Attempting to overcome perfectionism

[kimberkit]

I saw sunflowereyed today, and she has the coolest purple glasses. Her green eyes sparkle in them, behind the shimmering lenses and fringed by the wisps of elfin hair she currently sports. I wanted a camera. I also saw: a lady with the most awful, eyesearingly pink hat imaginable (it was so awful it was photogenic), sunflowereyed's exceedingly enthusiastic puppy's nose, and turquoise salt scattered on the street, making a small, haphazard elf circle on the black pavement.

I wanted to break out the camera, but I've been afraid to take photos because of the amount of investment in Photoshop that I feel I have to do in order to really put up good shots. I have been overrun by perfectionism, the sense that these ordinary things are "not good enough" somehow to love, even though I clearly do love them. So I'm describing it all here for you, but...

underwatercolor and other photographers, what would you do?

Comments

[regyt.livejournal.com]

The perfect is the enemy of the good.

...in the dark...

[underwatercolor.livejournal.com]

Well... I know what I do. I take the photos anyway. Lots of them, and I get really close so I can macro some sparkly details.* Then I forget about them. I repeat this until something runs out of space and my semi-truck of photos collides with a monitor. I only photoshop/post the sparkliest ones, and toss the rest at big spinning metal things. :)

If my camera expects me to tweak every photo I take-- well, I wish it good luck negotiating that scene. :)

(I'd be happy to help with more specifics and/or less silly, as desired. :)

* Unless there's insufficient light, then I cuddle people instead. *cuddles* :)

Re: ...in the dark...

[kimberkit.livejournal.com]

*smile* That's a way better idea than attempting to force myself to edit every tiny batch. Both ideas, actually -- the cuddling and the forgetting about editing in equal spades :) (Although often people don't like being cuddled, and that makes me have to remember to sit on my hands, which is less good for both photography and a little bit for my mental headspace.)

[malinalda.livejournal.com]

I think this is one of the advantages of my addiction to film rather than digital cameras - scanning and photoshopping film images generally feels like cheating rather than a necessary part of the process. (That doesn't mean I haven't been known to get perfectionistic in the darkroom, too, when I actually have access to a darkroom, but being perfectionistic in the darkroom is more fun. :-p )

[kimberkit.livejournal.com]

I think this is probably correct, although you need the right film... :P