this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2023
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Photography

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

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take awhile. It’s normal to take awhile. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.” ― Ira Glass

Best life advice I've ever seen.

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

"When going through hell, keep going." — Churchill