New Year's resolutions

[karenoliver]

What is everyone's New year resolution ( if any) ?

Mine is to get to bed earlier!

And not put off things I plan for my photography. Last year I planned to go to the swamp soccer finals, cancelled last minute! Same for the student protests and a whole host of other things. Next year I intend to stick to my plans ( hopefully ) and not back out.

Hope everyone has a great new year :-)

Karen

[DigiDiva]

I plan to be more positive, more confident and loose 40lb

[wavemachine]

Well I am not a great believer in New Years resolutions as I have not really kept one yet well apart from when I was 27 and decided to get fitter so took up Squash, Mountain Biking, Swimming and a Martial Art kept those up for quite a few years and even managed to get my black belt but that has all fallen by the wayside now.

For me though a goal for next year not starting on 1st Jan I will add is to kick the smoking once and for all which is my one real vice as I don't drink well at least I haven't for 10 years and don't over indulge in other areas.

I think what I really want to do is push my photography forward as in some ways I have been quite lazy in 2010 however I have taken more time to think about the concepts and have had some nice ideas looking at different conditions and locations but have not taken those ideas forward so for me 2011 is to make some of those ideas happen and if at all possible make do with the gear I have and get the most out of it rather than investing in new gear. My biggest problem is self confidence and interacting with people so I intend to address this over the coming months by trying to push myself out of my comfort zone.

[DigiDiva]

Can we join forces Wavemachine?

[karenoliver]

Originally Posted by DigiDiva

I plan to be more positive, more confident and loose 40lb

Sounds like a plan! :-) Plus to spur yourself on you could do one photograph a month and after you have lost the weight put them all together to show the visual differences.

Good luck with it ! :-)
Karen

[karenoliver]

Originally Posted by wavemachine

I think what I really want to do is push my photography forward as in some ways I have been quite lazy in 2010 however I have taken more time to think about the concepts and have had some nice ideas looking at different conditions and locations but have not taken those ideas forward so for me 2011 is to make some of those ideas happen and if at all possible make do with the gear I have and get the most out of it rather than investing in new gear. My biggest problem is self confidence and interacting with people so I intend to address this over the coming months by trying to push myself out of my comfort zone.

Ditto all you said, I am the same and have had lots of ideas but for many reasons never got round to actually doing them! For many reasons I am nervous when out and about with my camera and like you need to become more confident. The more you do something the easier it becomes so this time next year you might have no issues at all :-)

Karen

[Reinardina]

Apart from getting to grips with Photo Elements (see Competition thread) I want to try and improve my 'photographic eye,' and find out more about the limitations of my camera and myself.

I still have a lot to learn and could do with a more critical eye, as far as my own photos are concerned. The critique thread can help me out with that, so I'll be there in the future.

If, in the mean time, anyone has any critique/advice to offer on any of my pictures, please feel free!

Happy New Year!

[wavemachine]

Can we join forces Wavemachine?

Of course.

I still have a lot to learn and could do with a more critical eye, as far as my own photos are concerned.

I learnt that to the extreme that all my photos were cr*p which wasn't very conjusive, the only way for me to overcome that was to look at the context of how the photo was taken i.e. if it is a holiday snap then probably not too much thought or planning was possible due to having others around and being pressed for time however you can still be critical of core elements such as focus, sharpness of the image, exposure etc and there is no harm in exploring ways the image could have worked better but don't be to harsh with yourself. If however it is an image I had setup and had a particular vision in mind then I will tend to be more self critical again with the core elements but also the finer points. That is how I tend to work now but find it is extremely valuable to look at other peoples work as that is where I have learnt the most.

[Reinardina]

Originally Posted by wavemachine

Of course.



I learnt that to the extreme that all my photos were cr*p which wasn't very conjusive, the only way for me to overcome that was to look at the context of how the photo was taken i.e. if it is a holiday snap then probably not too much thought or planning was possible due to having others around and being pressed for time however you can still be critical of core elements such as focus, sharpness of the image, exposure etc and there is no harm in exploring ways the image could have worked better but don't be to harsh with yourself. If however it is an image I had setup and had a particular vision in mind then I will tend to be more self critical again with the core elements but also the finer points. That is how I tend to work now but find it is extremely valuable to look at other peoples work as that is where I have learnt the most.

Apart from the competition shots, I don't really 'set up' things. I tend to wander (out and) about with my camera, trying to find something worthwhile to shoot.

I try to keep an eye on composition, focus etc, but often get carried away and come home with loads of pictures which I thought, would be 'special' and very often, when I see them on screen, are not. So, in a way, that is a learning curve as well.

I also tend to take too many shots of the same (sort of) thing/place. So, I will try to limit the number of shots I take at any one time.

And of course, looking at other people's images is very helpful!

[wavemachine]

Apart from the competition shots, I don't really 'set up' things. I tend to wander (out and) about with my camera, trying to find something worthwhile to shoot.

I try to keep an eye on composition, focus etc, but often get carried away and come home with loads of pictures which I thought, would be 'special' and very often, when I see them on screen, are not. So, in a way, that is a learning curve as well.

There is no harm in that at all and your right it is part of the learning process, it is a good opportunity to experiment with the modes and settings in your camera. A good picture can be found anywhere in one form or another abstract for example.

I started the competition last year and it has helped me loads, with regards to limitting shots one way of achieving that is to stop and take time looking at the scene, walking around it to view the angles, looking for detail and also envisaging different conditions/light so you could return another day. Having said that make sure you don't miss any oportunities.

Getting to grips with elements won't take as long as you think, follow some of the online tutorials or magazine tutorials, I found some mediocre shots I took were transfromed to lovely shots with minimal changes.

I am no expert BTW but this is what I have learnt so far