Am I just a bitcher without 1 ounce of talent or what?

[andylo]

Hi all,

I am a newbie photography who lives in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Apparently is the fastest glowing city in population in Australia.

Recently I am taking lots of landscape type photos in/around my city. Most of them are either 4/5am OR after 10pm due to family commitment ( read avoid screaming wife)

But it wasn’t long after I feel I have already running out of things to take picture of! There isn’t a lots of events I could take picture of, nor the time would not clash with my normal working hours.

To add salt to the wound, my wife recently keep saying her friend’s photos (which largely taken in Europe) is much better than mine. It really, really %^&*& me!!

I just want to know, am I just living in a colourless city? Or am I just untalented altogether.

I know it’s only a small city down under and majority of the users of this forum are from US. But I hope someone from Australia can give me a some insight.

Thanks in advance.

[dkatchalov]

hey, I'm from melbourne australia...

don't agree that brisbane (or any other location anywhere in the world) are colourless and nothing to take photos of....

have a look in the critique section on here and any other sites (flickr, etc). It never ceases to amaze me how people can take a photo of the most mundane objects/scenes and make it look intereasting and make me think "wow".... that sort of stuff inspires me to be a better photographer...

[Snydremark]

We all start running out of ideas sometimes; it happens <shrug>

Try thinking of different styles to shoot; if you normally shoot landscapes, try shooting urban shots or street candids.

Or pick more individual subjects and work on using your kit to isolate individual items from their surroundings

Just a couple of suggestions. Another one might be to simply throw the 50 on and spend the day shooting with that; you'll be able to concentrate on WHAT you're shooting rather than worrying about zooming, etc.

And if the wife doesn't like you shots, stop showing 'em to her

[Comerfjc]

Would like to see some of these photos.

And naw, you're not untalented. You're learning! Such is life, we're all learning how to do this thing up right.

Sorry to hear your wife's a bit discouraging on the photo work. That's a bummer dude.

[vk2gwk]

Brisbane and surrounds has just as much to offer than any other larger city. But like anywhere else in the world you cannot expect to take super shots all the time and every day. I sometimes feel the same here - near Nelson Bay NSW - although I have a beautiful beach next door (surfers, kite surfers and they odd glamorous sheila....) funny tourists in the bay, dolphins when we take the ferry.
Take your camera with you where ever you go...... Keep your eyes open, shoot, shoot and shoot again (and then throw away 95% afterwards). But when you don't shoot you won't have anything to look at (or throw away).

[andylo]

Thanks guys. Especially the encouragements. I will 1) try to upload some of them and 2) keep trying, especially from different dimension/angles

[mdruziak]

Check out these two books:
http://www.amazon.com/Learning-See-C...2&sr=8-1-spell

http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Photograph...9425560&sr=1-4

[Harm]

Andy, there is a thread in this form for people in Brisbane:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/...d.php?t=521230

I am sure that not only would they be helpful to you, they would welcome you in too.

Cheers.

[HappySnapper90]

There are far more things in the world to take pictures of than just landscapes. And try showing us your photos.

[Paul Tinworth]

Originally Posted by Snydremark

We all start running out of ideas sometimes; it happens <shrug>

Try thinking of different styles to shoot; if you normally shoot landscapes, try shooting urban shots or street candids.

Or pick more individual subjects and work on using your kit to isolate individual items from their surroundings

Just a couple of suggestions. Another one might be to simply throw the 50 on and spend the day shooting with that; you'll be able to concentrate on WHAT you're shooting rather than worrying about zooming, etc.p

Originally Posted by Comerfjc

And naw, you're not untalented. You're learning! Such is life, we're all learning how to do this thing up right.

Lots of wisdom in those two quotes.

I often feel the same, and I don't think it's a rare thing; we can't be creative all the time, otherwise we wouldn't realise what's happening when inspiration hits! Most of the time I live in a run-down part of a lovely city and think to myself: "Well I can't go there again because I'll take the same shots..." when really I've barely scratched the surface of the place.

A change in perspective (both via lens and the mind!) can do wonders, and it's something that's weighing heavily on my mind (i.e. should I spend more time using primes?). Keep shooting and print off some favourite shots that you've taken to counter the passive-aggressive/negative comments!

[CosmoKid]

Divorce will inspire you.

[Mosca]

I can't say enough for posting your shots in the critique section. There are some folks there who will hit you right between the eyes with why your shots aren't all that good, but they will also give you suggestions on what to try to make them better. The adjustments are usually little things that make a huge difference. Ask some questions, make the changes, repost your shots, and you'll get better a lot faster. That's what the community is all about; helping.

[20droger]

Every location has something worth photographing. You have to learn to see it. And learning to see what's around you is a talent. You may or may not have such a talent, only time will tell.

One thing you may be sure of, though, is that any talent you do have needs to be developed. This takes practice and time, and lots of both. So get out there and shoot.

Shoot the humdrum. Shoot the blasé. Shoot everything. Shoot it from every angle. And while you're doing it keep looking for anything, however small, that expresses the nature of the subject.

After all, David was not Michelangelo's first statue.

As for your wife, behind every successful man is a woman. Sometimes right behind at your shoulder, and sometimes far, far behind. The good ones are mentors, offering encouragement and wisdom. The others, well, we need those too, if only to have someone to get away from and rise above.

[yogestee]

Originally Posted by andylo

To add salt to the wound, my wife recently keep saying her friend’s photos (which largely taken in Europe) is much better than mine. It really, really %^&*& me!!

Sell the wife and use the money for an overseas photographic holiday

[jbeausol]

I was discussing your post with my wife yesterday and her first comment was "If you asked me to go into the city and take pictures that would vibrate I'd be hard stuck as to where to start."
Doesn't seem to be a problem when we travel however we see our city so often and the same things over and over that we have a harder time to get those great pics. The subjects are there but I guess we just don't see them all that easily.
Taking pictures in big cities is sometimes disappointing. If you take pics of landmarks or buildings they just seem drab most of the time (unless there is some special lighting on them of course). We were in New York City a few months ago and took a lot of pics (both myself and the wife), and my favorite one is of a man playing the saxophone in Central Park. While the other pics are nice, this one vibes....and you can imagine being there and listening to the music.
If you really love taking pics and are into it then I would say disregard your wife's comments. Look at your photos and analyze them to see how you could have done better. And also it takes time to consistently get great pics. Practice, practice, practice. Take the time to analyze your subjects... then shoot some pics.
My brother in law is in a similar position to yours. His wife constantly tells him he is a lousy photographer, because she will always compare his pics to mine. I on the contrary will sit with him and look at his pics, and on a few occasions I was able to determine the reasons and helped him move forward to taking better pics. However this is not his passion and in the long run he is also losing interest because of his wife. It,s too bad...photography even as a total amateur is a lot of fun. If you're still into it and having fun...don't let go.
James