how do I get the fun back into photography?

[ula]

Hello,

I have my beauty (pentax kx) for nearly 6 month now - I had no care in the world : I would shoot whatsoever in A or P mode and be happy with the outcome.
What give if not every pic was nice. DEL key is existing for that only, right ?

Then I got ambitious: I wanted to make pro quality photos: and I started to learn the theory. Hell, I have now 3 books all telling me about the composition, AV, SV ,depth of field, I nearly read all articles in this school. I have filters and reflectors and a tripod and a flash. I am full of that theory, bought the fancy equipment and ... just cant find any motives any more.

I lost my spontaneity, I am overcritical with whatever I shoot. Never used the tripod, never used the reflectors. I don't like the colours, the shadows, the theme... I see all those beautiful pics in the threads and could cry "why cant I"? Nothing I do is good enough to compare.

the funny part is that the more I read and the more I learn the less I have my camera in my hand- I don't even try, I am scared to make mistakes. I want it right first time and perfect.

I wonder if I am the only one with this problem, if the jump from situational pics with no thought to "real" hobby with too much thought was easy for you.

I am preparing for an Ireland round trip and - while last year with my point and shoot I made crazy 796 pics in 4 days in Scotland - I am frightened now that I spoil that trip with the disappointment of my pictures. I just wish I could switch that scowl out of my face every time I upload my photos from my card. ( I am not a PC improver, no patience to learn the software and not really into it.)

Any suggestion to get the fun back are welcome

may the right motive jump at you at any time.
Ula

[MrJones]

Ula,
first of all try to separate the two kinds of photography you're talking about here.
the first is candid photography and while you can get much much better at it, it's still what it is, no work of art (mostly and unless you're lucky) but more of a documentary kind of photography.
in this kind of photography there is no room for fancy equipment like reflectors and such, you have to work with what you've got at that exact moment.
the other is the more complex, more creative kind of photography. this kind is the more challenging part and the learning never stops. even the best get it wrong when they want to try something new so why shouldn't you?
you know how long it took me to understand how to take a properly backlit photo outdoors? how to understand and play with the lightning so you'll get that halo and the subject properly exposed?
you know how many hours I've spent playing with strobes indoors and outdoors to try and understand the lightning and how it works?
and I still consider myself a beginner!
I always remind myself how many computers and systems Steve Jobs and Bill Gates have created before they finally got it right and that makes me KNOW that I will make it at the end!
feel good about yourself.. you're just taking your first steps
good luck!

[nickbedford]

I would probably call what you were doing before, "snapshots", simply using the camera to take photos, nothing more. A music producer we recently recorded with has a Canon 5D Mark II and uses it on auto! Even then he gets some really cool shots out of it, and he's not a photographer, by our definition.

Even though technically it's all photography, in this sense, you wanted to get into serious photography. The kind where you take control of the shot.

Everyone learns at different paces. Some have natural eye for photography and some have to learn to "see". Keep at it, learn everything you can.

The first thing to succeeding is understanding how to succeed. Same goes for photography. If you can figure out how a great photograph is taken without using a reference, then you're on your way.

[Jim Bryant]

Keep taking pictures. The more you take, the more you learn and sooner or later it's fun again.

[nickbedford]

I managed to figure out my strong point fairly quickly, or rather, the genre of photography I enjoy the most simply by wanting to try lots of different things and finding which ones I excelled at and wanted to keep doing. I ended up loving portraits and people, whether it's a promo shoot or a portrait or a band.

Best thing you can do is want to try everything

[UlpilotSC]

Originally Posted by Jim Bryant

Keep taking pictures. The more you take, the more you learn and sooner or later it's fun again.

Second that one.... I'm not a farmer, but I plant a garden, and damn if it doesn't get better every year. I learned what I am good at (tomatoes, peppers, grapes) and what I suck at (cucumbers, corn, watermelon). But I get better. My corn is actually looking good so far, and I tried something new this time, potatoes, and so far they look great. I gave the old watermelon a try again, just because the seedlings were on sale.

Photography is the same way. Learn your limits, but try something new every now and then. Im not the best with people (if they know I'm focusing on them), but I am getting better. And don't throw out the post processing. You don't have to learn a lot to give your pictures a boost. The software that comes with your camera probably will do all you need, saturation, contrast, brightness, white balance, etc. I seldom do much in Photoshop unless I really want to change an image beyond simple settings.

The most important thing is to have fun with it. If it's not, put the camera away for a while and try something else.

[nickbedford]

Originally Posted by UlpilotSC

You don't have to learn a lot to give your pictures a boost. The software that comes with your camera probably will do all you need, saturation, contrast, brightness, white balance, etc. I seldom do much in Photoshop unless I really want to change an image beyond simple settings.

Precisely. 90% of the time, all I'm doing in Lightroom is boosting the contrast and setting white balance.

[faeriegodess612]

Or you could be like me, and all of a sudden its like something in your head just clicks, and it all makes sense. Then you pick up your camera, switch it to Manual, and start using that Mode more than anything. You'll come around to it,... its a phase that we all go thru.

[IABoomer]

Compartmentalize. Decide when you take the camera out what you're doing with it. If you're shooting a family get-together, then shoot candids and don't stress over the details. If you're setting out to do a portrait, landscape, still life, macro, what have you, then fuss over the tiny details.

I have no problem firing off candids at family functions and not worrying about the details. If I see something that could be more than just a candid, I'm fine with shifting gears, thinking a few things through, and making the effort to get that one shot.

Once you accept that you don't have to be a "professional" every time you pull out the camera, the stress should go away and you'll enjoy taking shots.

[JFSanders]

Making mistakes and learning from them results in confidence. Confidence feeds on itself. Stretch, it hurts a bit but you become stronger and more flexible for it. I shot a morning shoot and an evening shoot today. Made a bunch of mistakes and got a few just right out of camera. Shot 400 photographs today, threw out 200 of them for one reason or another. Out of the 200 left 80 or so of those were worth post processing. Out of those I printed 7. Now I will go back and cull again from the 72 left and see which ones are possibles that will require more development work and I might get 10 if I am lucky and work at it. So, 17 out of 400 odd shots make it to paper.

But the best part is I learned a lot about reading light and adjusting the model/subject to take advantage of existing light and supplementing flash to achieve more winners the next time. And because I look at this as a journey as well as a art/skill it was all fun.

Fun is being successful, but if you narrowly define successful it can take the fun out of it.

Jim