Photographer anxiety

[Lowner]

Being privately good and crowing about it are two very different things in my book.

I am naturally a pessimist, "this image is not going to work" before I've even started thinking about how to shoot it. It makes me slow down and concentrate on the technicalities. How someone copes with so much self confidence that they announce to the world that they are good is beyond me.

[Clean Gene]

Originally Posted by Lowner

Being privately good and crowing about it are two very different things in my book.

I am naturally a pessimist, "this image is not going to work" before I've even started thinking about how to shoot it. It makes me slow down and concentrate on the technicalities. How someone copes with so much self confidence that they announce to the world that they are good is beyond me.

Depends on the context, which is hard to tell since you didn't provide a link to the thread.

But stating that ones self is good does NOT in any way necessarily equate to hubris.

Edit: the alternative is to submit stuff that the photographer thinks is total crap. And really...if they think that their work is garbage then in many cases they SHOULD be keeping that stuff in a box instead of showing it off.

[elrey2375]

Originally Posted by Lowner

Being privately good and crowing about it are two very different things in my book.

I am naturally a pessimist, "this image is not going to work" before I've even started thinking about how to shoot it. It makes me slow down and concentrate on the technicalities. How someone copes with so much self confidence that they announce to the world that they are good is beyond me.

If YOU don't think you're good, how can you expect anyone else to? It all starts with confidence. Even good photographers take bad photos, quite often in fact. It's not about the bad ones, it's about the ones where you got the moment or scene you set out to get. In the end that's all that really matters. I'm not in a contest with other photographers, I'm in a contest with myself. If I make photos that I'm pleased with, that clients are pleased with, then does anyone else's opinion REALLY matter? Photography is an art and art by nature is subjective.

[Lowner]

Originally Posted by elrey2375

If YOU don't think you're good, how can you expect anyone else to? It all starts with confidence. Even good photographers take bad photos, quite often in fact. It's not about the bad ones, it's about the ones where you got the moment or scene you set out to get. In the end that's all that really matters. I'm not in a contest with other photographers, I'm in a contest with myself. If I make photos that I'm pleased with, that clients are pleased with, then does anyone else's opinion REALLY matter? Photography is an art and art by nature is subjective.

I'm glad that it works for you. But at least I'm now aware that I'm not alone thinking as I do, the OP and I understand each other.

[FlyingPhotog]

500px is a curious yardstick sometimes...

I started a collection there really to see if any of my aviation work could possibly even register in that deep of a community. Been about a year now or so and I've somehow managed to garner four Editor's Choice awards out of maybe twenty total photos posted.

Go figure...

[Lowner]

Originally Posted by FlyingPhotog

500px is a curious yardstick sometimes...

I started a collection there really to see if any of my aviation work could possibly even register in that deep of a community. Been about a year now or so and I've somehow managed to garner four Editor's Choice awards out of maybe twenty total photos posted.

Go figure...

Jay,

In a similar way, I "collect" magazine covers. I now have six local mag covers to my name. It's an attempt to show myself that while I remain deeply self critical, others do see something in my work.

[elrey2375]

Originally Posted by Lowner

Jay,

In a similar way, I "collect" magazine covers. I now have six local mag covers to my name. It's an attempt to show myself that while I remain deeply self critical, others do see something in my work.

This is just the nature of being involved in an artistic pursuit. I think you might have misunderstood my previous post. I definitely understand being self-critical and it's just something that goes with the territory.

[MikeFairbanks]

For me, I look at someone else's work and my jaw drops. Then I think, "why am I even trying. These guys own me."

But then I remember that my favorite thing to shoot is people, and when I shoot people I get some really nice shots.

But if I had a dollar for every good landscape or architecture shot I made, I'd be able to buy a shake at McDonald's. That's how bad I am.


But, like music, if you write a song and you enjoy listening to it, then it's good. I write a lot of music, and of the fifty or so songs I've written, I can only bear to listen to two or three of them. The others make me cringe.

That's the way my photos are too. Most get tossed. Oh well, I still enjoy it.

I also am a surfer, and in a two-hour period it only takes one really good wave to make the whole thing worth it. It'll make my day or week if I catch one far outside and ride it to the sand.

[tonylong]

Originally Posted by MikeFairbanks

For me, I look at someone else's work and my jaw drops. Then I think, "why am I even trying. These guys own me."

But then I remember that my favorite thing to shoot is people, and when I shoot people I get some really nice shots.

But if I had a dollar for every good landscape or architecture shot I made, I'd be able to buy a shake at McDonald's. That's how bad I am.


But, like music, if you write a song and you enjoy listening to it, then it's good. I write a lot of music, and of the fifty or so songs I've written, I can only bear to listen to two or three of them. The others make me cringe.

That's the way my photos are too. Most get tossed. Oh well, I still enjoy it.

I also am a surfer, and in a two-hour period it only takes one really good wave to make the whole thing worth it. It'll make my day or week if I catch one far outside and ride it to the sand.

Heh! Mike that reminds me of my bodysurfing days growing up in Southern California, and of a spot called "The Wedge" in the town of Newport Beach, which was well-known because it funneled waves between two breakwaters and as a result there was no "outside" set but typically very large swells/waves that would break practically on the sand. It was hazardous and the two breakwaters were scattered with broken boards and such.

The one day I decided to take on The Wedge -- I got out there with fins just fine but then the swells towered over me, it was intimidating, but I chose one and caught a great ride, curling out at the right time so I wouldn't "eat sand". And then, I was done! I got back to shore. There was a guy standing there watching, and as I walked by he said "Great ride!" and that was nice, kind of like if someone sees a photo and says "Geat photo" and they really mean it!

[MikeFairbanks]

Ah, yes. Wedge. Been there many times. Rode it once and had an absolute blast. The time I rode it I was bodyboarding and bodysurfing it (though I never was much of a bodyboarder....mostly a standup surfer). It was about six to eight feet and I ate a lot of sand, but it wasn't huge enough to frighten me. We had a blast. I have seen it big, but I didn't go out then.

I grew up south in North County, San Diego. We had it good, so we rarely ventured north. In fact, once north of Trestles (I surfed there a lot growing up), I don't think I've ever surfed once in Orange County or Los Angeles County (except the Wedge once or twice). I surfed Santa Barbara a few times (I have family there) and Santa Cruz once, but like I said, we didn't have much reason to go North. We were very happy.

My homebreaks were Moonlight Beach, D-Street, and Swamis (occasionally Cardiff Reef and Beacons).

[tonylong]

Ah, well, then! Huntington Beach was my "main" beach, although I spent a lot of time around Laguna Beach!

[lensfreak]

I showed my good friend images from Joel grimes. I told her it was a photographer starting out and only showed her the images not the website.

She thought they looked terrible!!!!!

Her words were that they looked fake and dark. People don't look like that.

So really at the end of the day not everyone likes everyone's photos. Yes 500px has some seriously hot stuff, but that's not all it is. Your images are beautifull to some and ugly to others as are mine.


Too many people competing against each other and missing the real point of photography. This envy thing consumed me for nearly a year as I tried to compete against the worlds supposed best. Lol me compete, hell yeah....some of my photos look really good and some don't. A good friend of mine started guitar lessons to play like the worlds best. After months of trying he gave up, sold the guitar and called it quits. All because he couldn't be like the top shelf artists. He really should learnt to play for himself. He gave up all because he couldn't be as good as the Jones's. A lot of people give up today because everyone wants to be on top. This is why YouTube is full of pathetic videos of people doing anything they can to be popular. The planet is getting very sad.

[brokensocial]

Originally Posted by CameraMan

I always feel I can shoot better and when I do it's very rewarding. I always strive to get better.

+1. That's pretty much our approach when shooting weddings.