Am I Gifted?

[Adel99]

Hello everyone,

This thread may seem strange, but I want to post it, especially after browsing Flickr for some days. Please forgive my English.

I "love" to photograph; and we can say this is a strong "desire". Sadly, a desire can be misleading or full of illusion; this is why one may do the same wrong thing over and over again. It can be irrational or unreasonable; and this is why people sometimes do meaningless, useless and stupid things. Worse, a desire can be illegal, and apparently this is why there are jails…

If "taking good photos" is like "creating good piece of music" in the way it's heavily driven by talent and nothing else, then I think that desire for photographing should be judged. If, on the other hand, it is more like a skill, the same as "playing music", then I think there is a plenty of room for assiduity and strife.

I always take bad photos; and this seems to be OK forever, since I have endless queue of justifications; from blaming the hardware, to blaming subjects. I find it hurtful to admit the nullity of these justifications, as they prove to be null, one after another.

Looking at the quality of photos taking by many amateurs; I am far below the average. It seems certain that I am not going to be a good photographer.

Adel,

[scootermcq]

We all go through that Adel.....

[SwissJon]

I think Photography is part skill, part talent.

When I first got hold of my parents car keys and got in the car, I thought I was as good as any Rally driver.. After all, I could make the wheels spin and the the engine was making all those racey sounds..

After a while, and a couple of expensive trips to the garage, I actually started learning to drive.

I now know that I'll never be a professional rally driver, but I still mess about in the car park occasionally when I see a patch of ice... Only this time I've got control of the car, instead of it having control of me.. The learning experience in the early days was neccesary, because it taught me how to have fun safely. It taught me a lot about what not to do, and where the limits are. But I know that I don't have the dexterity to do this in anger.

I think photography is like that.. Your first few pictures are unchallenging.. You mess about and some people never get beyond that. But then some of us want to look further and see how good we might be, so we take things a little more seriously and compare ourselvs to people who are further along this journey than us.. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just you think you suck because you haven't got to where you're going.. But the very act of comparing your photos with someone elses, of picking holes in your work and looking to see how you could have done something better is the one thing that is going to help you improve. Embrace your failings. Cherish your art, and allow yourself the luxury of learning.. You will only find out how good you're going to be when you get there..

Photography is technical, but it's also art. Cherish your right brain as well as your left. You can take technically perfect photos that nobody will look at because they're boring, or you can have happy accidents because you were being creative and produce a stunning photo that's technically crap.. It's about what someone FEELS when the look at your photo, not at whether your photo follows the "rules" to the letter.

A photograph says as much about the photographer as it does the subject. Once you learn to try to put your feelings and motives into the photos, you will find your photos improve.

Hope your photo journey is a long and enjoyable one.. Don't be too hard on yourself just because you're new.

[Aboiement]

If you have to ask the question, the answer is typically 'no',

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by Aboiement

If you have to ask the question, the answer is typically 'no',

Friendly fella ain't ya?

[CurlyCorry]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

Friendly fella ain't ya?

its been so peaceful here lately. Looks like thats coming to an end...

[Aboiement]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

Friendly fella ain't ya?

Sime said that everyone already knows me.... Apparently he was wrong... I'm sooooo telling.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by CurlyCorry

its been so peaceful here lately. Looks like thats coming to an end...

Oh, don't worry about it.. It'll quieten down again soon..

[Krusty79]

Everyone sucks when they start out. If you are making the same mistakes over and over, you'll have to analyze your shots and figure out what the mistakes are and how to correct them. If you want outside input, submit some images for critiques. Even reading critiques of other peoples images will help you to analyze why an image works or why it doesn't. Don't just snap away without thinking, hoping to get lucky. Think about each shot. What do you want to convey in it and what settings\composition are best suited to that?

[Meatshield]

Originally Posted by SwissJon

It's about what someone FEELS when the look at your photo, not at whether your photo follows the "rules" to the letter.

Amen, brother...