When Our Photos Disappoint Us

Broom sage field in Lewisville, North Carolina.

Great Expectations

Several days ago, in the Someone’s Story post, I mentioned visiting a broom sage field one morning that was bathed in golden sunlight.

In the scene above, I was attracted to the tonal and color differences between the bright broom sage in the foreground and the dark forest in the distant background, as well as to the difference in the focus between the foreground and background.

The small range of in-focus area in the broom sage was due to using a nearly wide-open aperture on a telephoto lens. Admittedly, it’s a little hard to distinguish the details in the relatively small version of the image shown above.

Reality

Later, as I reviewed the images I’d taken of the broom sage, I was somewhat disappointed in them. There were aspects of the shots that I liked, yet none of the images really wowed me.

But being disappointed in one’s photos at times is to be expected. When we’re out taking pictures, we often have tucked away in the back of our minds a grand image that we hope to capture. And quite honestly, there’s sometimes a huge chasm between what we’ve envisioned and the photos we actually end up with.

I have a few other thoughts on why our photos sometimes disappoint us.

The Why of Disappointing Photos

There are a number of reasons why our photos don’t always pan out. Here are a few that readily come to mind:

• Technical Knowledge — Lack of technical knowledge in how to take a particular shot. For example, a shot might require additional lighting, and we’ve simply not made the time and effort to learn certain beneficial lighting techniques. Or perhaps we don’t really know how to use all the features of our cameras and are therefore ill-prepared to use it well in varying situations.
• Implementation — Failure to implement the knowledge that we do have. For instance, maybe we were a little lazy and didn’t carry or set up a tripod for a scene that needed the extra depth of field that could only be obtained by putting the camera on a tripod and using a small aperture and slow shutter speed.
• Environmental Conditions — Environmental conditions that are less than ideal. Sometimes when it’s convenient for us to take a particular outdoor shot, the lighting is just not interesting. Typically, some of the most dramatic light occurs during the early or late hours of the day. Many of us are either unable or are otherwise disinclined to take photos during early-morning or late-afternoon hours. Weather is another factor that may dramatically impact a photo. A fellow photographer recently mentioned to me the adage: “Bad weather makes good pictures.” Yet bad weather often deters us from venturing out.

Share Your Thoughts

There are most likely other key reasons why our photos sometimes disappoint us. Perhaps you’d like to offer a few of your own thoughts that come to mind. If so, feel free to leave your comments by entering them in the “Comments” box below. We’re all in this together — learning how to be better photographers.

An Alternate Shot

To close out this post, I thought I’d show another version of the scene above and see if anyone likes it better. Or maybe you don’t like either photo! Leave me a comment — whatever your assessment!

Well, what do you think? Is this a keeper or a goner?! Don’t be shy!

Broom sage field in Lewisville, North Carolina.