Author Topic: Do you hate your own work? (Read 6131 times)

Graffoto · « **on:** May 24, 2009, 21:46 »

After shooting 300 frames of a subject, culling it down to 20-30 good ones and then post processing them, I am totally sick of seeing my own shots.

After I complete all the post, I fall in love with two or three of the best ones. I even print out hard copies in 8X10 and 11X14 for my portfolio books. Alas, it is an ill fated love and lasts but a few short weeks or months.

Then I am absolutely sicked by the site of anything I have done before and set out to do better.

I am betting that there are others that feel the same way, yes?

Magnum · « **Reply #1 on:** May 25, 2009, 08:16 »

Absolutely impossible to understand when looking at your port

Frustrating maybe, to see but not touch

epantha · « **Reply #2 on:** May 25, 2009, 08:29 »

Hate is such a strong word to use since photography is a unique individual expression and implies that you are sickened by a part of yourself in some way?

I get bored with some of my old stuff but I'm always trying out new ideas and techniques so don't worry too much about what I've done in the past and always look forward to the next great photo experience.

Lcjtripod · « **Reply #3 on:** May 25, 2009, 09:34 »

If any photographer or artist of any kind is thrilled and thinks his/her work is perfect ..... Will never improve. Tomorrow you must make better shots than you did today.

-Larry

Perry · « **Reply #4 on:** May 25, 2009, 09:44 »

Yes I hate my images too, or at least about 90% of them.

Quote from: nosaya on May 24, 2009, 21:46

After I complete all the post, I fall in love with two or three of the best ones. I

The worst part is that it's not the images I love that sells most...

willie · « **Reply #5 on:** May 25, 2009, 10:12 »

I try to separate myself from my work, ie. photojournalism, modeling port, runway,stock,etc..I also maintain a section of the week, usually after shooting for others, to shoot for myself. This way I don't end up hating my work or as one of my client's wife used to describe her husband who does construction work, "he comes home in a pissy mood because he hates his job and the people there. But he knows it pays for the mortgage and feeds us. On days off, he would touch nothing made of wood, lol". Yet , down the road I meet a retired carpenter who does woodwork as a hobby, making the nicest furniture you can find. Always different and he sells it along the garden of his house. Once I did an article of him, and ask why he does it, his answer, "wood is my passion".
So really, it 's a matter of juggling your "passion" with what you "need to pay the mortgage". The balance is the secret to liking your work, AND , photography.
And in turn, I find that even the stuff you shoot to pay the rent will end up looking better with that "passion" because you feel what you shoot. No different from a folk singer or a singer in the bar. As Pat Metheny once said, "you can't fake it, the audience will sense it".

willie · « **Reply #6 on:** May 25, 2009, 10:16 »

oops double post

Graffoto · « **Reply #7 on:** May 25, 2009, 10:26 »

Quote from: Perry on May 25, 2009, 09:44

Yes I hate my images too, or at least about 90% of them.

Quote from: nosaya on May 24, 2009, 21:46
After I complete all the post, I fall in love with two or three of the best ones.

The worst part is that it's not the images I love that sells most...

That is SOOO true!

gbcimages · « **Reply #8 on:** May 25, 2009, 12:11 »

yes at times I get bored with my work and stop and do something else. my passion for photography is not as strong as it used to be. to see a persons work go for pennies is discouraging.

CCK · « **Reply #9 on:** May 25, 2009, 13:15 »

I just love my own work. If I wasn't me I would have bought everything I have.

Dreamframer · « **Reply #10 on:** May 25, 2009, 15:17 »

I am often unsatisfied with results, but I can't say I hate my own photographs because I think I could make them look better. I love my photographs because they remind me of moments when I made them. My photos are mostly made in real life situations and I have very few isolations over white. But I love even those few isolations because I made them in a card box, wrapped inside with white paper.
So, when I edit my photos in PS, I am often unsatisfied, but after some time I forget the flaws and I enjoy looking at them.

madelaide · « **Reply #11 on:** May 25, 2009, 18:12 »

I don't get bored with my photos, but I get bored with the edition-keywording-uploading process.

lisafx · « **Reply #12 on:** May 25, 2009, 20:17 »

I still like most of my pictures, but when I see work of some of the others doing this I wonder how any of them ever sell.

I have become incredibly bored with having to post process, keyword and upload them though. I think it would be fun if I did it less often, but devoting probably 25 hours a week to that, week in and week out for 4.5 years has taken a lot of the fun out of it.

I still think this is the greatest job on earth, but it is still a job and not always so much fun anymore.

And I totally agree about often the pictures I am the most proud of and have the most fun shooting are not the ones that sell.

I uploaded a series recently that honestly was, to me, the best pictures I have taken in my life and not one of the series has sold on SS after being there a week. Makes me so sad. And then I see some boilerplate stuff I used hardly any creativity on sell over and over. That kind of bums me.