Ranting

[CurlyCorry]

I spent two hours this morning, trying to set up a room to take some photos. I just wanted to redo a still life idea I had a while back that turned out not bad for a first try, but now that I'm a bit more knowledgeable with my camera, I thought I'd try it again. By the time the two hours were done, I STILL hadn't taken one shot!!! I am so frustrated with all the crap you have to adjust, set up, move around, gawd..... takes FOREVER!!!!!!!!! By the time I get the windows blocked off, lights strapped to chairs, desks, curtains or anything else I can find to hang them from....oh, need to iron the back drops too because they're always wrinkled it seems.... oh and lint removal... by now, I've lost my interest in taking the shots!!! Does anyone else have this issue? I have a feeling its this weather finally getting to me because this is not the kind of photography I truly like to do. I prefer out doors, bugs, flowers, etc.... natural settings... not this having to worry about the fact that I have two different colored lights coming at one subject that throws it off.... grrr.... move the lights again.... anyway... thanks for listening, lol... i'm over my rant... {SWHEW!

[Dodge]

You are not alone !

I have tried indoor stuff, but always end up getting frustrated, both by the process and the result. I just don't really enjoy it. Hence 99.9% of my pics are outdoors.

It probably has a lot to do with what floats your boat, I think. The stress involved etc probably comes from forcing something rather than doing what you/we enjoy the most.

[Murtasma]

I see your post and I say think to myself now there's someone who's taking their photography to the next level by preparing a shot instead of just picking up their camera and going.

I for one would be proud that your willing to spend that amount of time setting up a shot. I understand your frustration with it taking forever but the more you do it the faster you will get and the easier it will be. With enough practice it will just become reaction instead of thinking you will also have things like lint remove and wrinkles gone before hard by keeping your backdrops in plastic bag so they don't get hair and properly folded so wrinkles are minimized. I should take my own advice my black sheet is full of dog hair and in a big pile in my closet on the floor. I am not looking forward to cleaning that Muslim fabric at all. Probably why it's still there

[MrJones]

I once worked for almost two hours just to take a picture of a beer bottle.
my teacher told me he once worked an entire day(!) just to take a picture of a knife.
yes, photography is not all about the fun and glamour moments and it requires a lot of hard work.
I can tell you about times that I was shooting models and the preparation actually took too long and the natural lightning I was hoping for passed away and I got stuck with bright sun light.

if you really want to make it as a photographer - this is what you have to do, this is what you need to pass to become a great photographer.

no one would pay for a professional photographer if it was just about the 1000$ camera.

good luck and don't give up!

[Saralonde]

I've spent hours setting up shots, too, trying to get the lighting or positioning right, changing backgrounds...well, you know.

The worst is when you spend all that time, look at them on your computer and then delete the whole batch because they still don't meet your standards.

Just got to look at it as a learning experience.

[CurlyCorry]

Thank you all for your input.
@Dodge: yes, I agree... I think it has a lot to do with forcing what doesn't come natural to me. I am not very creative so having to create the scene seems to be where it all starts, then actually getting it all together, well... hence my rant, lol....
@ Saraonde Oh yes, it certainly is a learning experience.
@ Mr. Jones: Agreed... need to put the work into to get the results. I will never give up entirely, but I did give up for today. Just not in the mood I guess..... everything I touch today is turning into a hissy fit, lol.... I'm off to the kitchen to try to accomplish something with my other hobby.

[MrJones]

Originally Posted by Saralonde

The worst is when you spend all that time, look at them on your computer and then delete the whole batch because they still don't meet your standards.

ouch. I hate when that happens.
a thing like that can take the wind out of your sails for days!

[CurlyCorry]

Originally Posted by Murtasma

I see your post and I say think to myself now there's someone who's taking their photography to the next level by preparing a shot instead of just picking up their camera and going.

I for one would be proud that your willing to spend that amount of time setting up a shot. I understand your frustration with it taking forever but the more you do it the faster you will get and the easier it will be. With enough practice it will just become reaction instead of thinking you will also have things like lint remove and wrinkles gone before hard by keeping your backdrops in plastic bag so they don't get hair and properly folded so wrinkles are minimized. I should take my own advice my black sheet is full of dog hair and in a big pile in my closet on the floor. I am not looking forward to cleaning that Muslim fabric at all. Probably why it's still there

Thanks much Murtasma, I should have known right from the get-go that my temperament wasn't up to the task, lol. Today's another day as they say......

[zona5101]

Frustrating for sure! But you willl get better and faster at it the more you do it... So what takes you 2 hours now will be nothing with continued practice &execution when you can visualize and place your equipment with minimal effort.

[andyw]

Ah still life/studio photography - aint it great.

Not a rant on my part (I still got paid) but this happened a couple of weeks ago.

No names - to protect the guilty !!!

Had to take some food shots for a boutique hotel.
Not my forte but what the heck - let's give it a go....

Shots were to be of individual dishes and a whole buffet table and then individual shots of some of their signature cakes and again a table with all (about 6-7) the cakes on (including a wedding cake which was actually for a wedding the next day !!)

Spent 2 hours getting everything set up in a conference room at the hotel, near to the kitchens.

Going fine for the individual food shots, got the whole buffet shot done.
Whilst that was being done the chefs were bringing in the cakes and they were going on a table together waiting to be carried over to the shooting table.

Owner in their infinite wisdom and against the advice of me and virtually everyone else decided they wanted a shot of the buffet table with the cakes set up behind.

Only way to do this was to raise the cake table a little behind the buffet...........

You can probably guess what happened next......

As the porters and chefs were moving the table with the cakes on it, it moved, they overcorrected and crash bang wallop. All the cakes came off right on top of the buffet !!!!!

about 12 hours of cooking and baking went all over the place a rather red faced owner disappeared over the horizon with a head chef chasing them with a cleaver.

So, it is not only us photographers who suffer for our art