The End of Summer Random Discussion for TPBM (29)

I love this shot Becky! It is gorgeous!!!

I can't believe you missed it either

puddlepirate44 wrote in post #8620359
Whole lotta huggin' goin' on.

Swiss for "stepping in, wading in, as in 'I thiked (stepped in) some dog doo'"

Ummmmm, Dan.

Cat asked you 'nicely' to change your signature. You must be one tough hombre to disregard her request this long.

You know it's going to be terrible when the hammer falls.

Belmondo wrote in post #8620498
You know it's going to be terrible when the hammer falls.

Or the fish slaps....

OK, part two of my ramblings.

Expectations. We all have 'em. We all need 'em. Really. Setting goals is essential to getting better at our craft. It's like creating a New Year's resolution. We want to conquer flash photography. We want to knock out some killer landscapes. We want to learn HDR. Whatever. We need something to strive for in our pursuit of photography otherwise we'll stagnate and become obsolete.

What's important is that we don't set those expectations too high. C'mon, let's be realistic. Ansel Adams was at the top of his Landscape Game after YEARS of shooting. We wander out to Yosemite with a Rebel XT, six months of practice and expect to come back with the same results. Not gonna happen. Sure, you may nail a shot that looks similar, but usually that's more accident than design.

Here's the problem. You peruse the POTN forums. Or you wander over to some wedding photog's website. Either way, you start looking at their shots. Whenever I do that for too long, I usually wind up wanting to sell all my gear because I suck. None of my shots look that good. Well, OK, maybe one or two, but, GEEZ, not Every. Single. One. Right? We tend to forget some very basic things:

• Some of these pros have been in the photography biz for DECADES. Some, very few in fact, not that long, but they are good. Really good. When you look at their website, at their online galleries, you're looking at the best possible shots they can muster. And they have a ton of shoots to glean from. More than you or me. They can pick and choose. Know this: Not every shot is stellar. What you see on their galleries is stellar, yes, but not every shot "SOOC" is stellar. We're seeing the crème de la crème. Think about it, if they shoot 30 weddings in the year, and the keep 400 shots from every wedding, that's 12,000 shots. I'm thinking that, yeah, there's going to be 50 or so stunning shots in there that will be in the gallery....
  
  
• Also, because these pros shoot so much, they have crazy experience that I don't have... yet. While I'm standing there trying to pull the starter cord of my brain so I can think of a shot, the more experienced pro will have already seen it, set it up, shot it and moved on... because they've done it a thousand times before, and I've done it, what, six?
  
  
• And, three, the most difficult thing that we forget, is that we're the hardest critics of our work. There are those of you around here that are just that good. You deny it, you brush it off, you get all embarrassed, but, really, you're good. The stuff you put up is just as good as the folks from the Big Leagues. The hardest thing in an art setting (and, yes, I believe photography to be a form of art) is to be honest with your work. Being able to sit back and say, "OK, that's a good shot." Or, "Too narrow a DOF, but I'll remember that next time." Hey, we're all learning. Don't hamstring yourself with untruths.
  

Belmondo wrote in post #8620498
Ummmmm, Dan.

Cat asked you 'nicely' to change your signature. You must be one tough hombre to disregard her request this long.

You know it's going to be terrible when the hammer falls.

Pete wrote in post #8620504
Or the fish slaps....

[Zane]

sevillafox wrote in post #8620345
Is that you all swaddled up in there?

Yep. Three months old...

Becky N wrote in post #8620710
[Zane]

[GIFS ARE NOT RENDERED IN QUOTES]

[/Zane]

HEY! I changed it! PUT DOWN THE FISH!

puddlepirate44 wrote in post #8620738
HEY! I changed it! PUT DOWN THE FISH!

Phew!! You dodged a bullet there, Dan.

puddlepirate44 wrote in post #8620662

• And, three, the most difficult thing that we forget, is that we're the hardest critics of our work. There are those of you around here that are just that good. You deny it, you brush it off, you get all embarrassed, but, really, you're good. The stuff you put up is just as good as the folks from the Big Leagues.

Excellent, Dan and Jon is right in putting these words of wisdom into their own gallery.

So I have to ask, because I love you and consider you a good enough friend that you know this is coming from my heart. May I quote the above when we remind you how good you are as a cartoonist and photographer?

Becky N wrote in post #8620748
So I have to ask, because I love you and consider you a good enough friend that you know this is coming from my heart. May I quote the above when we remind you how good you are as a cartoonist and photographer?

Or should we just send money?

Becky N wrote in post #8620748
Excellent, Dan and Jon is right in putting these words of wisdom into their own gallery.

So I have to ask, because I love you and consider you a good enough friend that you know this is coming from my heart. May I quote the above when we remind you how good you are as a cartoonist and photographer?

No, sorry. I'm exempt.

Belmondo wrote in post #8620759
Or should we just send money?

OK, wait....

puddlepirate44 wrote in post #8620662
OK, part two of my ramblings.

Expectations. We all have 'em. We all need 'em. Really. Setting goals is essential to getting better at our craft. It's like creating a New Year's resolution. We want to conquer flash photography. We want to knock out some killer landscapes. We want to learn HDR. Whatever. We need something to strive for in our pursuit of photography otherwise we'll stagnate and become obsolete.

What's important is that we don't set those expectations too high. C'mon, let's be realistic. Ansel Adams was at the top of his Landscape Game after YEARS of shooting. We wander out to Yosemite with a Rebel XT, six months of practice and expect to come back with the same results. Not gonna happen. Sure, you may nail a shot that looks similar, but usually that's more accident than design.

Here's the problem. You peruse the POTN forums. Or you wander over to some wedding photog's website. Either way, you start looking at their shots. Whenever I do that for too long, I usually wind up wanting to sell all my gear because I suck. None of my shots look that good. Well, OK, maybe one or two, but, GEEZ, not Every. Single. One. Right? We tend to forget some very basic things:

• Some of these pros have been in the photography biz for DECADES. Some, very few in fact, not that long, but they are good. Really good. When you look at their website, at their online galleries, you're looking at the best possible shots they can muster. And they have a ton of shoots to glean from. More than you or me. They can pick and choose. Know this: Not every shot is stellar. What you see on their galleries is stellar, yes, but not every shot "SOOC" is stellar. We're seeing the crème de la crème. Think about it, if they shoot 30 weddings in the year, and the keep 400 shots from every wedding, that's 12,000 shots. I'm thinking that, yeah, there's going to be 50 or so stunning shots in there that will be in the gallery....
  
• Also, because these pros shoot so much, they have crazy experience that I don't have... yet. While I'm standing there trying to pull the starter cord of my brain so I can think of a shot, the more experienced pro will have already seen it, set it up, shot it and moved on... because they've done it a thousand times before, and I've done it, what, six?
  
• And, three, the most difficult thing that we forget, is that we're the hardest critics of our work. There are those of you around here that are just that good. You deny it, you brush it off, you get all embarrassed, but, really, you're good. The stuff you put up is just as good as the folks from the Big Leagues. The hardest thing in an art setting (and, yes, I believe photography to be a form of art) is to be honest with your work. Being able to sit back and say, "OK, that's a good shot." Or, "Too narrow a DOF, but I'll remember that next time." Hey, we're all learning. Don't hamstring yourself with untruths.

Again, we need expectations. But we also need truth and realism.

More later.

There is certainly a ring of truth to your statements, especially about what you see on other photographers websites. This was the case before the internet as well. Photographers would always put their best work in their portfolios. Do guys put ALL your work in your on-line galleries? I sure don't... There's a very good reason for this. We all want to present ourselves in the best light to others and, at least in my case, by only putting the best work on my site you guys won't know how much I really suck...

BTW, nice sig, Dan...

JWright wrote in post #8620292
Possibly the one photo that means the most to me is this one. It's the only picture I have of my father and it is a poor scan of a slide taken in 1946.

Neat shot.

BECKY, that sunset is gorgeous

puddlepirate44 wrote in post #8620662
OK, part two of my ramblings.

More later.

More truths, Dan.
Why does it scare me so when you speak in non-nonsensical terminology?

JWright wrote in post #8620731
Yep. Three months old...

C'mon, be real. You expect me to believe they had cameras when you were that age, let alone in colour?

puddlepirate44 wrote in post #8620738
HEY! I changed it! PUT DOWN THE FISH!

puddlepirate44 wrote in post #8620767
No, sorry. I'm exempt.

puddlepirate44 wrote in post #8620769
OK, wait....

And nice new siggy, there Dan.