confidence problems?

goldilocksandmy3bears

Anyone dealing with lack of confidence in your work? It just seems no matter how many people say "oh you photos rock" I just dont feel the same. I keep nit picking at every little detail and feel as though I should just give them away for free - as if I am cheating them out by making them pay. Anyone else feel this way or felt this way how do you overcome it?:dunno TIA

SKnight

I feel the same way, and I have no clue how to fix it.

You figure something out let me know.

CyberSteak

<---lining up a bunch of freebie photo sessions as he dares not charge for anything at the moment.

Kinda hoping this is normal. Or...at the very least...there's a lot of abnormal people like us.

goldilocksandmy3bears

SKnight wrote:

I feel the same way, and I have no clue how to fix it.

You figure something out let me know.

check back I'm sure someone here has the answer

quark

Blah. I feel like that frequently. A friend once suggested that when you feel bad about your skills spend an hour updating your portfolio/resume. Making a list of the awards and honours your work has collected makes you feel better. And if you really want honest feedback, you know the whipping post is there for you!

marikris

Not that I don't have confidence in my work per se. I just suck at charging people in general. It's funny because I don't have as big a problem putting a price tag on my illustration, and my friend from college sells her watercolor portraits for $1200 a pop and I think that is totally fair. But when it comes to photography, I feel like people expect not to pay much and that affects me very much.

But honestly, I am in the midst of the no-charge deals for my photography and I can say wholeheartedly that it sucks lol! Not charging makes me feel worse. I am having an even worse time putting rates up because I constantly think, this is just for practice, no need to charge still - even though they came to me from referrals and I know my photography is now good enough. But that mentality is there that I might not be able to deliver because I started out in doubt; it makes me feel a little like a poser.

Imo, at least charge a little sitting fee + prints after you put together some images for a portfolio site. It'll make the transition easier to adjust your rates up.

imagesofhim

Just remember... it could ALWAYS be worse---take a look HERE

Qarik

goldilocksandmy3bears wrote:

Anyone dealing with lack of confidence in your work? It just seems no matter how many people say "oh you photos rock" I just dont feel the same. I keep nit picking at every little detail and feel as though I should just give them away for free - as if I am cheating them out by making them pay. Anyone else feel this way or felt this way how do you overcome it? TIA

Honestly, sometimes I feel that way about the wedding shoots. I look at excellent work here and am blown away and my stuff doesn't seem to meet par. Then I try to regain perspective...which is a mind over matter excercise.

1) critique is great. looking at others works is great. But from my expereince you have to step back from it as well. We as photographers especially on forums like this appear to be an inbred bunch. Our tastes seem to be faaaar more restrictive then the general public...on occasion they don't even overlap. Your client is likely to be far less judgemental and nit picky.

2) also when you look at a set of photos presented here..you are generally looking at the best out of a set. When you repeatedly see the best of set day in day out..I think your brain forgets that there are 100 hundred photos behind the best of the best that never see the light of day. Your subconcious brain keeps raising the bar on you.

3) also..for me personally I am judging myself (we all do it) compared to pros who have been doing it for years. I have to remind myself to keep that in perspective. After I have done 20 weddings then I can step back evaluate again.

4) lastly..remind yourself why you enjoy photography.

Elaine

Practically every day I feel this way. Haven't come to a solution, other than focusing on shooting for my family and donating my photog time for service projects (such as for my church). I don't seek out business. I would surely like to have a business pay for my gear, but the pressure I feel of running a for-profit business takes some of the joy out of it for me. So, since I don't have the time and wherewithal to address that weakness, my answer is to simply enjoy shooting what I love. If the business savvy and confidence comes later, so be it.

Scott_Quier

I feel this way EVERY time! There are times when I wait days and days (one time it was 10 days) after a shoot before I even look at the photos. I just back them up and then do a really good job of procrastination. Then, as I cull through, I have to work very hard to find some that I think are good enough. Then I start to feel the pressure of finding enough "good" images that I can deliver the promised count.

Actually, this has happened every time except for my very last shoot - photographing "at risk" children as they are introduced to music instruments for the very first time. I KNEW I had a large number of keepers as I was shooting - in fact my good ones numbered just shy of 30%. I was well pleased.

But, by and large, I think the old saying, "You are your own worst critic" is quite true. I know I think less of my work than most anyone I know.

Get used to it. I think it's goes hand in hand with the passion you/we have for our art. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

WingsOfLovePhoto

I feel like that almost all of the time.....but occasionally I will have a dream shoot where everything comes together and I will feel a twinge of confidence...think senior fireman for me) then somebody or something will come along and change that. Maybe you just haven't had that dream shoot yet to bring you some confidence? I am thinking of uping my prices for the new year and wonder if I am good enough for that.... Having GREAT equipment in your hands is a big confidence booster. Makes you FEEL and LOOK professional. As I get practice practice practice.....I get more confidence about posing, lighting etc....You have little practice people in your house!!! Shoot everyday and try new things, write down what works and what doesn't . And keep posting here...we will help!

Gringriff

Well I too have doubts and I really don't charge to shoot sports photos. I know I'm not great but what helps me is looking at the photos the other parents and fans are getting. It helps my confidence when my pics seem (at least to me) as better than theirs. If they want to buy some great, if not well they (and I) can enjoy them online with the water mark.

Swartzy

Ok....my 3 cents (increase of inflation..):


I have yet to meet any serious artist who doesn't struggle with this issue...and trust me, I know and rub shoulders with some amazing photographers....their words astound me at times because they too feel their work is inadequate, vanilla and missing the mark. I personally experience the same things but don't spend much time thinking about it. Reason being: I trust in my creativity and ability. You have to "get" to that point which may take a long long time or, come to realization of trusting yourself. Yes, we all look at other's work and think..."OK, time to sell my equipment"..but here is the key:

NO ONE shoots like you....NO ONE processes and interprets like you. You are your own specialty. Some others can try to duplicate but will never be YOU. Period. The advantages of feeling this way will jettison your desires to emulate those whom you look up to...making you strive harder to do YOUR best. NO, your art will not look like theirs. Yes, your work will exceed what you've been doing in the past.

Take what you think is your greatest weakness for example. Is it lighting? Then, what on Earth are you waiting for? Get out the lighting books, learn the basics and then radicalize the concepts. Forget about 1:3 ratios. Instead, try something way off the charts. Get creative (which is the key to surprising yourself). Experiment, try gelling, try harsh lighting, try using just one light, heck, try using 6 lights. By forcing yourself to stretch out doing something completely out of the norm, you'll find the most important counteractant available for these so called "feelings". It's called, DEVELOPING YOUR STYLE.

There are numerous avenues to learn and stretch. Get together with other photographers, hire models, do funky stuff....outrageous outfits, goofy backgrounds. Forget the friggin head shots...go with something like editorial fashion, learn how to composite in Photoshop...take pictures of landscapes and extract models and drop them in there...learn about lighting, shadows, ect.

To sum up: Stretch yourself and these inadequate "feelings" will go away. Take it from someone who's done this exercise for a long long time...it works..do the feelings return? Yep...should it get the best of you..NOPE....the best advice I could ever provide:


BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

eL eSs Vee

Very well said, Swatzy!

Remember the old saying, "You are your own worst critic"? Well, it's true!

goldilocksandmy3bears

Qarik wrote:

Honestly, sometimes I feel that way about the wedding shoots. I look at excellent work here and am blown away and my stuff doesn't seem to meet par. Then I try to regain perspective...which is a mind over matter excercise.

1) critique is great. looking at others works is great. But from my expereince you have to step back from it as well. We as photographers especially on forums like this appear to be an inbred bunch. Our tastes seem to be faaaar more restrictive then the general public...on occasion they don't even overlap. Your client is likely to be far less judgemental and nit picky.

2) also when you look at a set of photos presented here..you are generally looking at the best out of a set. When you repeatedly see the best of set day in day out..I think your brain forgets that there are 100 hundred photos behind the best of the best that never see the light of day. Your subconcious brain keeps raising the bar on you.

3) also..for me personally I am judging myself (we all do it) compared to pros who have been doing it for years. I have to remind myself to keep that in perspective. After I have done 20 weddings then I can step back evaluate again.

4) lastly..remind yourself why you enjoy photography.

That was such great advice I especially like #2. I never thought of this, but you are so right! Thank you for helping me in this area!

goldilocksandmy3bears

Scott_Quier wrote:

I feel this way EVERY time! There are times when I wait days and days (one time it was 10 days) after a shoot before I even look at the photos. I just back them up and then do a really good job of procrastination. Then, as I cull through, I have to work very hard to find some that I think are good enough. Then I start to feel the pressure of finding enough "good" images that I can deliver the promised count.

Actually, this has happened every time except for my very last shoot - photographing "at risk" children as they are introduced to music instruments for the very first time. I KNEW I had a large number of keepers as I was shooting - in fact my good ones numbered just shy of 30%. I was well pleased.

But, by and large, I think the old saying, "You are your own worst critic" is quite true. I know I think less of my work than most anyone I know.

Get used to it. I think it's goes hand in hand with the passion you/we have for our art. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I like your "story" can I stick to it to- especially the part about us being our own worse critic I totally agree! Great advice thank you!

goldilocksandmy3bears

WingsOfLovePhoto wrote:

I feel like that almost all of the time.....but occasionally I will have a dream shoot where everything comes together and I will feel a twinge of confidence...think senior fireman for me) then somebody or something will come along and change that. Maybe you just haven't had that dream shoot yet to bring you some confidence? I am thinking of uping my prices for the new year and wonder if I am good enough for that.... Having GREAT equipment in your hands is a big confidence booster. Makes you FEEL and LOOK professional. As I get practice practice practice.....I get more confidence about posing, lighting etc....You have little practice people in your house!!! Shoot everyday and try new things, write down what works and what doesn't . And keep posting here...we will help!

Your right about "feeling" professional. I had been shooting with a sonya200 and never felt like I looked like a real photog. now I have my 700 and 3 different good lens and I feel better. Thanks for the advice!!

Dave Clee

This is a great post....

For me I try to keep myself immersed into some sort of photography and not worry about "losing confidence". Be your worst critic and always continue to learn from your photos. There is always room for improvement.

At the end of the day have fun with each shoot, landscape, fashion, macro etc etc doesnt really matter.

Cheers

Dave

Swartzy wrote:

Ok....my 3 cents (increase of inflation..):


I have yet to meet any serious artist who doesn't struggle with this issue...and trust me, I know and rub shoulders with some amazing photographers....their words astound me at times because they too feel their work is inadequate, vanilla and missing the mark. I personally experience the same things but don't spend much time thinking about it. Reason being: I trust in my creativity and ability. You have to "get" to that point which may take a long long time or, come to realization of trusting yourself. Yes, we all look at other's work and think..."OK, time to sell my equipment"..but here is the key:

NO ONE shoots like you....NO ONE processes and interprets like you. You are your own specialty. Some others can try to duplicate but will never be YOU. Period. The advantages of feeling this way will jettison your desires to emulate those whom you look up to...making you strive harder to do YOUR best. NO, your art will not look like theirs. Yes, your work will exceed what you've been doing in the past.

Take what you think is your greatest weakness for example. Is it lighting? Then, what on Earth are you waiting for? Get out the lighting books, learn the basics and then radicalize the concepts. Forget about 1:3 ratios. Instead, try something way off the charts. Get creative (which is the key to surprising yourself). Experiment, try gelling, try harsh lighting, try using just one light, heck, try using 6 lights. By forcing yourself to stretch out doing something completely out of the norm, you'll find the most important counteractant available for these so called "feelings". It's called, DEVELOPING YOUR STYLE.

There are numerous avenues to learn and stretch. Get together with other photographers, hire models, do funky stuff....outrageous outfits, goofy backgrounds. Forget the friggin head shots...go with something like editorial fashion, learn how to composite in Photoshop...take pictures of landscapes and extract models and drop them in there...learn about lighting, shadows, ect.

To sum up: Stretch yourself and these inadequate "feelings" will go away. Take it from someone who's done this exercise for a long long time...it works..do the feelings return? Yep...should it get the best of you..NOPE....the best advice I could ever provide:


BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

goldilocksandmy3bears

Swartzy wrote:

Ok....my 3 cents (increase of inflation..):


I have yet to meet any serious artist who doesn't struggle with this issue...and trust me, I know and rub shoulders with some amazing photographers....their words astound me at times because they too feel their work is inadequate, vanilla and missing the mark. I personally experience the same things but don't spend much time thinking about it. Reason being: I trust in my creativity and ability. You have to "get" to that point which may take a long long time or, come to realization of trusting yourself. Yes, we all look at other's work and think..."OK, time to sell my equipment"..but here is the key:

NO ONE shoots like you....NO ONE processes and interprets like you. You are your own specialty. Some others can try to duplicate but will never be YOU. Period. The advantages of feeling this way will jettison your desires to emulate those whom you look up to...making you strive harder to do YOUR best. NO, your art will not look like theirs. Yes, your work will exceed what you've been doing in the past.

Take what you think is your greatest weakness for example. Is it lighting? Then, what on Earth are you waiting for? Get out the lighting books, learn the basics and then radicalize the concepts. Forget about 1:3 ratios. Instead, try something way off the charts. Get creative (which is the key to surprising yourself). Experiment, try gelling, try harsh lighting, try using just one light, heck, try using 6 lights. By forcing yourself to stretch out doing something completely out of the norm, you'll find the most important counteractant available for these so called "feelings". It's called, DEVELOPING YOUR STYLE.

There are numerous avenues to learn and stretch. Get together with other photographers, hire models, do funky stuff....outrageous outfits, goofy backgrounds. Forget the friggin head shots...go with something like editorial fashion, learn how to composite in Photoshop...take pictures of landscapes and extract models and drop them in there...learn about lighting, shadows, ect.

To sum up: Stretch yourself and these inadequate "feelings" will go away. Take it from someone who's done this exercise for a long long time...it works..do the feelings return? Yep...should it get the best of you..NOPE....the best advice I could ever provide:


BELIEVE IN YOURSELF

wow I felt like you were looking right at me telling me this advice I loved it!!! I believe this is exactly what I needed to hear!!! I will keep this post under my favorites and whenver I start to have inadequate feelings again I will read this post. To bad its half way into the night or else I'd go get my lights, set them up, wake up the kids and start taking pictures! Thank you so much!

toddb

great thread
Came across this thread at just the right time. I've had this very feeling in the video work I've been doing for the past 15-20 years. I've won some regional and national awards and still struggle with confidence, especially when it comes time to charge a client.

Now that I'm trying to add photography to my available services I get that "I'm not good enough to charge" feeling worse than ever. Just by word of mouth or someone seeing some of my work in random places I've had more than a dozen people try to hire me in the past three months and I keep doing the work for free. I tell myself it will be good to get the experience, but I'm not sure when I'm going to be able to make that leap and actually charge someone for my photography.

I know I need to -- for one thing it's not fair to undercut the photographers out there in my area that are already trying to make a living.

The most important thing I read in this thread for me is the reminder that what we see on a site like this is typically the best of a bunch. I struggle when I shoot 100 pics on an assignment and get only a handful I think are usable. I'm always curious what that rate is for seasoned professionals.

B Rock

I feel this way all the time. But losing my job a couple months ago helped me decide I need to charge. Now if I could just get some clients.

toddh39

That is how I feel too. you hit the nail on the head. And I was thinking about this just today.

michswiss

I am a crap photographer. I keep trying to come up with a non-witty extension to that that doesn't come off sounding pompous. But I can't. I think I've taken a couple of good shots, but I have little trust as to how I've arrived at them. It's a very emotional yet detached process. A camera is a dangerous thing in my hands.

bmoreshooter

The simplest way to begin shedding those feelings is to stop doing work for free. If you want to do this as a business you will have to pick a point where you decide that you are now a professional. As long as you continue to give your work away you will have those feelings of insecurity.

divamum

Everybody should print Swartzy's post and read it several times a year.

I'm not (yet) the proficient photographer I hope to become, but as a professional artist, albeit in another discipline (music), this is something I encounter ALL THE TIME both in myself and others. If you seriously have something to say and any artistic sensibility at all, you will forever find your own work lacking, even when others may swoon (or pay you lotsnlots of $$ to come and take their pictures or hear you sing or whatever it may be)

Swartzy's post nails it - which is that you have to move past the "shoulds" to truly discover your own artistic voice and discover the confidence. Sometimes that might mean taking risks; sometimes it might mean busting your a** to address technical issues you know aren't up to scratch. If you KNOW something isn't working... figure out how to fix it. Push past the boundaries of "should". Get things spectacularly wrong - fear of making mistakes can often restrict people from trying something new. Heck, it's digital - make mistakes! Enjoy the process!!

Lastly, I often hear artists (all discplines) proudly proclaim that they are "perfectionists" to which I say

PERFECTION IS THE ENEMY OF EXCELLENCE

What do I mean by that? Namely this: if all you ever seek "perfect", you will never find it. Something will always be lacking, because there IS no perfect, and you will cripple yourself with doubt and fear trying to achieve it, always feeling that you fall short.

Excellence, on the other hand, is achievable with enough determination and hard work. Strive always to exceed previous efforts to go further, to do something better than you did it last time. Be brutally honest in your assessment of your own work, artistic understanding, motivation, commitment and determination... and if you find something lacking? Go out and learn how to fix it. Look at the work of others and figure out what they're doing that you're NOT.... and then learn how to add that to your own efforts. Read, look and experiment. Excellence can drive you forward where perfectionism will hold you back.

Lastly - and on a more specific, less philosophical note - the dgrin Challenges are a very good way to do exactly what Swartzy describes about trying new ideas and different kids of photographic expression and techniques. I would'nt have learned nearly as much if I hadn't jumped in to the challenges a year ago. I use them as mini-assignments, and try to incorporate learning a new technique or skill into each one - it's been invaluable experience which not only expanded my knowledge, but significantly increased my confidence. With increased confidence comes more courage to try something new and... well, you get the idea.

Darren Troy C

Qarik wrote:

2) also when you look at a set of photos presented here..you are generally looking at the best out of a set. When you repeatedly see the best of set day in day out..I think your brain forgets that there are 100 hundred photos behind the best of the best that never see the light of day. Your subconcious brain keeps raising the bar on you.

Exactly! ....and what you're saying (original poster) is perfectly normal. I personally have always been and will always be.....my OWN worst critic! Keep growing, keep expirementing, keep on....keepin' on! It's the only way you ("you" collectively, not you personally ) will ever improve.

Dancer72

I constantly lack confidence in my abilities and the results of my shots as I have just moved away from taking "snapshots" and started to shoot in RAW and PP my images in the last 9 months. I do get very positive feedback from various people but personally I compare my work to others (very frequently the comparisons are made to my husband's/mentor's shots) and get discouraged that I'll never capture the amazing shots they have. At the advice of my husband, who is a professional and a fellow Dgrinner, I try each day to look at my shots and assess them for them and not against other people's work...some days I do a good job at this, other days not so much. I am going right now to print this thread and hang it in my office so I see it everytime I sit down to work as a reminder.

Thank you goldilocks for starting this thread and thank you to all the others who posted here...I appreciate and respect all your advice, comments and suggestions!

marikris

Swartzy wrote:

Take what you think is your greatest weakness for example. Is it lighting? Then, what on Earth are you waiting for? Get out the lighting books, learn the basics and then radicalize the concepts. Forget about 1:3 ratios. Instead, try something way off the charts. Get creative (which is the key to surprising yourself). Experiment, try gelling, try harsh lighting, try using just one light, heck, try using 6 lights. By forcing yourself to stretch out doing something completely out of the norm, you'll find the most important counteractant available for these so called "feelings". It's called, DEVELOPING YOUR STYLE.

Yep, lighting is my nemesis! I have two speedlites and didn't know how to use them. So I bought a Westcott 28" portable softbox and used it on the second half of my last shoot (Elizabeth's). I had also bought "On Camera Flash" by Neil van Niekerk. Best read ever for me; it talks about the business of flash in very simple terms. I put my speedlite on top of my camera and bounced off walls in the first half of Elizabeth's shoot. It's still ETTL, but I'll experiment with manual a little later - maybe in a studio setting with a friend sitting in.

adbsgicom

Thanks to all on this thread. I'm no where near having a client (though one friend has asked me to do a shot of her girls that she'd actually like to pay for, which seems wierd). Still not sure I'll be able to ask for more than the cost of film

bdcolen

Two thoughts
The day you don't question the quality of your work is the day you should find something new to do with your life.

And, in the heyday of the great photo magazines, the rule of thumb at LIFE Magazine was that if a photographer was getting two "keepers" - photos the photographer wanted to keep him or herself, assignment aside - out of a roll of 35 mm film, the photographer was doing well. That's two out of 36, or about 5 keepers per 100 exposures. And the LIFE staff included the likes of W. Eugene Smith, Margaret Bourke-White, Alfred Eisenstadt, John Loomis, Robert Capa, Gordon Parks. Need I go on?

So just shut up and shoot! :ivar :ivar

My3Sons

Great thread. It seems that many feel this way, atleast from time to time. I'm definitely there with you. Now that I spend so many hours in post editing, it helps to know that I do charge! I often wonder about prices though. Someday I'll charge more, as I know I put way too much time in this, for the low prices I charge, especially since most of my clients are friends/family and get a discount.

-Melissa
www.naturalphotography.smugmug.com
www.naturalphotographydesign.blogspot.com