What do you find most difficult?

elven

I feel guilty because I saw this topic on flickr - again - but I want to hear what you lot have to say about it, rather than just a bunch of people that I don't know...

Anyway, what do you find most difficult in photography? Do you feel that your equipment is letting you down? Do you have problems with exposure and technical stuff - do you always miss annoying things then kick yourself when you see it in the final picture on the screen? Do you have problems with focus, and DOF?

My own personal trouble has to be people. I'm a fairly social sort of bird, but when I'm pointing a camera at someone it makes me goofy and awkward. I never know what to say to them as I'm shooting, and end up with the eyes closed shot, or the one where they get sick of waiting and turn away...

Last weekend at the festival I forced myself to take some pictures of the entertainers, because they were there to be gawped at - and it really boosted my confidence. I even asked this guy to get his telescope out

I'm hoping that in this thread we can maybe say what we have trouble with and the people who can do that stuff, can maybe give some hints to help out.

melekalikimaka

I find it very hard to take 'one chance shots' in sports for expamle, say i swing around and see a bike doing a jump, i click but alot of the time my shutter is a bit off or slightly out of focus, I'm grand if i can take a few shotss but the once off ones terrify me

ChityWest

I wouldnt blame the equipment - though a 1ds mk II & a kickass mac powerbook would be nice (hinty hint for santa there).

A lot of the times I dont know the correct terminology but kind of know how to achieve parts of what I am aiming for - and its not as if I need to communicate a problem using the correct terminology too often anyway. Once you can get your way around the camera to overcome obstacles to getting the shots you want it doesnt really matter I suppose .

The main area I have an issue with (I think) is photoshop inexperience, and finding things that I find interesting enough to really seriously look at and work out how to photograph etc/ work on.

I have kicked myself a few times for missing shots but usually through constant lens changing so I try to keep that at a minimum thesedays. Also missed things because I wasnt as socially tuned in as others - ie upcoming events whether its airshows, festivals or whatever.

johnny b

elven wrote:

I even asked this guy to get his telescope out

haha :rolleyes: yup its the social portrait aspect for me too. getting better at it though, but always worry bout the rolls of sweatbeads seeping off my hands and into my camera . work and networking is also a problem sometimes, but thats because i wudnt be considered the most social person in the world (and in ireland it seems you need to drink and like pubs to be "in the scene" ) funny dublin - doesnt matter how good or bad you are, its who you know slowly but shurley getting better at this too though.

EireRoadUser

I've never taken the shots that I had in mind when I bought my camera.
I'm afraid to take the camera out at night and use a tripod .

I'm still learning how to keep cool while having an Slr around people who don't know me.

Greysoul

For me it's most definitely shyness/anxiety in approaching people. It never fails whenever I'm out with my camera, I *always* see countless opportunities that would make for absolutely wonderful photos, if I only had the nerve either to approach the people concerned or not to care what others around me were thinking! But even my partner (a lifelong streetwise Dubliner, while I'm brand new here - never mind that he's much bigger and stronger than me) says that discretion is not at all a bad idea walking around Dublin these days. *sigh*

All the more reason I wish I knew more folks here - strength in numbers and all that.

Dimy

HHmm... It's really scary at first when you try to take candids for the first time... even with a telephoto lens it seems like they notice you and it feels odd. But you just have to do it and take the shot.

I'm invited to take some pictures at the tag-rugby matches from my company, it's gonna be my first "sport-photography" experience, so kinda scary for that too. I'm not sure if my lens is fast enough for it, but we'll see.

Fajitas!

I find candids are grand, but organising people can be quite difficult. And approaching people I don't know. Unless I have a pint in me!

EireRoadUser

I took a shot last week of a street seller ,A guy who stands near the northside of the hapenny bridge selling rock Tshirts.

I went up and asked him could I take a shot of him and he said no problem.
Then i said thanks and walked off .
I regretted not talking to him and trying to make him laugh ,he was cool about it . But I was nervous and thats that.

I think myself aiming to communicate with people is good ,at least you get to know whats going on behind the scenes.

Fajitas!

Be interesting to take before and after shots...

Dimy

I prefer candids, you get the best shots of people when they don't know they're being photographed... like when they're picking their nose and stuff :rolleyes:

Fenster

Its definately the fact I've only one lens, soon to be remedied. I photograph way more skies/forests/rivers/lakes than people and I often find myself coming up hard against what the one lens can do

Fionn

one of the most difficult things i notice about this photography lark is:
reading the manual to see how the camera works, i still haven't read it!

the focus system with the 350 EOS is a problem for me, lots of times i seem to capture the wrong thing altogether in a pic!

another thing is getting into venues where there might be photo ops - only reserved for journos etc. ( i tried to get into a circus in town but discovered that they were charging a tenner for a polorid pic of your kids on an elephant) but if you do succeed and get some newsworthy shots a lot of publishing places wont accept them coz you don't have press photo credentials...
if you try and get into the journalistic part of things they want to see your press stuff but to have a portfolio you have to have a NUJ card and press experience ...sorta chicken and egg system!! apparently can be very elitest thing, used to be same with computing and web design etc.
oh well