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irritated....
#1

It must haven been a coule of weeks ago that I was writing about my photo class, so here is some update....
but I don't really know how to say.....:o

I think the class is ok, the teacher is nice, we've had a couple of good sessions about composition and focus, and focus and I am learning something every time.

The same people as before to me still stand out as on the one hand constantly asking about the difference between f/4.5 and 45mm (I am exaggerating just a little bit Smile ) but on the other hand producing a number of IS, L lenses from 12 to 400mm when we talked about the different kinds of lenses .... Whatever though, again, this is New York and I also read a note in the newspaper how saving is acutally down in the US this year to "big depression" level, which is negative, so who cares.


But somehow, I feel like in actual shooting, the fact that I am taking the class is rather inhibiting that anything else.
for one thing, I can't get myself to do the assignments properly. I'll be out shooting my stuff, and then I remember "Oh I still have to do this..." instead of integrating it into my regular shooting. so I'll do say, 6 pictures of "perspectives", and they are all REALLY BAD!!!

and the worst thing right now is that even beyond just assignments, my shooting is really awkward. When shooting now, I find myself caught up in thinking about things that I used to work out intuitively, and it is really distracting. I keep thinking that this way, I am not making the best of my - still fairly new - camera, and don't like any of my picutres anymore.

Has this happened to anyone before? And how did you get over it?

Quitting the class is not an option....Big Grin

Sorry for sounding so depressed.....

uli
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#2

That's a really interesting observation Uli...

I'm not quite sure what to suggest apart from simple perserverence. I get the feeling its something you just have to work through and come out the other side.

I know when I first switched from a compact to a DSLR my shots took a bit of a step backwards for a while, and I know that it isn't uncommon in sport for this kind of thing to happen when an athlete has to "un-learn" bad habits and turn them into good habits. There's a transition period where your brain is stuck in the middle.
Not only do you have to actually perform the task at hand (taking photos), but you also have to now think about how you're doing and what you're doing... and that adds complications and slows things down. But really its also the way to long-term improvement.
I'm sure things will start to feel more natural and intuitive again fairly soon.

Also, have you considered that your shooting might not have dropped, but rather your expectations might have gone up instead?

Adrian Broughton
My Website: www.BroughtonPhoto.com.au
My Blog: blog.BroughtonPhoto.com.au
You can also visit me on Facebook!
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but no simpler." - Einstein.
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#3

Wow, thanks for sharing Uli... I'm considering taking up some classes shortly too, so what you've said is food for thought...

I think Adrian has a point - persevering is the key. Up to this point, you've been shooting using your own self-developed technique and seeing things the way you like to see them. Learning a new stuff might be foreign, but I would see it in this way:

You're learning to see things through other people's eyes, learning what most people appreciate the most in a photograph, learning how to maximise those elements, and learning how to reproduce those kinds of photographs in a more repeatable and reliable way.

Take the rule of thirds for example - they've come up with an observation that most people find image more pleasing when the focal points on a subject are on those intersections of thirds. Armed with that knowledge, I now try to follow that rule because I know that the resulting image will have a higher chance of being more appealing. You're right though, where it's something you could perhaps have done instinctively in the past, now it's a conscious decision during composition. I guess it gets easier with time and practice.

Having said that though, every artist has their own style - and it's up to you to decide what to take on and discard, what work well for you and what doesn't. Perhaps you could try taking on board and practicing one technique at a time for a while, until it becomes more natural and then adding the next -- instead of trying to do everything first up. At the end of the day though, your style is unique, and it's what makes you you.


Oops, sorry for the rant... hope the classes go well... do let us know how you're getting on!
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#4

Thanks for sharing your thoughts guys.
Taking on one technique at a time sounds like not a bad idea, would have to see how practicable that is. I just don't want to get so bugged down in ANY technical stuff, that I end up losing my own style.

What kind of class are you looking at Jules?

uli
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#5

Hang in there Uli. How about setting a time each week to do your assignment stuff and having the rest of the week to pursue your own style?

Cheers,

Chris

Canon stuff.
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#6

I've never had all of those experiences at once, but it's certainly something that I've experienced one at a time.

wulinka Wrote:The same people as before to me still stand out as on the one hand constantly asking about the difference between f/4.5 and 45mm (I am exaggerating just a little bit Smile ) but on the other hand producing a number of IS, L lenses from 12 to 400mm when we talked about the different kinds of lenses ....
I've had this same experience with my camera club. Some people are of the opinion that joining a club is a mark of achievement, and will do it once they're already well versed and capable, but others see it as a beginning step and take it on quite early. (I thought I was the former; I think I am the latter.) There are also a number of people who have been using film for many years, and are quite accomplished photographers, but have just started using digital SLRs. Some amazing photographs and a lot of the little issues.

Quote:and the worst thing right now is that even beyond just assignments, my shooting is really awkward. When shooting now, I find myself caught up in thinking about things that I used to work out intuitively, and it is really distracting. I keep thinking that this way, I am not making the best of my - still fairly new - camera, and don't like any of my picutres anymore.
I had the same trouble when switching cameras, but I know your issue is a matter of over-thinking rather than unfamiliarity. Give it time, practice what you're shown, and you'll work through it. There's a difference between the things you can learn on your own - things you pick up through your own interests and inclinations - and the things that you're purposefully taught.

I had, and still have, a massive creative slump brought on by reading Susan Sontag's book of essays. It's a serious case of over-thinking the whole issues surrounding Art, Aesthetics and social politics. I never gave those issues a thought, and now I'm not sure why I even own a camera.

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#7

I can relate to what you are feeling here Uli.
I found when I switched from using the auto modes to using Av, Tv and M settings and actually taking control of my images, they took a major backslide while I learned to 'know' what settings to use without trying out a gazillion different ones or taking forever to set up the shot (when you are chasing a 1 yr old, you don't really have time to stop and think, cos you loose whatever it was that was appealing for the photograph) but I kept at it, because I knew that it was a process. Also I started seeing my photographs in a different light- what I once saw as a peice of art, I now see as poorly exposed, not sharp enough, composition needs improvement etc. But once you start 'thinking' about your photos, you can't stop (well, I couldn't) and once you think about them enough, you start being able to shoot intuitively again.

The thing you have to remember is, that you ARE taking the time to get to know the ins and out's of photography, your not just taking the course to justify your recent expenses on a camera/lens you don't know how to work to its full potential!! you are doing the hard yards and it will improve your photography immensely. I think whether we like it or not, we have to take alot of dud photos before we come up with just one good one- thats how the photographer's we look up to started too!
Chin Up!

Canon 350D with Speedlight 580EX flash
EFS 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 II, EF 90-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM, EF 50mm f/1.8

http://www.inspired-images.com.au
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#8

Thanks everyone!

That's a very good point, Chris, to dedicate a certain time to assignments, because right now I am always leaving them to the very last minute, possibly the way to the class.... And as Schell says, it will take all that time (what a dreadful thought:o), I might as well spend some of it on assignments.

Matthew, who is Susan Sontag? should her essays be banned then? I'll keep away from them, hope you recover soon!

Cheers, uli
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#9

wulinka Wrote:Matthew, who is Susan Sontag?
susan sontag is a photographer and novelist, but mostly writes essays. Her book "On Photography", which I was reading, was first published the year before I was born.

I didn't mean to let the thread end like that, but I didn't have my book with me on vacation. I'm back now, and here's one of her gems from the essay In Plato's Cave:

Quote:Like guns and cars, cameras are sold as fantasy-machines whose use is addictive. However, despite the extravagances of ordinary language and advertising, they are not lethal. [...] Still, there's something predatory in the act of taking a picture. To photograph people is to violate them, by seeing them as they never see themselves, by having knowledge of them that they can never have; it turns people into objects that can be symbolically possessed.
and another except, this time from the essay Melancholy Objects :

Quote:In principle, photography executes the Surrealist mandate to adopt an uncompromising egalitarian attitude toward subject matter. (Everything is "real".) In fact, it has--like mainstream Surrealist taste itself--evinced an inveterate fondness for trash, eyesores, rejects, peeling surfaces, odd stuff, kitsch. [...] Bleak factories and billboard-cluttered avenues look as beautiful, through the camera's eye, as churches and pastoral landscapes.
Not only does she use some heavy text and elaborate structure, she also has stumpers like that on almost every page. Well worth reading, but plan on taking a week off. Or two.

matthewpiers.com • @matthewpiers | robertsonphoto.blogspot.com | @thewsreviews • thewsreviews.com
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#10

I am too busy shooting, especially trying to get out of my creative slump, to digest that kind of writing right now :-)

it's funny, after you mentioned her, I looked up her name on amazon, but am quite delighted not to have ordered anything. and then the other night, I went to a reading by patty smith, and she cited......... guess who: susan sonntag! Smile small world.

i guess, some of the things susan sonntag says are quite true, like about shooting people. but I can see how reading this can drag you down about your shooting!

uli
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