constructive criticism, but after a while the monthly judging got into gaming: a black & white print could only win if it was high contrast with a lot of pop, slides would in if the judge liked the subject. So I learned what I could and moved on.

 

[Pieter12]

There are camera clubs and there are camera clubs. The one I went to was good at giving constructive criticism, but after a while the monthly judging got into gaming: a black & white print could only win if it was high contrast with a lot of pop, slides would in if the judge liked the subject. So I learned what I could and moved on.

To quote Groucho Marx, "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member."

 

[Horatio]

Seems appropriate in light of the conversation thus far:

 

[awty]

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

I cant see any pictures, did you load them up?

 

[Manuel Madeira]

I cant see any pictures, did you load them up?

yeah I have some in the gallery

 

[Horatio]

I liked your cloudscape. Beautiful sky.

 

[Brendan Quirk]

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.

jim10219 is wise.

 

[Manuel Madeira]

I have had excellent experiences with photography in-person groups/clubs: one (my Darkroom Group) that is currently active on Zoom, one that is on hold due to Covid, and an earlier, larger one that has a lot of connection with the group on hold.
The larger group was the one where I experienced the greatest variability in the quality of feedback, but there were always things to learn and enjoy. I only left because it didn't make sense to devote so much time to club activities - effectively two meetings a week in total between the three clubs.
One of the biggest reasons that clubs/groups are valuable is that photography itself can easily become an insular pursuit. The groups get you engaged with other people who have some commonality of interest with you. That can be really worthwhile, even if the club competitions feature an inordinate number of pictures of cats (or the local version - birds on a stick).
If you are as fortunate as I have been, you may also meet some people who will turn out to become really valued friends.

I would love to join a photography club, but unfortunately here in Portugal, especially in my city there aren't any clubs like that

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

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????

Hi Manuel, I just looked at some of your work, and I really like your Cloudy Day series. You should be proud that you have a decent eye at such a young age. Many people struggle with this. Keep working hard, and don't worry too much about any negativity. Many people on this forum are excellent at offering constructive criticism.

 

[awty]

There's always this chart (applies to most endevours)

View attachment 270425

Thats like every day.....Still prefer a roller coaster to a merry go round.

 

[awty]

Manuel after looking through your pictures I would suggest a content change. Try taking pictures of your friends, family and what you and they do. Make pictures of whats in your world not what is in other peoples worlds. I would be far more interested in pictures of your environment, and what's important to you. I have never been to Portugal and know not much of what young people do in Portugal, show me. Your pictures to me mostly represent generic old man photos, most of us old men would have a stack of similar pictures, except for the fist holding the film, this is good you have something to say. Say some more.
Your pictures are OK and show you have an understanding of composition, so you defiantly have potential......so use it.

 

[sapearl]

Sent you a message Manuel.

 

[gone]

Just make the best photos you can, and ignore what other people say. The only person you have to satisfy is yourself. That's step one. Step two is to take some classes or workshops w/ others just to learn some techniques and practical working knowledge..

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

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????

Manuel-

you're only 19 and have been photographing for a year?? Of COURSE you will get better. You will get much better very quickly, the more photographs you take, and the more you look seriously and critically at them. As others here have said, internet critiques are worth the paper they're not printed on. Some percent of people offering critique online are serious and have valid things to say. A bigger percent are people who have opinions, however well-intended they may be, that are ill-informed, and then there's an even greater percent who are out to critique things not to offer constructive feedback, but to make themselves feel better by being critical. If you would like to get constructive feedback here, please post images in the Critique gallery here and ask specific questions for people to respond to.

 

[removed account4]

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????

Hi Manuel
I've. been at it for decades and my photography is never as good as I thought. and there are always jokers who think
their opinions matter, and others who have something useful to say.
make believe you are making pasta... and dump the pot into a strainer and look for the good stuff..
there's always a lot of static not just about photography but life in general.
I wouldn't give up. just enjoy yourself

 

[BradS]

Photography is not like baking your own bread. If you stop baking your own bread, you can always get bread from the supermarket or local bakery but if you stop taking pictures...what then ???
I guess if you were super wealthy or super famous, you could hire a photographer to take photos for you but...
I mean really? WTF? If you quit, you won't have any photos!