so much to juggle, a rant

Just a rant I suppose,

I get so frustrated lately...I have no been shooting, the attractive opposite sex, on a frequent basis, for more than 2 years now and Im still getting flustered! And these are my friends! I find myself not paying attention to composition or getting overwhelmed by the 500 things going on...focus points, correct f stop, flash exposure compensation...I shoot mainly outside so its way less controlled than in a studio...
I see so many people effortlessly shooting a subject getting consistent results...and I work so hard for 5 consistent pictures...
maybe Im just realizing my limitations right now...
but Im sick of my reflector stand falling over, or my flash not firing because my dumb sigma needs a button to be pressed over 1/250th...its embarrassing, even infront of friends....
what do fellow POTN members do...to keep cool and collected when shooting?

Well I've never been flustered by my equipment to be honest. ISO, shutter, aperture. Check mirror lock up if required. Check CFn 4 for focus button. There isn't much to it from a technical point of view. I've never used external flash before but I can't imagine one more layer of control could make it that much more difficult. Sounds to me like you're overthinking things.

Just keep practicing! I've been a musician much longer than I've been a photographer, so I always relate photography to playing an instrument. If you've been playing guitar for only two years, I'd imagine you might get a little flustered/nervous when you get up to play in front of people. Will I forget the words? Will I finger that F chord in time?

Same thing with Photography. The camera ( and lens/lights/etc...) is the instrument and you'll have to keep practicing until you can play it without thinking about it.

Probably took me almost ten years to get like that with the guitar (been playing for 20 years) Now when I go out and play, I sometimes have to NOT think about it and go on autopilot. The second I think about where I am in the song, I mess up I try to think about things like what will I have for dinner tonight. (seriously!)

Just keep on keepin' on!

Only because you let it be? You're supposed to take control of the situation & direct your subjects if it's a "studio situation" & you aren't in a grab-what-you-can-get situation?

You need to reduce your workload. Without the flash, try this: First set the f-stop & shutter speed you need. Then adjust the ISO. Need an exposure crutch?
This shows how the subject can affect the exposure & why manual keeps me worry free: Post #47

Angeline outdoors

With the flash: Is fill always so inconsistent?

It does get easier. Just hang in there & be THE DIRECTOR.

Slow down and put more though and energy into the shot. Don't think you have have to rush and shoot one every 1.5 seconds. There is nothing you can really do about a reflector falling over, get an assistant, sandbag, or just deal with it.

Laugh it off, and make good pictures. you will get to the point where most of it is boring and second-nature.