To ask what you think of these photos?

[WannabePhotographer]

My username says it all, I love photography and would love to be one one day. Please give them a second to
load!

OP please have a listen to Carol Dweck on growth mindsets. It really changed my perceptions on my own abilities and “talent” (ha). Learning knew things has become such a pleasure. If you enjoy photography then this is an enormous opportunity, and the sky is the limit!

m.youtube.com/watch?v=hiiEeMN7vbQ

Beautiful photos of Brixham! You clearly enjoy it, don’t give up. Keep experimenting with different cameras etc.

Generally clubs are for amateurs who are enthusiastic about something and want to learn more alongside like-minded people. Absolutely no reason you would need to be embarrassed.

Your expectations are a bit unrealistic.

It wouldn’t be embarrassing because everyone is there to get better and support each other. Using your theory no one would ever bother to try and get better at anything unless we were some kind of child prodigy. Honestly, if you’ve never had any tuition and you are expecting to be miraculously good at something then you are destined to be disappointed, every time.

Whoa, OP, you seem to going from zero to sixty and back to zero in a heartbeat.

I’ve always taken the view that anyone can do anything. Whether they can do it well is another matter… some things, you need innate skill, but other things - most things - you can learn on the job, refine and improve. Photography falls under the latter, so stick with it, work at it. Seek opinions and listen to them openly, take suggestions on board, but also keep listening to your own voice and pursue your own vision.

Stick with it and keep experimenting; enjoy your successes and chalk the failures up to experience.

But that's not true at all, the bit about if you're shit you'll stay shit.

Almost anything worth doing takes practise and effort. Art, music,sport - whatever. Hardly anyone starts off being brilliant, they have to work at it. Some people might have a natural talent for something but they still usually have to put in the hours to get really good.

Do you give up at everything so easily?

I was thinking the same. I wouldn’t be embarrassed about the photos but unless the OP is 10, her reaction is pretty embarrassing.

Honestly, if that’s your attitude then sure, you should give it up.

Taking good photos is a skill that needs to be learned.
Its a form of art, really.

Theres no reason to give up because your snaps aren't professional quality. Its unrealistic to think they would be.

Find a photography course. Have fun learning.

Because I thought it looked nice but clearly it doesn’t

OP, you don't have to be good at something to enjoy it, and you will inevitably get better at something if you keep doing it. Do it for your enjoyment! Who cares if you aren't brilliant? I do ice skating and I'm genuinely pretty crap but I love it so I keep going to the lessons despite not progressing much. Just have fun! It's only photos.

OP I enjoy photography and have been asked to do some semi professional photos for friends and family (not to the level where I’d get paid!)

Honestly if I look back at some of my first photos they were incredibly clumsy and average with nothing of note about them.

I started by doing a few Groupon Street Photography classes and learnt about depth of field and aperture etc. I went from knowing absolutely nothing to having some basic knowledge which improved them dramatically.

Have a think about what type of photos you like taking: is it landscape or people or something more abstract? Then I’d perhaps investigate some day courses which anyone can join.

If you like something and you have equipment then don’t give up on it so easily

Have a look at these, OP. https://www.countrylife.co.uk/out-and-about/charlie-waite-one-of-the-worlds-greatest-landscape-photographers-on-how-to-take-pictures-the-beauty-of-britain-and-why-an-iphone-is-good-enough-227668
Breathtaking. (They're not mine.) It's all about colour and light in these. I agree with PP that you have a nice eye for colour. You need to experiment with taking shots at different times of day and different overhead conditions!

Did you honestly think you would be able to just nip out take photos without any learning and just magically be the best photographer ever and be able to sell them. Did you pass your driving test without any lessons. You will never be good at anything if you have no interest in learning.

And fuck what anyone thinks! It’s what you think that matters and you like them. Like any art - some people will love them, some indifferent and some actively dislike. You caught please everyone.

Thats the sort of photo that would have looked best in a gritty black and white, ideally some graffiti or bags of rubbish.

Maybe a youth in a hoodie sitting on the back of the bench, feet on the seat

Gosh what a dramatic over reaction to a few negative comments. You need to learn resilience OP and stick at it. Skills take time to learn and giving up at the first hurdle and throwing a strop is something a 5 year old would do.

I really like the yellow house photo. It has atmosphere and character. Keep going!

Mumsnet is not the place to ask for constructive comment on anything. Most people here (not all - but most) exist to disparage no matter the topic.

May I suggest some photography subreddits who will have a better understanding, a kinder manner and be able to give you genuine learning points if that’s what you’re looking for.

fwiw I like your photos. You have a nice eye and as others have said they’re nostalgic and cosy.

Don’t give up!

Do you enjoy taking photos? If so, carry on! Join a club, enjoy learning with the other people and get any thoughts of being a pro out of your head as it’s a very competitive business. Just enjoy it.

I went to one of Elton John's retirement concert.

On the big screen as a backdrop to one of his songs they used hundreds of old holiday snaps and these really remind me of those. They have a sense of nostalgia.

I was all set to give lots of supportive and constructive comments, but I am not sure you actually seem to want them, you seem to just want instant validation or else you will give up - I have no idea, but you come across as rather young if you have that understanding of how to learn...

if you have something in you that loves photos you see and would like to create them, then that is all you need, but don't quit immediately...

the photos are okay for beginner - they show evidence that you are thinking about what you are taking - the buildings show that you pick up colour as a reason for the photo etc. but no, of themselves they are not good per se.

However, if you were interested in learning it wouldn't take much more than 2-4 hours with a good teacher to transform your photos, in that time you could cover the basics of:

• composition
• lighting
• the exposure triangle (i.e. how cameras work!)

and at the end you would be taking very different quality of photos

but you would need to be prepared to listen to constructive criticism and want to improve, and I am not sure that seems to be the case...

(for reference I am a professional photographer and have taught photography to beginners / improvers internationally).

I liked the picture of the houses because you have taken it at an angle rather than face on so it is more interesting than the others for that reason.

This is a terrible attitude! Image saying that to a budding artist or sportsperson. How does anyone improve at anything if they don’t keep trying it?

Hey op, absolutely not true.

I studied fine art at Central Saint Martins, photography was my medium of choice.

I can think of a dozen of my classmates who went from being shocking at taking photos (rubbish composition, etc etc) to being incredibly good by the time the course ended.

Your use of colour is lovely. I really recommend doing some reading etc, once you get the rule of thirds down it’ll come even easier. I would lay off the filters etc whilst you’re learning though. Differential focus can make fabulous images, but you need to start with the composition first.

Please don’t give up! I used to use a Pinterest board to put all the ideas etc I wanted to try on a board.

I would say though, don’t set your sights on being a photographer. Everyone I know does it as a side hustle. It’s incredibly difficult to do as a career!

I’m not saying that to be negative. Just keep working on your photography skills and you’ll see so many more opportunities than being a photographer!

You are coming across as incredibly defeated. Your images are just normal photos, they aren’t photographer level but that doesn’t mean they can’t be. You need to put the work in! It’s takes years!