What are the biggest challenges you face in your favorite type of photography?

[ibdb]

POTN has a wealth of very talented photographers across a wide variety of subjects. Some of us focus on very specific types of photography, while others shoot a wide range of different subjects. Even within that divide, there is a continuum from those of us who are still early on in our photographic journeys, all the way to those who have decades of experience.

When I go through the various shares, it's easy to identify photographers who might be considered as specialists and those who might be considered to be more generalists. What I'm curious about is what specialists in each area consider to be some of the biggest challenges they face in their particular area, and what they do to try to deal with those challenges. By the same token, I'm curious to know what generalists see as their biggest challenges, and how they handle those challenges. I wouldn't necessarily limit this to a discussion from the perspective of looking through the viewfinder, either. Client relations, post processing, and digital asset management, among many other possibilities, are also fair game.

My hope is that generalists may learn some new techniques from the specialists in there areas of interest, and that the specialists may learn some new techniques from people with other areas of interest.

So -- What do you like to shoot most? What is/what are the biggest challenge(s) you face? How do you deal with it/them?

[madhatter04]

I enjoy shooting landscapes and nature the best.
My biggest challenge is waiting for those golden hours when the light is just right.
Another big challenge is finding something interesting to photograph.
Umm, another challenge is wind. Sometimes, you can't photograph a mountain columbine when it's gusting .

[shannyD]

i really love concert photography..butlearning how to use flash to make it look like its not a flash when there is such bad lighting.

i dont know anything about flash. but practice practice practice is what i have been doing since i got it.. now i need to practice at shows.

shannon

[Glenn NK]

In a year or so, I've probably taken six to seven thousand flower closeups.


The No.1 problem (for me at least) is getting enough depth of field without bringing the background into focus and rendering it distracting.

I've somewhat solved this with focus stacking, although PS is often needed to "clean things up".


No.2 problem is wind which often pushes the ISO up to 640 or 800. Fortunately exposing to the right helps. Having said that, the background is often much darker and noise will sometimes creep in. Fortunately (again) noise is more of a discussion topic than a reality.


No.3 problem is avoiding direct open sunshine - it destroys colour saturation, and creates specular highlight (which by definition are blowouts and have no colour).

The solution to this has been a diffuser. It's a 5'n'1 diffuser which can also be used as a reflector, which is quite useful near the end of the day to get some warm sunlight right into a flower.

[airfrogusmc]

Finding the time to do it. Its a big challenge for me. And also finding the balance between what I do for my clients and the things I photograph for myself. Finding the time to work on my own signature style and having that run through my personal work as well as my professional work.

[Perry Ge]

I do mainly landscapes and portraiture and they are my favourite areas of photography, but I like to dabble in wildlife and loads of other things too, like concerts and sports - I want to try a bit of everything.

In general, planning shoots meticulously always gives me better results. I think about what I want to convey in my photos, what compositions I want, what kinds of things I need to remember and bear in mind during the shoot etc. I often sketch out final compositions of images before shooting, complete with technical info.

For landscaping, the biggest challenge is definitely patience. Finding good locations is hard, then waiting for the weather and sky to be right. Then comes the preparing for the shoot: drawing the compositions I have in my head, checking the weather every day, preparing transportation etc. And then at the actual shot comes along, which involves a lot of waiting at the location for the light to be right. Then I go back and PP, and self-critique the photos. If the sky and light aren't up to scratch, it's back to the drawing board and planning a trip to the same location. Landscaping takes a hell of a lot of patience. But I love it.

With portraiture, I don't have a studio, so finding locations indoors and outdoors, and working out how I want lighting to work are the biggest challenges. Balancing natural with artificial light, or figuring out indoor lighting. I'm pretty good with the people I shoot, so a well-planned shoot usually goes very well (in terms of poses, expressions, emotions), so long as I get the light right.

[CyberDyneSystems]

Some times, the birds just don't make there appointments.

[T.D.]

Originally Posted by CyberDyneSystems

Some times, the birds just don't make there appointments.

And they are too far away when they finally do show up!

[Riff Raff]

I primarily shoot at theatres, so low-light action basically. There's typically a combination of a spotlight along with some small floodlights in the front. The lighting is always challenging, and using flash is doubly so. Since I'm shooting just about every week, trying to do something different each weekend is also challenging. Using new and different lenses is an expensive but convenient way to do that. Moving myself around and changing perspectives is the better way to accomplish it.

[tonylong]

Originally Posted by Glenn NK

In a year or so, I've probably taken six to seven thousand flower closeups.


The No.1 problem (for me at least) is getting enough depth of field without bringing the background into focus and rendering it distracting.

I've somewhat solved this with focus stacking, although PS is often needed to "clean things up".


No.2 problem is wind which often pushes the ISO up to 640 or 800. Fortunately exposing to the right helps. Having said that, the background is often much darker and noise will sometimes creep in. Fortunately (again) noise is more of a discussion topic than a reality.


No.3 problem is avoiding direct open sunshine - it destroys colour saturation, and creates specular highlight (which by definition are blowouts and have no colour).

The solution to this has been a diffuser. It's a 5'n'1 diffuser which can also be used as a reflector, which is quite useful near the end of the day to get some warm sunlight right into a flower.

Originally Posted by perryge

I do mainly landscapes and portraiture and they are my favourite areas of photography, but I like to dabble in wildlife and loads of other things too, like concerts and sports - I want to try a bit of everything.

In general, planning shoots meticulously always gives me better results. I think about what I want to convey in my photos, what compositions I want, what kinds of things I need to remember and bear in mind during the shoot etc. I often sketch out final compositions of images before shooting, complete with technical info.

For landscaping, the biggest challenge is definitely patience. Finding good locations is hard, then waiting for the weather and sky to be right. Then comes the preparing for the shoot: drawing the compositions I have in my head, checking the weather every day, preparing transportation etc. And then at the actual shot comes along, which involves a lot of waiting at the location for the light to be right. Then I go back and PP, and self-critique the photos. If the sky and light aren't up to scratch, it's back to the drawing board and planning a trip to the same location. Landscaping takes a hell of a lot of patience. But I love it.

With portraiture, I don't have a studio, so finding locations indoors and outdoors, and working out how I want lighting to work are the biggest challenges. Balancing natural with artificial light, or figuring out indoor lighting. I'm pretty good with the people I shoot, so a well-planned shoot usually goes very well (in terms of poses, expressions, emotions), so long as I get the light right.

Both of you have put out some great things! I have. lately, put a lot of energy into wildlife photography, which has certain demands, but you two are highlighting some concerns regarding portrait, macro, and landscape photography that I am really interested in! Keep contributing!

[PhotosGuy]

I shoot mostly cars in the Summer, but with a background in editorial & advertising, I like to shoot almost anything else, too. Except weddings.

For me, the most important thing to do for any shot is to find the right light. After that, the subject tells me when to shoot & from where to shoot & the image almost takes itself.
A few Car Lighting Tips - Updated

[Jethro790]

My job really gets in the way of my quality shooting time. That's my biggest problem.

[Jon, The Elder]

I shoot horses and riders. Start counting eyes, appendages, and two different subjects bound together, with movement of both and only 2 instants to be correct.

Thats just a few of the challenges that you have each shot. Add 5 to fifteen combos like that in the arena at the same time, and mix in a bit of changing light/breezes/dust/or rain.

The only way you know you are any good is when they send in an order form and write you a check.

[Crossfire]

I shoot a lot of indoor sports and dance in gymnasium like settings - biggest challenge is always light. It is usually 'average' at best and is generally different from venue to venue. Other challenges are finding the right location on the floor, as most of the time the floor area is quite cramped

[Mike J.]

I enjoy macro and birds and my biggest problems are identifying new subject matter. I think I would enjoy urban type shots but have not developed a good eye for it........BTW, nice photos on your site, perryge.