Photography

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A place to politely discuss the tools, technique and culture of photography.

This is not a good place to simply share cool photos/videos or promote your own work and projects, but rather a place to discuss photography as an art and post things that would be of interest to other photographers.

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Perfectionism is ruining my drive to take photos (alien.top)

submitted 11 months ago by alpinab10v10@alien.top to c/photography@viewfinder.pro

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My photos rarely come out how I want them to (because I don't take enough pictures), and that puts me off taking any more photos because they all seem 'bad' to me. It's a sort of reinforcing cycle.

I try to take pictures of interesting subjects, in interesting lighting etc., but find myself putting the camera back into the drawer for another 2 months before I pick it up again and go through the same cycle. It's almost like I'd rather take no pictures than bad pictures.

Is this normal, or am I just insane? I neglected taking my camera on my last trip abroad because of this feeling.

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[–] elviajedelviento@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This might sound weird, but, if you don't like the way your photos come out, maybe it means you're on the right track? The thing to do now is to figure out what exactly it is that you don't like and how you can change that.

Don't let perfectionism get the better of you. It can be both a disadvantage ánd an advantage. Don't give up! Go out there and shoot, just for the fun of it. Experiment. Try out new things. For now, don't think about the result. You'll get there eventually!

[–] elviajedelviento@alien.top 1 points 11 months ago

Just wanted to add that, in my experience, if you go out with the idea to shoot perfect shots, you won't find any. It's only when you let go of those expectations, that you're really able to see the world around you with an open mind. That's when you find the shots. Or they find you. That sounds super new-agey, I know, but it works.

So don't think about the results. Or even photography. Go out, take your camera, just in case, and have fun, be curious, look around you. That's when the photos find you.