Is our Photography better?

Never a fan of PP - but the worm has had to turn this year - to truly put out top notch shots from a GX10 you need to go RAW - that's why the button is so easy to hit I guess...
(Hoping the K5 will help the metering/under exposure for straight JPEGs...)
Always learning, always improving - but good weather is needed for my motivation - extreme snow/extreme sun are fine - its the grey rainy windy days that turn me off

Good thread.

I have just ditched a load of my photos as there was too much rubbish cluttering up my flickr. I started this lark a year and a half ago and having just completed this exercise I can say that I have definitely improved. However, I did start from a level of incompetent.

I enjoy the process of photography even though I know most of the photos I take are going to be average and destined for the bin. That doesn't matter as it continues to teach me different ways of viewing the world.

My main immediate aims are a few more changes of scenery, I need to learn Photoshop and I need to cut out a bit of laziness. I think I've worked out now what makes a good photo and I have a very firm idea of the level I am aspiring to reach. I probably won't get there but I very much doubt I'll ever get bored trying.

I hope in a year's time to look back and consider most of my current photos rubbish too.

You sound like you subconsciously don't want to improve.

I've improved - but as a novice who only got more 'serious' about photography (and kitted up) in January, it would be a poor do if I hadn't developed a bit, particularly on the technical side. For me the challenge is more about learning to 'see' what will make good images.

But for those of you more experienced/talented, I think this is a more nuanced question . For some, improvement will be about technical skills, for others simply applying what they have a bit more or to new situations/perpectives. And for others it's probably not really about 'improvement', but about finding something that inspires them. Always feels like your improving when you're enthused!

Treading water, to be truthful. Although I've had fun taking pictures.

I need to stand in front of more interesting things for starters.

Posting images to this site has helped enormously: when you know other people are going to see your stuff and comment or (even worse) not comment, then you take the whole thing more seriously.

Couldn't imagine life without my Pentaxes, though...

John what a wonderful post

But is it self-improvement or better equipment

For example have you updated your camera bought yourself a higher spec lens?

I know from experience in wedding photography I have improved enormously
In photography, controlling light, controlling people, more imaginative poses and better post processing.

BUT equipment and experience has walked hand in hand

Camera has stayed the same
Lenses have remained the same
I use two flashes (one hammer Metz cl45) one cannon speed light on a tx and rx with a 24” soft box and two or three reflectors and some flash filters (mainly green)

Post processing has been better aided with the addition of colormunki and a better monitor dell ultra sharp



All the above has stayed the same with the exception of the monitor and colormunki

I hope this makes sense

I would say with only a couple of equipment changes in the past twelve months technique and photography has improved but Pentax users have played a really big part in my improvement I could not have done it with out positive and negative comments

James

I'm in the constantly learning camp. I reckon that over the past 12 months I've become more aware of what constitutes a photo opportunity, better equipped to grasp the opportunity, and much better placed (admittedly from a very low base) to pp the results.

I've also picked up some hardware that has helped too - in all departments (K5, lenses, monitor, software), but I like to think that any advances I've made cannot solely be attributed to this - and in any case I've demonstrated advanced knowledge in acquiring such superior products.

I've actually been sorting out my prints taken over 20 years, and having had a lot of memories reignited, I can't say my photography has improved significantly over time, although I take fewer binned shots. If I shot exclusively digital then I would say my photography hasn't improved, although the breadth of subjects I have photographed has widened.

Going back to film occasionally has helped me keep my standard of photographic competence up to a reasonable level...at least it forces me to use aperture/speed so that I use a 15-shot/36-shot roll more efficiently and that I get correctly exposed shots time after time.

I think I've improved, but that's partly due to trying new things. I feel that my real passion is the black and white ones, and to be honest I haven't found a succession of three DSLR's and various lenses to be helping me with those - the old pictures on the obselete Sony F707 are still my favourites (as in the link below the line).

I suspect that's simply because the Sony has an electronic viewfinder, so you can compose the image in black and white if set up that way. It makes a huge difference. In all other respects the K5 blows it away.

I think I've got the hang of much of the technology - it is the art I'm trying to improve.

Those are stunning shots, but dont forget you can still do this with the K5 in Live View / RAW + jpeg mode

I used to enjoy the method of composing on-screen with my c5060 - it also had a flip screen that encouraged you to find interesting angles.

Yes, much improved since moving to a DSLR and lenses.

Much more to learn though.

More self critical of output

Many more places to visit to take the photos I want to keep.

Much more interested in surroundings when out walking

Disappointed when conditions poor or subject not as expected

Enjoying this Forum and gallery in context of this thread

I am a little better than one year ago, in my opinion. But, my learning curve has started to plateau. Not because I know it all , but because I don't seem to get the time lately to persevere with it.
As P-Phile says, Life and laziness get in the way

I hope it`s getting better. Just bought a K5 because "I see the picture better now" although of course others may have a different view.

I think, and hope, that I'm getting better. Certainly the competitions in this forum have made me think a lot more about what I am trying to achieve and how to get there before I start.

The downside is that I find it very difficult to use anything out of my archive as I now know that I can do so much better .

Glyn

Either I'm getting better or my fellow Camera Club members are getting worse, I seem to be doing better in competitions every year.