Coming out of hiding
SeascapeS
Registered Users Posts: 814 Major grins
Hello everyone. It's taken me a very loooooong time to venture down here. Too scared. :bow
Some of you know me as SandiZ from other galleries. Down here, I'm SeascapeS. I wanted to remain anonymous for this first challenge. I guess I bombed. I'm okay with that. I figured some of you were wondering WHT - "who the heck is that"?
Not sure I'm going to keep trying. :dunno Confidence is low. Maybe a little here and there. There were some great entries in the WHT ~ good job everyone!
Sandi
Some of you know me as SandiZ from other galleries. Down here, I'm SeascapeS. I wanted to remain anonymous for this first challenge. I guess I bombed. I'm okay with that. I figured some of you were wondering WHT - "who the heck is that"?
Not sure I'm going to keep trying. :dunno Confidence is low. Maybe a little here and there. There were some great entries in the WHT ~ good job everyone!
Sandi
SandiZ
If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera. ~Lewis Hine
http://sandizphotos-seascapes.smugmug.com/
If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera. ~Lewis Hine
http://sandizphotos-seascapes.smugmug.com/
0
Comments
I agree
Welcome to the challenges, your gonna love it here!!!
Peace, gail
If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera. ~Lewis Hine
http://sandizphotos-seascapes.smugmug.com/
I have been participating steadily for almost a year. At times, I have felt as you do. I am still trying to produce the image that has everyone saying Wow!
What I have achieved since I started: I've learned how to use my camera. I've learned the tradeoffs between ISO, aperture, shutter speed, fstop. I've learned a bit about post processing. I can now spell HDR.
Sandi, I am very new to DSLR photography, so I personally use the challenges to challenge myself to learn to use my new toy! Left to my own devices, I would not have the inspiration or motivation to find such themes. So my ego is very low on the issue of my shots and I am looking to learn from my entries and from the other entries in each challenge.
You get out what you put in!
Sincerely,
Stephen Marsh
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/
http://members.ozemail.com.au/~binaryfx/
http://prepression.blogspot.com/
We all hope you will stick around and play some more. Everyone has to start somewhere and the challenges is a great place to do that. Just view it as a great big learning experience instead of a competition.
I've been entering for almost two years now, I think... and made the finals only a handful of times. I so wanted to participate in this one, but work has been crazy and just took over my life. No matter, I'll try again next time
Anyway, my point is: don't worry that you don't make it to the finals. If you post your work for critique before the challenge deadline and take that critique to push your work further, you'll learn a LOT. It's a great exercise for your photography skills if nothing else!
Spread the love! Go comment on something!
Sandi, FYI some of my favorite photography of mine are images that didnt make the cut into to voting round. Another point is I wouldn't have even thought of doing a specific image in the first place if I hadn't followed a themed challenge.
So, my point? Do it for you... enjoy doing it... some will be liked some will not.... some will be loved, some will not....
good luck
Therefore, I will stick to trying to execute goals of the challenge and not worry about acceptance or elimination.
Gear: Canon 7D
Canon 24-105 f/4 L
Canon 28mm f/1.8
Tamron 17-50 f/2.8
I think you are wrong, you do have a lot to offer. You have your unique view and way of capturing moments with a camera.
Very early on in my (relatively short) experience in these challenges I discovered that each and every person taking part in the challenges has their own unique and valuable qualities to bring to the challenges, and OK, some challenges are better suited to one person than another, but then another challenge comes along that does suit.
That can be a good way of looking at it. Interestingly, these challenges are called just that, "challenges", and not "competitions". They are designed to challenge us all to improve, and we do that most effectively ( in my completely biased opinion ) when we dont win or get through to the voting stage. Why? Because if we were to win or get through, or even if the images we thought should get through and win, did just so, then we would never really grow as photographers, we would easily become closed minded, thinking we are the best/know the best and never challenge ourselves.
But when we dont get through, or images we feel should get through are left out, that gives us cause to stop and ask "Why?" That in itself is helping us to grow as we try to improve on what we had done.
I can truthfully say that my photography skills have improved dramatically ( and still have a looooooooooooooooooooooooong way to go ) since I started entering these challenges.
[forest gump voice] Anyway, that's all I have to say about that [/forest gump voice]
( steps off soapbox, catches foot on undone lace and falls into flowerbed and then leaps up hoping no-one had noticed
Tim
Wow... Sandi!!! - So nice to have you here
I didn't have any idea that "SeascapeS" was you. Looking at your entry I can recognize a little of your so personal style
Good valuable advice so far!...
Don't worry, I was down and discouraged soooooo many times, and
very often I promise to myself that I'll not participate in the next challenge again...
However, here I am, thinking that better to be here than not to be here and better to try than regret
of not having done it...
Earlier, some voices told me in private, that I had much better photos on my galleries then I show in the challenges...
Well, I thought about this and realized the reason why: I was scared
- Scared for what? For not earning the prize? - No.
Scared for the eventuality of getting ridiculous in the case my entry doesn't get any
attention or appreciation. Scared of getting hurt and loosing my confidence.
But we cannot gain confidence by staying away from the fight
Allowing yourself to be scared doesn't serve any purpose. Just put that thing down, and don't think about it.
The only times I made the cut, were when I really pushed myself of not being scared
Do it for yourself, yes it's a good thing, but in my opinion, a challenge is like a job.
You also have to do what you think the client would like to have... So, mixing the 2 things, I think it's optimal.
I have to give many thanks to Virginia (Flyinggina) who advised me on the CC forum for this last challenge:
Sandi, you are a wonderful photographer, I know this from the dailies, and... you are not a beginner (like me),
so, you don't have any reason to give up. Not you!
I would say - use your personal style without being scared, and people here, will eventually learn to appreciate what you have to say and your talent -
TravelwaysPhotos.com ...... Facebook
VegasGreatAttractions.com
Travelways.com
Tatiana - this is funny, but when I first joined Smug, you were one of the first ones that I pegged as a truly good photographer. I've always loved your dailies, as well as Gail's. Real talent! Some of my dailies stink because of time, area, etc....but at least I am managing to stay creative. Actually, that's why I joined the dailies. It's a commitment to myself, and I don't care if I get page one or page two, I just wanted to stick with it and improve. I guess I can view this the same way.
If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera. ~Lewis Hine
http://sandizphotos-seascapes.smugmug.com/
It's hard not to be intimidated when you see the entries in the challenges. There really ARE so many amazing photographers and experienced photogs on this forum that it does feel as if they are the majority and we struggling beginners are the embarrassed minority. HOWEVER, that doesn't stop me from entering the challenges that I find interesting. I'm doing it for me. So despite the fact that I really do feel desperately embarrassed by my entries in relation to most others, I think it is important for me to step out on a limb a bit and go ahead and enter some of the challenges. I don't enter all of them. I have very limited time due to work and family situations, so I don't want to stress myself out over it. I want it be be enjoyable and I want to learn something. And when that feeling of being intimidated by others' work starts to take over, I just ignore it.
Do what you need to do for yourself. Never mind what others do.
Kara
about.me/karastewart
I am by no means a PS wizard - my son is better than I am - but I do enjoy the processing end. To me, that is part of the creativity. I wish I could be happy with a shot SOOC, but I'm always wondering what I could do to make it better. Heck, even looking at people for real I start to PS their face. It's become a problem. I want to zap out zits and my mind is always cropping things. I watch movies and my brain is always looking at each scene and thinking THAT would be a good shot, etc... I don't enjoy the moment any more.
I don't know enough about technique to always do it right. I get shadows under the eye and those have to come out. After I perfect the face, I start to look at what else I can do to make it better. I play with filters mostly.
If you can trust yourself to do SOOC's, good for you! I envy that and maybe one day, I'll be happy with that too. Or, it could get worse with PS when I get better at it. I just don't know.
Kara - you're right. I need to do it for me. I just hope everyone doesn't laugh too hard.
If I could tell the story in words, I wouldn't need to lug around a camera. ~Lewis Hine
http://sandizphotos-seascapes.smugmug.com/
Enjoy being a beginner. It's a great place to be!!
PS: What are "the dailies"? Many of you mention them from time to time.
Chris
When you come to a door... walk through it.
If it's locked... find an open window.
The dailies are a community that is located here
Stick around!
Everyone has something to offer. I'm trying (and not always succeeding) to participate in the challenges regularly - and I have had one shot that made the finals.
I'm fairly experienced at the post-processing, and getting better with the camera/lens technologies - but am still way behind on 'vision', seeing the finished picture with your inner eye before clicking the shutter.
So I'm learning in some areas, and perhaps can help in others. I'm sure the same of everyone here - including you.