A Public Chastisement of Myself

inthegarden wrote in post #10603207
I was going to start a thread, but found this one. It was just what I needed. Yesterday I felt flat. I usually run on inspiration and often come up with shots that I'm so happy with. I guess it was good just to see that others have an "off" day. Thing is - I can't afford to have off days, because I always want my couple to be ecstatic about their photos. I got enough good ones that they will be happy with - but they aren't up to my standards. I guess now is the fear of having another day like that - off my game. (This was about my 27th wedding.)

Two of your statements really resonate with me. I'm sure bunches of people, both full and part time, do this for the $'s. For me, it's all about creating beautiful images and making my clients "ecstatic", as you say. When we go over their images, I know I've done my job if one or both start crying. Yeah, the $'s are nice, but that appreciation of my work for them is what really motivates me.

The other thing is confidence. It's hard to go in and feel great about your next wedding when you feel like your last one was not up to your usual quality.

inthegarden wrote in post #10603207
I was going to start a thread, but found this one. It was just what I needed. Yesterday I felt flat. I usually run on inspiration and often come up with shots that I'm so happy with. I guess it was good just to see that others have an "off" day. Thing is - I can't afford to have off days, because I always want my couple to be ecstatic about their photos. I got enough good ones that they will be happy with - but they aren't up to my standards. I guess now is the fear of having another day like that - off my game. (This was about my 27th wedding.)

So, ok. I put up some of the images on my blog - the mother of the groom and the bride are overjoyed by what they saw! It just shows that we can have a standard of perfection, but our clients can still be enthralled with their photos.

My biggest thing is remembering that I don't have to capture EVERYTHING.

Obviously I don't want to miss key stuff like the first kiss, dance, etc but I don't need to get every fleeting moment either. It's better to get 25 great candids than 100 sloppy ones. The client won't miss anything that isn't critical.

Fantastic post. Thanks to all for sharing. Boy I really need to learn more about metering and flash.

It's quite rare to read a thread and agree with every single post in it.
Robert, your first post lays down simple statements, yet so difficult to remember when you're "on stage".
Very often, I think I'm spot on while shooting & chimping, only to realize in front of my computer that I've missed out simple things. It doesn't necessarily mean that the image is crap, it's just that it could have been so much better by remembering the basics and using a little more time on each shot.

A picture is a bit like a golf swing. There are so many parameters that it's very difficult to hit the ball consistently straight. Practice helps a lot, self-awareness and humility are key.

Good stuff. And you're exactly right--there are a heck of a lot of things going on with our gear that can hurt us when we go too fast and don't think the shots through before squeezing the shutter release button!

Guilty as charged and still do it all too frequently!

dave