Finding Your Eye: Journey Of Fascination ~ Apologizing

 

This weeks photo journal assignment for Kat's Finding Your Eye: Journey of Fascination starts with a question.   Have you ever apologized about any aspect of your photography? My answer is "YES." Many times I have felt the need to apologize or make excuses for my photos.

 

 

When I first started this journey into photography I didn’t know anything about photography. I had a small point and shoot camera and just took snapshots. Through blogging I was exposed to some of the most beautiful photographs. I spend hours looking at blogs, mainly the photographs. I knew this was something I wanted to do. I fell in love with photography. I was fascinated with nature, especially macro images of nature. As I started sharing more photos on my blog and taking photo prompt classes, I began to compare my photos to others. That’s when I listened to that inner voice that said I wasn’t good enough. I didn’t have the right equipment or the knowledge to be good enough.

Do you want to hear what my definition of a real photographer was? Pay attention to the word "was" in that last sentence, I no longer feel this way. A photographer is:

• someone with the top-of-the-line name brand camera and several expensive lens
• someone that always, always shoots in manual
• someone that never used auto focus
• someone that knows everything about their camera and can adjust settings without thinking
• someone that gets it right in camera
• someone that sells their images

I certainly didn’t measure up to my idea of a real photographer.

 

 

I'm going to be brave and just share several secrets with you about my photography.

 

• I own a Sony, not a Nikon or Cannon. When I bought my first dSLR camera, I was terrified that someone would ask me the brand I chose. I felt others would look down on a Sony.
• I'd rather shoot macro images with my point and shoot camera, even though I have a nice dSLR camera and two macro lens. For one thing, I don't have trouble with camera shake or the hassle of a tripod.
• I don't think I've ever shot in manual, I use the program mode, aperture, or shutter priority.
• Here's a really bad one, I use auto focus a lot! On my Sony camera, I set my focus area and then let the camera focus while I use both hands to steady the camera.
• I do not know all the bells and whistles on my camera.
• Even when I learn about my camera, I have a tendency to forget that knowledge when I'm out shooting.
• I have never sold an image and never plan to.
• I rarely get it just right in the camera. I always have to add a little contrast or color adjustment or crop.
• Yes, I said crop! I do crop my pictures, sometimes severely!

There it is, all written down in a list!  Now you see why I didn't think I measured up to my "photographer" definition.

Slowly, and I mean slowly, my confidence has been building. I now can say that I am a photographer. I now realize that I can take pictures with what I have. If I’m pleased with the images from my camera, why does it matter what name is across the front. I now realize that I can take pictures the way I want of what I want. My photos are an expression of myself not someone else. I’m now trying to focus more on the reasons I love photography. Most of time it’s not even the end results...the photo. It’s the inner joy I receive when I’m out with my camera capturing nature’s beauty. It’s the proud feeling I get when I try something new and it works. It's the pleasure I receive when I share the beauty of nature with others and I receive kind comments.

 

Building self-confidence doesn’t happen over night, I still have many moments when I feel unworthy. There are times when I find it hard to push the button and share my photos.

 
One last thing, all the images on this post were taken with a Fuji FinePix f31 point and shoot camera using the macro setting. I let the camera choose the exposure settings and focus, and then  I cropped. I will say I love these images. I'm proud of them. I am the photographer who took them.