Not every photo is the best or a winner, but I think it’s important to appreciate and remember the photos that aren’t your favorite. These photos might not even be bad, but in my opinion, they just don’t speak to me, or I don’t feel like I executed my vision properly. Let’s explore some of my “meh” photos - again in my opinion.
These three photos above were taken in August of 2018. At the time, Andrew and I were living 10 minutes outside of Ames in a farmhouse. There were a lot of interesting things to take photos of, but not all of my ideas worked out. Personally, I think these photos lack interest. They’re interesting in their own way maybe, but they don’t have that “thing.”
Three little birds…all taken in March of 2018. They’re not terrible, but they’re not incredibly sharp photos and not the best as far as composition goes. It doesn’t help that I was shooting behind thick glass! I feel like these shots were just lazy. I didn’t put much thought behind them, which is why they’ve made it here on this list.
On a Saturday morning, in April of 2019, I decided to subject myself to torture by waking up at 5:00am in order to get some shots of the sunrise. These obviously aren’t sunrise photos. I took these later in the morning after my sunrise photos failed. I’m not a fan of these because I feel like they were a last-ditch effort to get a good shot that day. That being said, I’m glad I pushed myself to go out and shoot regardless of what I captured!
This is my failed sunrise shot. The colors are kind of pretty, and it was a gorgeous morning, but there is no interest in the sky and there isn’t a foreground. It’s mostly just silhouette, which is okay, but I don’t think works great in this photo. I think some clouds would have made this more interesting, but I obviously had no control over that. I am proud of myself for getting out there in the brisk spring air before the sun came up, though!
Okay, I’m sorry. I know it’s August, but these make the list. These snowy shots were taken in early 2018. I was working at the farm at the time, but for some reason, I had a day off, so I thought I would try to capture the freshly fallen snow. It was beautiful, but the photos just really didn’t do it justice. They ended up coming out quite “blah” which is why they made the list of my not-favorites.
I often explore my yard to find little details to shoot. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes…I just take pictures of random bits of junk! It’s fun though, because it takes pressure off of me. I always feel the need to take a good picture. Every photo I produce has to be great, but the truth is…that is unrealistic and impossible.
Well there you have it. Those are some of my not-so-favorite photos. I’ve kept them, obviously, which is a way for me to document my progress. At one time, I thought these photos were alright, but as I grow and learn, I hold higher standards for myself. Like I said above, it’s unrealistic to expect perfection. Always do your best, but don’t put so much pressure on yourself that you end up procrastinating (I’m guilty). A short-term goal I have for myself is to just do more, and shoot more even if I don’t like what I shoot. Just get out there and do what you love, and good things will follow!
Δ Abbi