# My main problem/fear as a beginner



## Boutch (Jan 24, 2018)

is actually _taking_ photos. All I want to do is play with my camera, practice and improve, but at the same time I find myself reluctant to pull the trigger. 

All I think is ‘the light could be better’ or ‘I can’t find the _best_ composition’ or even ‘this shot would be better with a different lense’.

Has anyone else been in this position? Any tips for how to break out of it?


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## zulu42 (Jan 24, 2018)

Pull the trigger anyway. As beginners we need, besides all the knowlege and equipment, shots taken.
Thousands and thousands of shots taken. Every bad shot just takes you closer to the good ones.

And re-shoot. Take your images home, study, get feedback, and then go back and take the shot you wished you got the first time.


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## Woodsman (Jan 24, 2018)

Back in film days when your starting out and short of funds and  had to pay some serious dollars for developing only to find nothing you liked on the prints, yes been there done that.   But with digital just think to yourself this is not costing me a penny and fire away.  Sometimes I have shot things and forgotten that the camera has been in some custom mode from a previous series of shots and the photos do not come out as expected.   Quite often they can be fixed in post processing.  You won't learn, improve or enjoy the hobby unless you shoot and shoot a lot with different light, composition, lenses and situations.   Shooting a lot will help you decide what subjects you prefer and personal preferences on setup.   So fire away, you can always delete on the computer what you don't like.


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## Derrel (Jan 24, 2018)

Boutch said:


> >SNIP> All I want to do is play with my camera, practice and improve, but at the same time I find myself reluctant to pull the trigger.>SNIP?



Well, playing with the camera, and practicing with it, is something that MANY of us did back in the film days, as a way to improve our camera-handling, lens-changing,and familiarity with the cameras and lenses we had. Pictures and prints used to cost real,significant money in film, in developing, and in printing-out or enlarging; practice can HELP, yes, it can! But, if you're truly a beginning shooter, it helps to actually press the shutter release too! No offense is intended, but your situation sounds as if perhaps some of the issue is a desire to achieve perfection; perfection is a big,bad enemy! Strive for, "good enough!", and shoot more pictures, but do spend time analyzing the photos, in order to ascertain what could have been improved, and to boost your chances for success on subsequent shoots.

Get out there-and SHOOT!


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## SCraig (Jan 24, 2018)

Every photograph you take doesn't have to be a masterpiece, it doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't even have to be good.  It only has to be something you like for whatever reason.

Shoot birds or wildlife or kids or dogs or anything that moves around quickly.  They will quickly eliminate that need for a different lens or the perfect composition or the perfect light or the perfect anything because you will learn in a hurry to settle for whatever happens to be in the viewfinder at that moment.


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## ac12 (Jan 25, 2018)

All the time.
Change subjects, and everything can be new and strange.
Heck I never heard of Lacros until I saw it a prior yearbook of the high school yearbook that I'm helping.
I only looked at a 4 min YouTube video.  That first game is goina be a steep learning experience.

Just dive right in and shoot.
Don't worry too much about it till later.


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## F5 Penguin (Jan 26, 2018)

Boutch said:


> Any tips for how to break out of it?



Probably not good to be new to a site (meaning myself) and to go disagreeing with all the previous posters...however lol...the longer you are like this the better. The world is filled with thoughtless images. Maybe you and your images will be an exception? Someone not ready to press the shutter until the shutter is ready to be pressed isn't a bad thing. Best of luck to you!


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## jcdeboever (Jan 26, 2018)

I have had that same feeling since day one. I've been shooting for a little over 2 years. Derrel suggested I buy some used John Hedgcoe books. I did, about a dollar a piece off of Amazon. They are old but the principles still apply and they are loaded with projects that are easy to understand. It bridged the anxiety gap and got me out shooting specific, goal oriented shoots. The gap was focus on a single project and presented challenge and the reward was fun. I learned a few things along the way as well.


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## BananaRepublic (Jan 26, 2018)

Boutch said:


> is actually _taking_ photos. All I want to do is play with my camera, practice and improve, but at the same time I find myself reluctant to pull the trigger.
> 
> All I think is ‘the light could be better’ or ‘I can’t find the _best_ composition’ or even ‘this shot would be better with a different lense’.
> 
> Has anyone else been in this position? Any tips for how to break out of it?



Just point the thing at the thing and take a picture.


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## Nintendoeats (Jan 26, 2018)

Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.


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## Dave442 (Jan 26, 2018)

You have to shoot with what you are given. The eye sees much different from the camera, so even if you thought you had perfect light the image may come out bland and a better composition is often just a case of moving around. It helps to grab a good number of bad compositions on the way to the good one. The best lens is the one on the camera, so think about compositions with that lens.


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## PJcam (Jan 26, 2018)

Some things are right to read about first.

Some things are easier to try and learn as we do.

When we do both learning tends to come together better.

You don't have to buy films, you don't have to pay for developing and printing.

You got nothing to lose by playing with your camera but everything to gain.

If you don't like what you shot, learn from it, delete it and try again.


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## Cortian (Jan 26, 2018)

SCraig said:


> Every photograph you take doesn't have to be a masterpiece, it doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't even have to be good.  It only has to be something you like for whatever reason.


This ^^^^^

A couple years ago I took a photo of a leaky faucet for reference for selecting a replacement at the store.  Lo and behold: It became one of my favourite photos.  A couple weeks ago I submitted it to a photo contest here on TPF.  Will it win?  Heck, I dunno.  Will anybody else like it?  *shrug*  Hope so, but it doesn't really matter.  *I* like it.  It "speaks" to me.



BananaRepublic said:


> Just point the thing at the thing and take a picture.


And this ^^^^^



Nintendoeats said:


> Do not let the perfect be the enemy of the good.


And this ^^^^^

Besides, as somebody else mentioned: It's digital.  Anything that doesn't turn out to your liking you can just dump.  Heck, I've taken dozens of photos with not a one of them worth keeping.  Tossed 'em all.  But _be careful_.  Sometimes a bit of sharpening, some colour correction, some cropping & re-framing, etc. in a photo editor can rescue what might otherwise be not worth keeping.

Lastly: You learn by doing.  Well, reading and guidance and doing .  But certainly doing is a big component.  Just do it 

Then again: If you're happy just buying hardware, learning it, discussing it, maybe selling it and buying other, etc., who'm I to say you're Doing It Wrong?

Oh, to answer your question: No, I've never had that problem.  I love pulling the trigger.  Repeatedly.  Esp. with a DSLR.  It's fun hearing the *click*s   (And sometimes I even get a photo worth keeping.)


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## limr (Jan 26, 2018)

Just shoot. It's digital. You could take literally a thousand shots in 10 minutes, erase them all in a few seconds, and do it all over again with exactly zero risk. No one is watching over your shoulder to judge whether or not every shot is a masterpiece.

The irony, of course, is that the less you shoot, the more likely you are to get a clunker. 

You want to increase the likelihood of good images? Just.Shoot.


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## kpizzle (Jan 27, 2018)

I found myself in a similar position. Like everyone said.  Just shoot.  One thing that helps me is brainstorm things to do.  For example, last night I played around with light painting.  Last weekend I set up kids paw patrol toys on a homemade set and shot those.  I bought some cheap desk laps at target and a big roll of paper to make the set. Brainstorm ideas..write them down and do it.  One idea I thought would be neat is light paint kids name and print it.  Did the light painting I did last night come out perfect.  Far from it but I did learn and now brainstorming on different techniques to improve.


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## Boutch (Jan 28, 2018)

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I went on a roadtrip over the weekend and took heaps of pictures. I think that a few of them are even pretty good. I still shied away from setting up and taking what I thought could a great composition, but I have taken note of these places and I will return when I have sharpened my skills a bit.


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## Vtec44 (Jan 28, 2018)

Boutch said:


> is actually _taking_ photos. All I want to do is play with my camera, practice and improve, but at the same time I find myself reluctant to pull the trigger.
> 
> All I think is ‘the light could be better’ or ‘I can’t find the _best_ composition’ or even ‘this shot would be better with a different lense’.
> 
> Has anyone else been in this position? Any tips for how to break out of it?




You're over complicating things!  

IMHO, one of the keys in being a good photographer is to be creative with what you have and in turn produce the best images under any condition.


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## jcdeboever (Jan 28, 2018)

I'd be careful with "just shoot". It can get you into all sorts of bad habits. It may be just me but I prefer to go out with specific goals and a plan. Slow down, stay the course of your goal and plan. If you do, opportunity will arise outside of the plan and goals. I raise my camera and put it down without taking a shot way more than I used to. Practice focusing, framing, exposure in your back yard. Develop a  standard so to speak both mechanically, and artistically.


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## Cortian (Jan 28, 2018)

@Boutch, the results of my Sandhill Cranes photo shoot yesterday demonstrates some of what I and others are trying to tell you.  I didn't plan that.  Nor did I execute it well.  I tossed 85% of what I shot, and even some of what I kept ain't that great.  (Heck, maybe none of 'em are.)  *But* I did end up with some *I* felt worth keeping and I did learn a couple lessons.

And I had a heckuva a lotta fun playing photographer shooting those guys


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## limr (Jan 28, 2018)

jcdeboever said:


> I'd be careful with "just shoot". It can get you into all sorts of bad habits. It may be just me but I prefer to go out with specific goals and a plan. Slow down, stay the course of your goal and plan. If you do, opportunity will arise outside of the plan and goals. I raise my camera and put it down without taking a shot way more than I used to. Practice focusing, framing, exposure in your back yard. Develop a  standard so to speak both mechanically, and artistically.



I understand your point, and I don't think anyone is suggesting the pray and spray method of photography. However, when someone is starting out and feels crippled by worrying if the image is going to be 'good enough', it's useful to understand that _it doesn't matter._ If it's a clunker, so what? You'll never know what will or won't come out good until you take the shot.

The advice to "just shoot" doesn't mean "keep hitting the shutter until you get something good" - it means "you need to find out what does and doesn't work, and you do that by taking a lot of shots at first to learn what the camera can do, what angles work better, which settings will give you the result that you actually want."

After you learn more, it's easier to predict even in the viewfinder that some scene or angle isn't really working, but when you're still learning, you don't necessarily know unless you take the shot and then study it - the good and the bad. But there's nothing to study if you're too scared to even take the shot.


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## Braineack (Jan 28, 2018)

Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering


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## Derrel (Jan 28, 2018)

jcdeboever said:
			
		

> I'd be careful with "just shoot". It can get you into all sorts of bad habits. It may be just me but I prefer to go out with specific goals and a plan. Slow down, stay the course of your goal and plan. If you do, opportunity will arise outside of the plan and goals. I raise my camera and put it down without taking a shot way more than I used to. Practice focusing, framing, exposure in your back yard. Develop a  standard so to speak both mechanically, and artistically.



A careful re-reading of the OP suggests that the OP is in fact, AFRAID to push the shutter release button for fear that the photo in front of him is simply not any good. This is not shooting with a goal nor with a plan, but refusing to shoot due to some form of mental blockage that presupposes that every photo MUST be of high,high quality.

A good strategy would be a tip I read recently in the National Geographic Field Guide, in which one of their film-era photographers mentioned that he had a working method in which he'd use his first 10 to 15 frames as ways to "hone in on" in very-best way to make a good photo; he'd use the early frames to see how the subject moved, how the environment actually was, and what was working,and what was not working, and then after a short time of actively photographing, he would--on the spot!--"learn" how best to photograph the situation.

This is an old strategy,and it's often called "*working the scene*". I've done it for years, and it works splendidly. Even the best-laid plans can go astray. Plans made for a future event often do not come together in the real world, and so, the photographer often needs to 'work the scene', try different photographic approaches, different lenses, different viewpoints, different camera techniques, and so on, in order to make what's there into photos.

For the beginning shooter, MAKING exposures is vastly more-critical than worrying about the quality of the shot, and ending up afraid to push the button,and coming home with nothing at all. Get out there, and SHOOT photos. Practice is fine for the mechanics of photography; focusing and lens changing and that type of stuff, but there's nothing to show for one's efforts unless the shutter release button is used a bit. No pressy, no piccies!


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## ACS64 (Jan 28, 2018)

Boutch said:


> is actually _taking_ photos. All I want to do is play with my camera, practice and improve, but at the same time I find myself reluctant to pull the trigger.
> 
> All I think is ‘the light could be better’ or ‘I can’t find the _best_ composition’ or even ‘this shot would be better with a different lense’.
> 
> Has anyone else been in this position? Any tips for how to break out of it?



My interest in photography began in the late '60s early '70s.  Even in the days "expensive" film the advice of professionals was to take a lot of pictures because they weren't all going to good but your editor/customer wasn't going to pay for the pictures not taken.  In those days National Geographic told it's photographers to plan on one 36 exp roll of film for every day the were on assignment including the "travel days" because the film we now are calling "expensive" they called cheap.  Not getting the images was expensive.  Gordan Parks, one of the great photographers of the 20th century was quoted as saying if he produced 1 in 20 photos that he liked and his editor actually bought 1 in 36 he was he was meeting his goals.

This is to say what others have said above, go ahead and press the shutter even when you are just playing around the controls at your desk or in the your easy chair.  Then evaluate the results.

AC


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## snowbear (Jan 28, 2018)

Yes - it's digital.  Once you've bought the camera and lens, it's basically free.  I have more of a problem trying to make the ordinary stuff around me a little more interesting.


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## zombiesniper (Jan 28, 2018)

Worry about composition. Didn't take the shot. Didn't improve on composition.

Worry about the light. Didn't take the shot. Didn't learn about how to use the light.

Not taking a perfect shot......that is every image ever taken. There is no perfect shot. Only the shot you took and the lessons learned from it.


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## john.margetts (Jan 29, 2018)

SCraig said:


> Every photograph you take doesn't have to be a masterpiece, it doesn't have to be perfect, it doesn't even have to be good.  It only has to be something you like for whatever reason.


I rarely show my photographs to other photographers as I get complaints that my images are not "sharp", are not straight, are not exposed "right" and other similar comments. I do exhibit my photographs publicly in art (as opposed to photography) exhibitions and no one ever mentions those things.

When I started in serious photography, I had a 1930s folding Agfa with a wire frame viewfinder and one fixed lens. I was amazed to be able to fix the pictures I could see - it never occurred to me that they might not be good enough - good enough for what? They amazed me and that is the only part that matters.


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## Braineack (Jan 29, 2018)

Derrel said:


> For the beginning shooter, MAKING exposures is vastly more-critical than worrying about the quality of the shot, and ending up afraid to push the button,and coming home with nothing at all. Get out there, and SHOOT photos. Practice is fine for the mechanics of photography; focusing and lens changing and that type of stuff, but there's nothing to show for one's efforts unless the shutter release button is used a bit. No pressy, no piccies!





zombiesniper said:


> Worry about composition. Didn't take the shot. Didn't improve on composition.
> 
> Worry about the light. Didn't take the shot. Didn't learn about how to use the light.
> 
> Not taking a perfect shot......that is every image ever taken. There is no perfect shot. Only the shot you took and the lessons learned from it.



this.  nothing is better than experience.


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## Cortian (Jan 29, 2018)

Derrel said:


> A careful re-reading of the OP suggests that the OP is in fact, AFRAID to push the shutter release button for fear that the photo in front of him is simply not any good.


That's the impression with which I was left, as well.



snowbear said:


> I have more of a problem trying to make the ordinary stuff around me a little more interesting.


I posted some photos I took of some Ornamental Grass my wife grows in some of her gardens.  Just looking at that grass: It's very pretty when it's all tan like that, with its wispy tops and all.

Knowing that the eye and the camera often (usually? always?) see things differently, I took _lots_ of photos--from different angles, with different composition, from different distances, etc.  And because the wind decided to come up just as I decided to do this: Two or more of each shot.  (I was pushing the limit at the shutter speed I was using.  [Again: I should have bumped the ISO.])

As I expected: Nearly all of them came out mostly uninteresting.  I kept _one_ photo of the entire plant for the purpose of context.  Picked two sets of two each of nearly identical macros, and cropped one of each into at least into interesting (IMHO) macros.



john.margetts said:


> I rarely show my photographs to other photographers as I get complaints that my images are not "sharp", are not straight, are not exposed "right" and other similar comments.


Complaints or comments/observations?

Personally, I appreciate critical review of my photos.  I don't necessarily have to agree.  Whether I agree or not: I get other perspectives on what I've done, which may lead to my doing something different, perhaps (probably?) better, another time.



john.margetts said:


> I was amazed to be able to fix the pictures I could see - it never occurred to me that they might not be good enough - good enough for what? They amazed me and that is the only part that matters.


Fair enough.  But then why are you so averse to critical review?

Maybe some of your efforts  _aren't_ as sharp or straight, or exposed as well as they could be?  _Maybe_, by taking-in and _considering_ honest criticism, you could make your efforts even more amazing to yourself?

Just a thought.  ICBW.

I've posted a fair number of photos here since I joined less than a month ago.  I've received a few "likes," a couple "winner"s and some pointers on how to improve.  The complements are rewarding and the suggestions educational.

It's all good


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## john.margetts (Jan 29, 2018)

Cortian said:


> john.margetts said:
> 
> 
> > I rarely show my photographs to other photographers as I get complaints that my images are not "sharp", are not straight, are not exposed "right" and other similar comments.
> ...


Sharp is a bourgeoise concept, to quote HCB. Sharpness is an inconsequential aspect of a picture which gets seized on as a sine qua non of photography. No one would dismiss Monet as being unsharp or too bright. I want people to look at my picture, not my photography.





Cortian said:


> john.margetts said:
> 
> 
> > I was amazed to be able to fix the pictures I could see - it never occurred to me that they might not be good enough - good enough for what? They amazed me and that is the only part that matters.
> ...


My pictures certainly are not as sharp etc as they could be. They don't have as many cats in them as they could, either. If I see a picture that has no cats in it, I photograph it without cats. If I see a picture without sharpness, I photograph it without sharpness. Etc. I am not adverse to critical review, but I am adverse to 'standard' unthinking comments that have nothing to do with the picture presented.


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## ShutterVan (Jan 31, 2018)

How about this for a thought from a digital noob:  I learn as much from looking and trying to correct my "not so great" photos if not more than I learn from getting a great shot. 

I used to not want to delete the not so great photos because of so many "what if"s but now I delete if I can't correct -- and, it's second nature.  So I snap, try to correct, delete and learn why the photo didn't turn out as I wanted.  And yes, I have a lot of time invested in learning.


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## mcap1972 (Jan 31, 2018)

Just stick to it  and you will be fine


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## Boutch (Jan 31, 2018)

mcap1972 said:


> Just stick to it  and you will be fine


Yeah, over the past week I’ve been shooting more and more each time I go out. I think my confidence is growing each time.


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## Derrel (Jan 31, 2018)

Boutch said:


> mcap1972 said:
> 
> 
> > Just stick to it  and you will be fine
> ...



ATTA' way!!!!


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## petrochemist (Feb 1, 2018)

I've heard it said that even a fool can learn by their own mistakes.
Not shooting stops you making the mistakes to learn from 

When you think a shot might be reasonable take a shot, see if you can improve the composition & take another... Then review the shots later - try to work out what bits worked and what was wrong with those bits that didn't.
Feel free to post questions here if you need help on solving bits, especially any that always seem wrong.

I doubt there are any here who can't learn more from this approach.


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## JoeW (Feb 1, 2018)

As Cartier-Bresson said:  "Your first 10,000 photos are your worst."   So your objective is to get to 10,001 as soon as you can.

Glad you're starting to snap away.  Tell yourself (and this is true), your objective is not to take a great picture.  It is to play with your camera.  So put an apple on a table.  Shoot it at f2.8 (or whatever the narrowest aperture setting is on your lens).  Now shoot it on your widest.    Shoot it with available light streaming in from a nearby window.  Now shoot it with light bouncing off a white wall or using a reflector.  Now shoot it with your popup flash.   Change the ISO setting and see how all of this changes (hint:  low at noise or grain as your ISO # gets higher).   Then take out your SD card and compare the shots, look for how the changes in aperture or light or ISO or shutter speed alter the photo.  Don't decide if you "like" a shot or not, treat these as experiments--you're finding out how slow your shutter speed can be before you get blur, how harsh (or soft) particular types of light are.  All you've just done with those 20 shots is "play with your camera."  All of the pictures may be crap.  Irrelevant.  What you're doing is playing with the camera, learning how stuff works, starting to identify what may be your style as a photographer.


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