We are our own worst critics!

I have found myself not only being very critical of my own work but actually downing my own images. I sometimes then take a stroll over to Flickr and view many others work that I have either found to be either good or admire for reason of IQ or reasons unknown and see that my images are just as good but not at the time when reviewing them.

Why is it that we are so damning of our own images but yet we find others to be so good, and often great in fact. I am trying to rationalize with my own inner critic and for some strange reason just haven't been ale to answer this question. Is it the inner editor in us all or are we just so damn picky in seeking out perfection. I had to stop deleting my files after a friend did some Post work to it and showed me that PP is also a helpful tool something I have not been attempting. I know now that not doing PP was kinda stupid on my part.

I often show my friend shots and he says wow that's a great shot or what did you do to get the composition, also why does it tae others promotion of our own work to allow us to then see potential? just some curious questions I've been rattling around in my head....

I am asking these questions to all of the shooters here no matter the gear brand you shoot with, I am just curious to know is it me that is ridiculously over critical or is it all of us?

Yeah, I think objectivity makes it very difficult to "judge" photos.

I've had friends look at my photos and say they are awesome. I think they are mediocre at best.

I have trouble participating in the critique areas because what looks great to some looks like crap to others.

Let me know if you figure it out ;(

To be honest I am really stumped. I just try and get the shots good in camera and even then I am so critical I think the shots are not good. Then as you said I show friends of mine that I know are better photographers and they tell me this shot is awesome and me I'm looking like are they looking at the same thing I am??? I often get input from my friends bcuz it is so hard to be non-critical of my own pieces. I am trying to break the habit but it is very very hard.

Im like this a little too, the only thing that usually helps me is going back to the start of when I uploaded my first flickr photos and seeing how much of an improvement there has been.

All the new gear in the world hasn't helped me as I find some amazing images from basic bodies and kit lenses.

Keep at it and keep improving

Without a doubt we are our own worst critics. Additionally, I'm finding more and more that what I think might be a so-so image, clients will sometimes find to be amazing. Conversely, I sometimes decide a picture is remarkable while the client skims right past it.

Being your own worst critic makes sense because only you know what you were trying for in that shot.

I think partly it's that we know what the original scene was like and what we were trying to capture and that we didn't quite get what we wanted. We know that we tried to exclude one item but couldn't without bringing in something else, we couldn't quite frame it just the way we wanted because there was a street sign just out of the frame, etc. Or we notice one area of the photo is a bit overexposed, etc. We see flaws, things we didn't quite get right, so we compare it to the image we had in our head and it comes up a little short, others just see an end result. At least this is true for me....

patrick j wrote in post #17714528
... we compare it to the image we had in our head and it comes up a little short, others just see an end result. At least this is true for me....

And me.


Also, I see images that others post on this forum and mine often come up short. Most of the pros and a high percentage of amatures/hobbyists are at a whole other level from me. None of my friends (forum members excluded) or family member are really into photography, so when they see some of my shots, especially macro or hummers, they're easily impressed and say I should send them in to Nat Geo; they just don't have the same comparison stock at their disposal.

Y'all are bad for my ego

kcrunchone wrote in post #17713884
I have found myself not only being very critical of my own work but actually downing my own images. I sometimes then take a stroll over to Flickr and view many others work that I have either found to be either good or admire for reason of IQ or reasons unknown and see that my images are just as good but not at the time when reviewing them.

Why is it that we are so damning of our own images but yet we find others to be so good, and often great in fact. I am trying to rationalize with my own inner critic and for some strange reason just haven't been ale to answer this question. Is it the inner editor in us all or are we just so damn picky in seeking out perfection. I had to stop deleting my files after a friend did some Post work to it and showed me that PP is also a helpful tool something I have not been attempting. I know now that not doing PP was kinda stupid on my part.

I often show my friend shots and he says wow that's a great shot or what did you do to get the composition, also why does it tae others promotion of our own work to allow us to then see potential? just some curious questions I've been rattling around in my head....

I am asking these questions to all of the shooters here no matter the gear brand you shoot with, I am just curious to know is it me that is ridiculously over critical or is it all of us?

It's very healthy to be critical of your own work, it's a sign that you want to push the envelope of your photography. And to be honest, I hate all these smarmy photographers who say there work is brilliant "because they get published all the time", if you realise the things that go behind the scene, you might not like it

I like to add, I don't like my photography as well, but hate all these egotistical photographers, who think they are brilliant. They may be brilliant and better than me, but I hate arrogance in some people

Short answer...No, it is not you. You are perfectly normal

Long answer...This is how I rationalize this condition.

1) It is all mental and how we look at things. I try to consider " your own worst critic" mentality (negative connotation) as indication of ambition to improve oneself (positive connotation). There is always something to learn and look forward to. I think it is more unhealthy to think that there is nowhere left to go.

2) Paralysis by analysis syndrome. Only we will know all of the little could-would-should-have things during the shoot that for whatever reason we did not take advantage off (whether or not it would have been for the better). Rather yet, shots that turned out differently than what was in our heads due to lack of technical skill, equipment, etc. Third parties just see the final result. I loose this fight every time even though I am very conscious about it. However, I feel like it is still worthwhile if I actually deduce something constructive for next time I am out shooting.

3) Just like with any subject matter, there has to be some sort of external reference points to baseline against. Without that benchmark, our egos would either convince us we either worst than a hipster posting iPhone Kelvin filtered snapshots to Instagram...or more awesome than [Insert your favorite photographer]. Where that point is and how it is compared is up to each individual. Even then it is very hard to objectively compare the results due to differences in people's mechanical and artistic knowledge of photography, let alone personal prejudices. So the process of sorting out what's what is equally maddening.

4) IMHO I think all of the above is eased if individual clearly defines WHY they are doing this and WHAT they aim to accomplish....while not being conceded about it regardless of how egotistical that reason might be. I.E. Don't pretend to do it for the love of photography if the goal is drive expensive German cars, be featured in popular national magazines and be invited to the Playboy Mansion parties. I am happy using this as a "filler" during free time I get in my work travels as a means of being productive with my time and finding excuses to explore new areas and venues.

OhLook wrote in post #17714482
Being your own worst critic makes sense because only you know what you were trying for in that shot.

I think it really comes down to this. I have so many shots on my flickr that friends of mine or people on here love and often times they're ones that I've nearly deleted or thought about never posting in the first place, while some of my other personal favorite shots seem mostly ignored by others and yet I still love them... I think it's because I knew what I wanted from that shot and I still see it when I look at it, it's my image and in the end I don't care if other people like it or not so long as I do

For what it's worth, I think your photos are great. I just added you to my follow list on Flickr

EverydayGetaway wrote in post #17715220

OhLook wrote in post #17714482
Being your own worst critic makes sense because only you know what you were trying for in that shot.

I think it really comes down to this. . . .
For what it's worth, I think your photos are great. I just added you to my follow list on Flickr

Thanks, but I have to tell you, don't expect much. I closed my Flickr account long ago.

While I agree with all of the above, I just want to add this "beauty is in the eye of the beholder"

Lex said most of what I wanted to say so +1 to that.

I will just add a couple more points.
1. Distance helps. When I do a shoot I look at the images and hate them all. If I am lucky I will find one or two I like immediately but everything else is rubbish. I used to think it was just me being mad but then the Magnum photographer Dominic Nahr gave a talk at our camera club and said exactly the same thing. It took him a week or more away from the images to be able to look at them without getting depressed. No idea what causes this but I just accept it now and leave my images for a week or two.

2. I think it also helps if you are clear "what you are doing" before you press the shutter. Not in the same way that Lex talks about "why you are doing something". I'm talking about pre-visualisation.

We are actually very good at a certain level of unconscious pre-visualisation. I am sure most of us have suddenly stopped and thought "that would make a good photograph" but then not been able to immediately work out why we thought it. This is the human ability to pick up on tiny details and make an instant snap decision. Malcolm Gladwell explores this ability in his (not related to photography) book "Blink".

The problem is that once we have made that unconscious decision, we often find it very hard to consciously realise what it was we saw. The result is that we take the first photo we "see" of the scene without properly understanding what it was that attracted us. We then get home, look at the image and find it disappointing in a way we can't quite identify. What we should have done is work the scene. Move around and look at it from different angles and different distances until we manage to work out what attracted us to it. Then we can work out the best photo to take in order to capture that. This is where practice and experience take over from innate ability. You need to have taken photos and looked at them and thought about why they came out the way they did to then be able to replicate that style of photograph. Once you can understand how an image will turn out before you take it you are more likely to be satisfied with it when you see it.

Dan Marchant wrote in post #17715258
I am sure most of us have suddenly stopped and thought "that would make a good photograph" but then not been able to immediately work out why we thought it. . . .

I'm with you up through this stage, but wait . . .

My process differs from what you describe. I'm not convinced that it's necessary to consciously work out why we thought the scene would make a good photo. It may not even be possible. If I like the scene in reality (the part I enclose in a mental rectangle when I'm there), I'll like the photo, too, unless things interfere like inadequate dynamic range, or poor light that I'm not equipped to handle, or being unable to get close enough. I may not be able to articulate why.

I do sometimes work the scene if I think a different angle might be better. The other day, these sandbags stopped me. This first shot is from approximately the same viewing angle as when I first saw them. SOOC, resized only.

IMAGE LINK: http://s641.photobucke​t.com …1815_zpswakd9cb​t.jpg.html