Fear Of Getting It Wrong
Everyone has the potential to fulfil his or her photographic (or any other) dreams. But there’s a dream killer out there on the lose. And it’s called FEAR!
None of us want to get it ‘Wrong’. We are all very attached to getting it right first time perfect or we’re not doing it at all. In fact we are so attached to getting it right we often get scared and don’t even try in the first place.
Instead we convince ourselves we need more information, more knowledge and make sure we have the ‘best’ camera for the job. So we research and watch videos and ask endless questions telling ourselves all the time that this is something we ‘need’ to do. Of course we do need some knowledge, some basic understanding of what we are about.
But take an honest look at how much you research something before you give something a go and ask yourself this powerful question. “Do I really need to find out more, or am I just putting off going out and trying it for real”?
Just by overcoming this fear of failure and getting it 'wrong' you have a head start over most of the people on the planet, because they are still busy researching instead of getting into action by doing.
Have you ever wondered why kids are great with tech stuff? Have you ever watched what they do with it? They just get stuck in and press all those pesky knobs and buttons and try stuff out for themselves. They don’t spend hours reading the book and asking questions. A couple of Youtube videos and they’re off.
I know because I’ve watched them and am of the generation where I DO read the book. I’m scared I’ll mess it up! I know what it’s like.
I want to get you inspired to try things and stop worrying about which camera or lens or shutter speed or aperture. I want you to be inspired to try them out for yourselves and find what works because that’s how you’ll learn photography and fulfil your dreams. Endless research and questions is just sneaky because it’s procrastination in disguise.
Firstly start thinking about your image differently. Instead of wanting something perfect 1st time, think of your images as experiments to find out what works and how to achieve what you want. When one isn’t how you wanted it ask yourself why that is. What would happen with a different exposure, or depth of field, or focal length, or in different light, or from a changed point of view?
If you don’t know the answer then try this stuff out so you can see the impact for yourself. It’s not cameras that take images it’s photographers using their Brilliant Brains which is the first of my 7 Building Blocks of Photography.
As you change how you think and experiment you’ll discover new ways to do things and your images will improve as a by-product all on their own. Get dedicated and put time aside to work hard on practising and experimenting and I promise you’ll start to see results improve proportionally as a by product of the effort you put in.
And that'll inspire you to put in more action and effort which will lead to better results which will make you feel good and want to put in even more actions and become even more inspired. This stuff feeds on itself and it all begins with changing the way you think.
Products in this Category
 |
Scene in a scene |
Landscape photography is one of those areas where patience, thinking it through and taking your time pays dividends. We have all seen a scene we want to capture but sadly we’re in a hurry, so we leap out the car and just grab a shot without giving it too much thought.
This may or may not result in a great shot. But have you thought to ask yourself if there’s more to be had from a location than the obvious? You have to build upon an initial idea. Explore possibilities.
I was in Vietnam driving through the mountains when we came upon this amazing view of rice terraces. We stopped so the film crew could shoot some aerial shots with their drone so Simon and I took the opportunity to look around and shoot this video.
As we drove up the hill I’d noticed one of the little paths that wind their way through the paddies so we went for a walk to see what it would yield.
Almost straight away we came upon some greenery we could use as foreground, which can frame a scene and give it more depth. In some cases just finding a bit of foreground can make or break an image.
But don’t forget to look around you. It’s all to easy to miss a beautiful detail of the landscape that’s right next to you because you’re absorbed by what’s in front.
You have to concentrate and really look at a scene. In the first shot of the last scenario there’s a stick poking up on the left. I didn’t really notice it to begin with. It wasn’t until I checked the shot in the LCD it became apparent.
So how do we remove it? Well obviously there’s Photoshop but I’m lazy. A few steps to the side will change the geometry of the image. It makes things align differently so you can lose unwanted clutter from the composition.
So besides making sure the light is appropriate for the scene, here are 3 landscape photography tips to consider.
- Take time – think of other possibilities for the location
- Find some foreground. It could make a world of difference
- Look to the side as well as in front. You might have missed something
These things are not functions of your camera. They are functions of you thinking like a photographer.
