What is your biggest weakness in photography ?

<p>.. and how are you going about improving it ?</p>

<p>For me, my weakest area is probably composition. That's not to say other areas don't also need improving, just that composition is consistently something that I find lacking in my photos.</p>

<p>I've got myself a few books, including the excellent 'The photographers eye: composition and design in digital photography' by Michael Freeman. I have found that this improved my critical eye in assessing my own work, but that I still need something to have an impact on me in those moments before firing the shutter rather than later on.</p>

<p>I'm therefore looking to sketch more (I used to do a lot of drawing when younger, but not so much now) - to try and 'interact' with a scene a bit more directly, and to look at lines, perspective, shapes, contours etc. Not sure where it will take me, but it is certainly making me look at things a bit differently, especially in the structure of an image.</p>

<p>Martin</p>

<p>I'm sure there are many for me since I have no formal training. The first thing that comes to mind, however, is that I need to learn and practice more in the area of controlled lighting techniques. . .i.e., "studio" lighting. But my biggest weakness is probably more related to my greatest wish with respect to my photography - more shooting! I just don't shoot enough in other areas in which I have an interest such as portraiture. I'm currently reading the excellent book "Light - Science and Magic" by Hunter, Biver & Fuqua. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. All I need after that are some willing victims to sit for me. So far I haven't succeeded in convincing my wife to do it. I think she may be waiting for me to get to the point where I know what I'm doing. A smart lady! ; )</p>

<p>Objectivity. It's hard for me to be objective about my pictures. I shoot for myself so if I think a picture is good, I'm happy. But I can't always tell if others would consider it good too. Even though I shoot for myself I do want others to like my pictues as well.</p>

<p>Giving a damn when people ask me not to make a photo of their children, them, whatever.<br>

My solution: ignore them and carry on.</p>

<p>I think my biggest weakness is creativity with modern tools such as Photoshop. It's another level in the realization of what's in ones mind's eye that I find difficult. Of course I don't practice as much as I should either.</p>

<p>Mark, I have a similar problem - my favorites often don't do a thing for others and ones I like least gets the attention.</p>

<p>I have no big weakness in photography. The real weaknesses are within me that affect my photography. Lack of patience is a big one. I rush around a lot. Got to get to this place to catch that light at this time. I'm thinking about the next view before I've taken the one I've just framed. I often need to slow down in one spot and let things come to me. Also, sometimes I fail to emotionally connect with my subjects. I go through the mechanics well enough to make pleasing pictures but they lack heart. When I do connect, whatever the subject, my seeing, and the images, jump visibly to a higher level. It seems odd but when I'm both bold/carefree and peaceful/ meditative, my pictures seem better. Reaching this state of duality is my greatest joy and my greatest struggle in photography. </p>

<p>a creative eye. I know all the rules of photography and all the mechanics. I know how to manipulate my camera to make it do pretty much whatever I want to get the photo I want. I attribute most of my good photos to knowing how to get what I want out of my equipment, but I always have a hard time finding a new way to see things or to come up with a creative viewpoint.</p>

<blockquote>

<p>For me, my weakest area is probably composition.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>I feel your pain. For years I took well-exposed photos in decent light, but my compositions often left me feeling disappointed. There's no "magic formula" for good compositions, so I had to come up with my own principles and guidelines based upon critical review of my own photos plus the work of photographers that I admired. I also reviewed the work of photographers that I DON'T admire; it's important to learn what NOT to do.</p>

<p>I'll never know EVERYTHING about composition (one of the joys of photography is that the subject is limitless) but I have been much happier with the compositions that I've been capturing in the last few years, i.e. since I've been applying what I've learned.</p>

<p>Whatever your own weakness is, don't run from it. Don't pretend that it's not there. Welcome it. Embrace it. Tackle it. If you brainstorm solutions, develop new techniques and procedures, and WORK HARD to make them "second nature," you can convert almost ANY weakness from a liability to an asset. And the more diligently you apply yourself, the faster this transformation occurs.</p>

<p>So, make peace with your weaknesses. You are where you are, and you can't move forward until you acknowledge what's holding you back. Jump in and get started on the work that you know that you need to do to improve. It feels GREAT when you finally gain some measure of control over a problem that you initially found perplexing.</p>

<p>And remember the sage advice of Henri Cartier-Bresson: "<em>Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.</em>"</p>

<p>And remember the sage advice of Henri Cartier-Bresson: "<em>Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.</em>"<br>

I love that quote. I guess I still have a few thousand lousy images to go...<br>

My biggest weakness? Definitely post-processing. I am working on it, though. <br>

I also very much sympathize with Mark's point about being objective with the pictures we take. </p>

<p>Even great photographers have poor composition in many of their photographs. Of course, they only show their very best work. I personally think the biggest hurdle for most of us is to accept the fact that many pictures just won't show up right. But really, to be honest, after all this time I have been able to find at least a good handful that I could enlarge and show to people, which to me is good enough. However, having said that, I'm still shoot too cautiously. Wish I could just let go and shoot more. </p>

<p>Wow, "<em>Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.</em>" I must be getting good, as two of my current three digital cameras have passed that mark months ago! Must go back and see if I've improved.</p>

<p>The Michael Freeman book helped me a great deal too. Not that composition is my strong point today, but a lot of what I learned via that book has slowly become 'internalised'; so I can actually decide a bit faster on how to frame and to my eye, the results have improved. Having technical camera details and some basic ideas on composition becoming split second decisions does help free the mind to be more mindful and aware of the creative possibilities. But there is still a very long way to go! (and I don't think anyone will ever stop learning on this point either)</p>

<p>Worst, for me, absolutely people. Somehow I have this enormous ability to push the button at exactly the wrong time. Much due to what Luis Meloso described above, though.</p>

<p>My biggest weaknesses are laziness (goes with age) and spending more time on Pnet than shooting...</p>

<p>Focusing.</p>

<p>I am not sure if it is my eyes, or my technique, or what, but I have more out of focus shots than anyone should have! This happens with any camera or lens. I do have wear glasses, and that is a pain in itself. I also think I rush to get the picture. When I switched to AF dSLRs my pictures were better focused, but now that I have gone back to film, I have the focus pocus problem again.<br>

I am going to try a diopter on my viewfinder next.</p>

<p>Pre-visualizing how a three dimensional scene will translate to a two dimensional picture.</p>

<p>Reading forums like this. Takes too much time away from photographing :)<br>

Wayne: Try closing one eye. Works for me.</p>

<p>It depends on the subject. I have fast moving subjects, like race cars, and stationary ones, like landscapes. With the fast moving ones, just getting the car in the shot and not blurred overrides my need to make the shot creative. With the scenics, it's getting the focus of the shot. Not the IN focus, but the way to get the shot to NOT be a snap shot. I supposed that's part composition and part creative eye.</p>

<p> </p>

I would have to say studio strobes or flash. Often it's hit or miss with these items...

<p>I would say nature, landscape, and animals. I would say they are the most difficult subjects to photograph. I am generally a people photographer. Give me news, sports, glamour, portraits (formal, environmental, studio and location). I just don't have the skill set, or the patients. People are easy to work. I also action be it spot news or sports. I like the pace of working with people and events. People are much easier to work with than, landscapes, and nature.</p>

<p>I am thinking of doing a Yosemite trip and bring some models to make the area interesting.</p>

<p>Hugo, I don't know where you live, but in the US that can get you in a lot of trouble. I do a lot of street shooting in NYC, but I never shoot anyone who objects. Shooting children when a parent objects can get you a visit from the police or worse from an angry parent.</p>

<p>For me I'd say my biggest weakness right now is in portrait work, learning how to pose my models/subjects. I know what I like when I see it, but telling them and moving them into positions I need work on. I just don't know how to pose them yet. It's frustrating because it's an easy way to look like you don't know what you're doing.</p>

<p>But if they move and pose on their own, I have no problems saying "hold that" or "don't move" when I see something that I like.</p>

<p>My biggest weakness is lack of minimalism in many my photographs. My photographs are too "busy", have too much going on visually. There is natural urge for me to make photo more complex when I should be making them more simple. I have to try really hard to make more minimalist.</p>

<p>I think another major weakness is that my photographs also lack an "emotional" aspect. They can capture people's eyes (sometimes), but never their hearts. My photos are superficial, what you see on the surface is all there is to them, and there is nothing deeper, beneath that surface. And that is the biggest weakness of all.</p>

<p>In essence, my photos have too much going on visually, and too little going on emotionally, which is the exact opposite of what I think a great photo should be.</p>

<p>otherthan subjest, I try to put lots of things into the frame and later relize and crop</p>

<p>Thanks, lots of interesting analysis :)</p>

<p>Found a second biggest weakness I think - to add to composition, and probably linked - I think I snatch at photos. That is, not giving enough forethought to each shot, of planning the image fully in my head before lifting the camera to my eye.</p>

<p>The two are definitely linked, I think I need to both slow down, and apply more rigid structure to composition, of lines, focal point, colours, texture and balance before even raising the camera.</p>

<p>Martin</p>

<p>Impatience and bad weather attitude. ;-)</p>