What limits you as a photographer? What is your Achilles heel?

I have so much to improve on as this is a most complex craft to master. I try to make my self improvements bit by bit (film only). I used to want to be able to shoot exotic locations, like China, Bombay, England, and all the rest . Then I'd have great content right? No I had to arrive at my own "Ah-Ha", that is I all ready live in what is a Great location to shoot. After all is it not exotic to all that live in other parts of the world. I learned to see with new eyes the wonders all around me they may seem very strange to someone in say St.Petersburg . .. ... Russia. So slowly ahead I slog bit by bit , two forward, one back. (Bet there's some really good stuff to shoot in Sidney!)
 
functus said:
The nagging feeling that somebody else has already taken a shot exactly like the one I am about to, only better.
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I think this feeling can be avoided by trying to work towards putting together a meaningful series of shots instead of a collection of unrelated single images. Someone might've taken a shot exactly like yours but it's unlikely that someone else would put together a series of shots exactly like yours.

I look at it this way. If I were a writer writing a novel i wouldn't worry about using a metaphor some other writer may or may not have used before. I'd worry whether or not that metaphor was the right one to convey what I wanted to express.
 
Not consciously switching sides of the brain when shooting! After decades I'm a very good technician. But unless I make a conscious choice, I tend to shoot technically good photos that lack humanity. I've gotten better over the years in that regard, but it still trips me up too often.
 
I heard recently that the whole left side/right side of the brain paradigm has been debunked. Unless ones corpus callosum has been surgically severed, the brain hemispheres communicate freely and function as a unit.

But then Pickett may just be speaking metaphorically.
 
What limits me is myself. I need to work on the ability to walk around with an open mind so I am able to see the things that would make good shots that are right in front of me. I see good shots but I know I am missing a lot of things that are in plain view that I overlook. Maybe I am lacking a vision of some kind, but I think it can be improved by working on it. Jim
 
FrankS said:
Really good photographers are driven. They live and breathe photography, and everything else is secondary. I'm not in that league. Work and family responsibilities are my primary concerns and they use up most of my time and energy. What is left can be used for personal pursuits, and laziness cuts into that small portion.

But that's okay, I don't want to be anywhere else.
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Dear Frank,

Unfortunately, that's true of some really bad ones too. But you are of course absolutely right in the vast majority of cases. 'Living and breathing' photography is not a sufficient condition, but it is a necessary one for almost all of the great photographers I can think of (not sure about Lartigue).

Disproportionately many of the successful photographers I known have made a lot of space in their lives for drink and drugs too, and quite a few have lived more or less 'extreme' lifestyles. One I knew lived in his car for three months. It was a Rolls Royce!

Among those who work outside the obviously commercial, principally by various forms of reportage but also by Fine Art, many live quite modestly when they're not travelling or shooting (and even more modestly when they are). The money that others would spend on families, real estate, possessions, retirement schemes, etc., goes into photography instead.

For saving money on food while travelling, see
http://www.semiadventuroustraveler.com/semi picnic.html
http://www.semiadventuroustraveler.com/semi menu.html
and for saving money on rooms see http://www.semiadventuroustraveler.com/semi look at room.html

"Take what you want, and pay for it, saieth the Lord."

Cheers,

R.
 
Roger Hicks said:
'Living and breathing' photography is not a sufficient condition, but it is a necessary one for almost all of the great photographers I can think of (not sure about Lartigue). R.
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I think Bill Gates remarked that it takes 10,000 hours of time devoted to one's work or hobby to become expert at it. That may explain why driven artists are generally good - it reflects time on task. As you point out, it may not guarantee that someone will be proficient but it is an indicator. Aptitude is impotant, but I doubt anyone devotes 10,000 hours to something that they have no aptitude for.
 
"but I doubt anyone devotes 10,000 hours to something that they have no aptitude for."

lol. I've devoted at least that many hours to playing guitar over the last 50 years, and I still suck!
 
pvdhaar said:
Gear..

As in 'too much gear' for my own good.
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-Amen to that. I keep telling myself that I should get rid of some of my kit, and rather focus on taking better photos with what I keep - rather than letting my GAS get the better of me and keep scanning eBay for that Holy Grail of photography, whatever that may be.

Then again, buying new (to me) kit is fun...
 
aperture64 said:
I started to do this when I had more money to spend. I started to realized I would stress over what to bring, for hours. So, I sold off almost everything and now work with only small amount of gear. I definitely saw quality go up when it comes to images. Using the same gear day in and day out allows you to 'forget' about equipment when out shooting. It becomes an extension of your eye.
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That's exactly what I do haha it's horrible.. :bang: I SHOULD sell some of my gear so I can master using what I have.. when I was in college I just shot with my Nikon F3 and a 50mm lens and was really happy with my photographs.. when you only have one camera, you don't worry about which head to choose.
 
What limits you as a photographer? What is your Achilles heel?

At the moment it's my Achilles heel!

Over the last few weeks I've been suffering from Plantar fasciitis and walking has become quite painful.
 
Somehow I gradually chose to work nine hours a day with 3 1/2 hours travel time. Often weekends too. I'm not sure how that happened, but I'm looking around to change it this year.

I would say the use of the time you have is chosen by you - one doesn't have to work, marry, raise a family etc. these are all choices not accidents . . . errrmmm, although lots of children come from accidents, so I'm told . . .
 
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Were all great photographers inherently talented at the beginning or for some did something click at some point?

I do not believe talent can so easily be defined as something you either have or do not. Time changes everything some of the time 😉
 
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