I'm almost giving up!!

[Gratris]

This here photography lark ain't as easy you think is it?
I have a new camera, new lens, a beautiful surrounding area and still can't get it right!
Never took the tripod so these were all freehand.








What settings would you have opted for? Shutter speed, f/ number etc?
What should I have done differently to achieve decent results?

Thanks

Regards
Gratris

[wavemachine]

Firstly don't give up, remember you don't fail until you give up!

Tell us what you can see is wrong with the photos in you eyes so we can help, I ask this because there may be an area you want to specifically work on. Other advice and critique can be provided later if you would like it!

And no photography is not easy, it is very rewarding but with reward comes a lot of frustration.

[markgozz]

Like Dave say's it's always a good idea to tell us what you like or dislike about your shots but to let you know what type of settings I use for landscape's and they do change depending of conditions here's my quick check list , tripod , remote release , mirror lock , f/ 16 ( my lens sweet spot ) , lowest iso , manual focus about 1/3 the way into the scene , ND grad filters if needed , and the bit that is totally down to you composition .
The final stage is photoshop , like it or not .

Mark

[Jediboy]

I can only echo what's already been said. Don't give up. It can be a painfully frustrating hobby, at times, but it's also very enjoyable and rewarding.

Play around with different settings and see how that goes. I still have loads to learn and often experiment to see what works best, and yes, I can go home with not a single decent photo.
Good luck and don't give up.

[Semaj]

Don't give up it takes quite some time to get used to a new Camera & lens and even then we all go through bad patches and unless you earn a living off it relax and enjoy taking pictures and as it has been said if there is something you do not like say what it is and someone will help you on the forum. It is not the first time I have been disappointed with what I have come home with and unfortunately will not be the last.

[StephenBatey]

To my eyes, your problem isn't with the settings, the camera or the lens. It's your approach.

You said that you didn't use a tripod. That is your first big mistake. A tripod should make you think about what you're photographing, and take care about it. Your first photograph (if I've correctly interpreted what you wanted and why you took it) failed spectacularly because of a host of small details that you should have noticed.

I'll add a big caveat. I wouldn't have thought anyone could be so dim, but I am assured that many photographers, when they deign to use a tripod, plonk it down and shoot from the spot where it landed. Your camera position is the biggest change of setting you can make, and the most important. Get that wrong, and there's nothing you can do afterwards. Yes, you can make a satin purse (never a silk one) from a sow's ear with Photoshop, but it will always be second best. Put the camera on a tripod, and then walk around and find where to set it up. If it takes you half an hour to find that spot, so what? I've taken that long over it.

I know that technical solutions are nearly always the preferred ones, because they're the easy ones. My suggestion is harder. Sorry to be blunt, but from experience if I soften the message it rarely gets through.

[ABERS]

I maybe wrong but I have a sneaking feeling that you are a little bit pleased with your work but too shy to say,'Hey look at what I've done!', and self denigration is one way of getting some critique on your work.

There are no spectaclular failures here, just photographs that don't quite 'hit the spot'.

Giving up is too final, admitting defeat will serve no good purpose.

Before you take advice from anyone make sure they know what they are talking about. Have a look at their work, if it's possible to do so, see how they approach the subject. You may find an answer to your frustrations here on the forum but if you can talk face to face with other photographers that would be even better.

Good luck, nil desperandum!

[xavier]

Frankly Gratris these shots look good enough to be on sume calender!! maybe I'm wrong BUT they look good to me!

[StephenBatey]

[QUOTE=ABERS;84933

Before you take advice from anyone make sure they know what they are talking about. Have a look at their work, if it's possible to do so, see how they approach the subject. You may find an answer to your frustrations here on the forum but if you can talk face to face with other photographers that would be even better.

Good luck, nil desperandum![/QUOTE]

I can't agree there. The value of advice depends on its quality, not who gives it. To first decide if the person is worth listening to, and ignoring anything they say if you decide that they aren't is deferring to authority in the worst possible way.

Weigh the advice according to whether it seems reasonable and makes sense, not because an "expert" has given it - experts can be wrong. And don't ignore it because you think that the person can't take a reasonable photo to save his life. They may still say things worth considering.

[Mr Bump]

The first thing that struck me about your images Gratris is that they look quite flat / 2-dimensional and somewhat washed out. The EXIF data tells me that you took them early afternoon on a fairly dull day. If you are interested in landscape photography one key quality that separates successful photographers from casual snappers is the absolute determination to be in the right place at the right time. This requires prior research of the location and the willingness to be there when the light is just right. Light, subject, viewpoint, composition, focal point and leading lines all need to be just right if you wish to aspire to the standards of respected landscape photographers.

As others have commented, a tripod is essential. The used aperture of f5.6 is very unlikely to give you the depth of field needed for views of that nature. But, more than anything, what makes this genre of photography 'hard' is getting out there days or weeks before your final shots to explore and observe, being there before sunrise if necessary. Grabbed midday shots on a dull November day are never going to amount to much. Don't give up. Instead apply more determination. Perhaps pick up a book such as Joe Cornish's excellent 'First Light: A Landscape Photographer's Art' for inspiration and guidance.

Good luck
Bump