46. photographers take 10,000 pictures before they even get good [π·]
here's some pictures of my neighborhood i took on my walk today:
π· open me!!
let's start with some cats!! i love cats!! our neighborhood has a lot of strays, but they were all a bit skittish in front of the camera, so i didn't push it.
they all looked sleepy, apart from this sweet taxi cat, who was very curious about the camera!
and here are some actual, non-cat related pictures.
i tried to take pictures on the same walk yesterday, but all of them didn't come out good. i don't think these came out great either, but i really like them regardless. especially the cat ones :) ...
they say photographers take 10,000 pictures before they get good.
... i read it somewhere on reddit (no pun intended!!), on a thread i can't find. and then i browsed some older posts in the photography subreddit, particularly from beginners like me who want to learn how to take nicer photos. since i wanted to be better myself after not feeling satisfied yesterday.
wow reddit is mean (and it's making me sad)
shocker right?? anyway maybe they're not meaning to, but i've come across a LOT of snarky comments under beginner posts. maybe part of me is still in denial of constructive ctiticism, as a beginner, but reading "advice" just made me more self-conscious than anything...!! i saw a comment poking fun of "oh wow ANOTHER flower picture! yawn." and i literally have a flower picture up there... is it... too boring now??
there were terms thrown around that i understand on a surface level, but have a hard time putting into practice. and that makes me feel antsy about the photographs i take... composition is one. i don't live in a place neat enough for clean, clear, composed shots. there is too much going on in the background sometimes, so now i'm conscious about what a "clear subject" should look like. "professionals" in the field say it's pointless to take pictures of ordinary, everyday things. things people have seen too many times. if there's no interesting subject (or any subject at all), then don't even bother taking that photo!! no one wants nothingburger photos!! your pictures lack character!! where is the visual storytelling!! well what happens if i don't live anywhere interesting and don't have the money for travel?
do i just...?? give up?? (no!!)
maybe reddit wasn't the best place for this, and so i turned to youtube. their search function has been utter dogshit for a while now, but i was desperately searching for anyone who's had the same struggle as me... having a boring life with nothing to shoot.
If your life is too boring to photograph: you're wrong. ο»Ώ
no one else is living my life. something that really struck me about max kent's video on shooting boring things in your boring life1. and it's a fresh change of perspective that REALLY pulled me out of the demotivation trenches, reminding me that there's something magical about the mundanity of every day life... because it's my own!! something about it comforts me and gave me the inspiration to just get out there and shoot pictures without thinking about it too much!!
unfortunately, i still don't know how composition works. i don't know what counts as a "subject" or not when i'm only photographing my neighborhood street, for example. nor am i too sure if i'm creating a visual story through my pictures. like what can a utility pole against the sky really say to the viewer? DOES it even have anything meaningful to say? i don't know. i'm scared i'm not doing things right...
but!! it's only been a few days of owning a camera, and the pictures i've taken today satisfy me!! and the few people who've seen it seem to like it as well... i guess that should count for something, right? until then, i'll just keep taking pictures of my boring life!! if i do it enough, i might even get to 10,000!!
... sorry for the mess of a post u_u my thoughts are scrambled today. i've been dealing with some personal feelings too on the side, so my self-esteem has been six feet under,, i only ever have myself to talk to for most of the time, so i'd like to think sometimes that people are listening to me here.
sometimes.
links of interest:
π email me? angelais@protonmail.com
if you're too shy, you can sign my guestbook anonymously! 
"Landscape Photography in the World's Most Boring Location." Thomas Heaton (YT). this one's a pretty good video too, with loads of creativity. i'd say a farmland is still pretty scenic. i guess when you're in a completely different part of the world, these ordinary things are impressive!
"Why You Should Photograph Your βBoringβ Life." Max Kent (YT).↩