Failed photo days - who else has them?
Discussion
So I was invited out to Northumberland yesterday and thought it would be a good opportunity to do some landscape and seascape photos, rather than the regular haunts I live near to.
Ok, I knew the day would be difficult with a flat grey sky - no clouds to add definition and no blue to add colour - just flat light grey.
Anyway, undaunted I tried shots of a castle, some peacocks wandering around , some rolling waves and even tried to get the geometry of smaller waves breaking around a beached log. Involved tripod, filters, different lenses and kicked sand into my bag
And for what? Diddly squat. Appreciate I'm not an expert like many on here but am I the only one to have a completely failed photo - days, or do others experience it too? (he asks hoping some of the experts on here ALSO have poor days
)
Ok, I knew the day would be difficult with a flat grey sky - no clouds to add definition and no blue to add colour - just flat light grey.
Anyway, undaunted I tried shots of a castle, some peacocks wandering around , some rolling waves and even tried to get the geometry of smaller waves breaking around a beached log. Involved tripod, filters, different lenses and kicked sand into my bag

And for what? Diddly squat. Appreciate I'm not an expert like many on here but am I the only one to have a completely failed photo - days, or do others experience it too? (he asks hoping some of the experts on here ALSO have poor days
)You could try some striking angles in b/w - punch the contrast up to compensate for flat light - or get a macro lens out and look for small things.
But essentially, to take a decent photo it helps if you start with a decent scene in front of you. If the elements of a landscape are not there or the light is crap, don't bother
But essentially, to take a decent photo it helps if you start with a decent scene in front of you. If the elements of a landscape are not there or the light is crap, don't bother

^ what Simpo said 
If the sky's crap then I would exclude it and concentrate on minamalist type pics, although not to everyone's taste

Marys Shell by paulsflicker, on Flickr

Into the eather by paulsflicker, on Flickr

10 stops - 10 steps by paulsflicker, on Flickr

If the sky's crap then I would exclude it and concentrate on minamalist type pics, although not to everyone's taste


Marys Shell by paulsflicker, on Flickr

Into the eather by paulsflicker, on Flickr

10 stops - 10 steps by paulsflicker, on Flickr
Lol ay the replies, and minimalist photos, well everyday is a school day here, thanks, very interesting and not something I even thought about!
Glad it's not just me then, and I'll no longer let my little voice tell me I would be better off train spotting! Sounds like I can fail with the best of you
Glad it's not just me then, and I'll no longer let my little voice tell me I would be better off train spotting! Sounds like I can fail with the best of you

Quite often, if the light isn't right it's not right.
In these circumstances I tend to look for a detail shot ghat doesn't require an interesting sky but to be honest my passion is for the big vista so it can be frustrating. That said its nice to be out and about even if the shot isn't there, particularly early morning.
In these circumstances I tend to look for a detail shot ghat doesn't require an interesting sky but to be honest my passion is for the big vista so it can be frustrating. That said its nice to be out and about even if the shot isn't there, particularly early morning.
markmullen said:
Quite often, if the light isn't right it's not right.
In these circumstances I tend to look for a detail shot ghat doesn't require an interesting sky but to be honest my passion is for the big vista so it can be frustrating. That said its nice to be out and about even if the shot isn't there, particularly early morning.
I'm seriously guilty of always looking for the big shot and not for the details even though they usually come out pretty good. In these circumstances I tend to look for a detail shot ghat doesn't require an interesting sky but to be honest my passion is for the big vista so it can be frustrating. That said its nice to be out and about even if the shot isn't there, particularly early morning.
Getting better at seeing the simple compositions and bw let NGOs exposures etc. Not my strong point.
I had one this morning, I was up in Ayrshire delivering a Porsche to one of my customers, so decided to leave at 6am this morning to try Turnberry lighthouse, it waschucking down from low cloud so decided to try Portpatrick in case the cloud was local, it wasn't, it was grey and wet there too, there wasn't even a big sea to try and redeem it, so I had a walk about for an hour, then headed home. Cameras never came out of their bag.
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