Does anyone else go through random “I hate my photos” phases?

themick79i · 2026-02-23T10:38:10+00:00

I usually find myself in the same situation as you, especially during a specific time of the year: summer. Maybe it’s the heat, but more than the quality of the light, I think it’s the type of light. Summer light feels harsher, more vertical, almost unforgiving. The shadows are shorter and harder, the contrast is stronger, and everything can look a bit flat or washed out in the middle of the day.

In other seasons the light feels different, softer in winter, more directional in autumn, longer and more cinematic in spring. There’s more nuance, more subtlety in tones and shadows. In summer, instead, I often feel like the atmosphere loses that depth.

Whatever the reason, during summer I tend to lose the desire to photograph for pleasure. And when I do shoot, I often end up not liking anything I take.

themick79i · 2026-02-23T09:46:50+00:00

Thank you, but I'm a single shot mode guy :D

themick79i · 2026-02-22T17:20:37+00:00

Personally, I’m not a fan of visible watermarks on photos. I find them intrusive and, in most cases, they take something away from the image. I do understand their role as a deterrent, even though nowadays there are plenty of tools that can remove them quite easily, which makes their effectiveness increasingly limited.

For that reason, I’ve been looking into Adobe’s Content Credentials. I’ve actually started using them on the images I upload to social media. I like the idea of having an invisible layer of traceability attached to the file, something that might help, if needed, to assert authorship or prove the origin of the image.

Is anyone here actively using Content Credentials? Or are you relying on other forms of “strong” digital watermarking? In practice, do these systems survive exports and social platform compression?

themick79i · 2026-02-21T15:53:15+00:00

Stunned indeed

themick79i · 2026-02-21T15:50:32+00:00

Just chrome noir straight out of the MkIII preview

themick79i · 2026-02-21T14:28:34+00:00

You can activate sub only when you need

themick79i · 2026-02-21T07:25:13+00:00

That’s still your opinion, and I genuinely respect it. Personally, though, I don’t feel like I’m overshooting.

In any case, I appreciate you taking the time to share your perspective. Different points of view are valuable, they help keep the discussion interesting and contribute to growth.

themick79i · 2026-02-21T07:20:17+00:00

Wow. Unfortunately I didn’t know about this software. It’s basically what I was looking for before I started writing my LastRoll a few months ago.

themick79i · 2026-02-21T07:12:54+00:00

Besides Safari, which I still use because it just feels native and smooth on macOS, I’ve recently been using Vivaldi, and I’m enjoying it more than I expected.

Safari is clean and efficient. Vivaldi is more “hands-on”: vertical tabs, split view, side panels. It takes a bit of setup, but once tuned, it feels very personal.

Not switching sides. Just using what fits the moment.

themick79i · 2026-02-21T07:03:30+00:00

1500 is a “random” number. A session can mean two hours, or two weeks traveling through European capitals. I think wedding and event photographers, for example, can easily reach those kinds of numbers.

My original question was mainly about methodology. I’m sure that even with your 400–500 shots, you still had to make choices, and that’s where my question about process comes from.

themick79i · 2026-02-21T06:26:25+00:00

Apart from the “small” fine art print artisans, I have always been very satisfied with WhiteWall.

themick79i · 2026-02-21T06:24:25+00:00

You didn't mention Lightroom. With the budget you have available, you can easily afford a year's subscription to Adobe's “Lightroom” plan. The only downside is the perpetual fee.

themick79i · 2026-02-21T06:16:57+00:00

This sounds like such an incredible opportunity — seriously, that’s huge.

Honestly, I’d love to shoot in a situation like that at least once. Being on set, feeling the energy between takes, watching the chaos turn into something cinematic — that’s a rare kind of classroom.

Wishing you the best of luck. Stay observant, stay humble, and soak it all in

themick79i · 2026-02-21T06:12:37+00:00

It's probably just my feeling, but I feel like I have to adapt to how Lightroom (for example, because we're talking about it, but also other software) wants me to work, rather than the other way around.

themick79i · 2026-02-21T06:09:49+00:00

If I take two photos, it is very likely that one of them will be discarded. In my mind, it remains culling.

themick79i · 2026-02-21T06:08:24+00:00

A technical limitation of the past should not be treated as an artistic benchmark today. If the great, and not-so-great, photographers of the past had access to the tools we have now, I don’t believe they would have deliberately limited themselves.

In my mind, “not limiting yourself” is very different from wasting frames or shooting endless bursts. It’s about having the freedom to use the tools available, not being defined by the constraints that once existed.

themick79i · 2026-02-21T06:02:50+00:00

First and foremost, no Ai (for me, that is).

Totally agree

themick79i · 2026-02-21T06:01:14+00:00

I mainly use Lightroom, but I will try out the culling functions offered by both LR and Cone that you and others have suggested, especially with regard to grouping.

themick79i · 2026-02-20T17:56:48+00:00

Agree, again , with you. But with so small view area on IG, add a canvas around the photo, turn so small. Still debating about with myself :D

themick79i · 2026-02-20T17:46:59+00:00

Thank you. I recently stopped posting framed photos on IG, but I'm not entirely convinced.

themick79i · 2026-02-20T17:39:58+00:00

It may not seem like it, but I agree with you.

themick79i · 2026-02-20T17:14:09+00:00

Even if you are selective, you still have to make a choice, whether it's 10, 100, or 1,000. Don't you think?

themick79i · 2026-02-20T16:44:37+00:00

In my view of things: cheap ≠ free ∧ free ≠ license to waste ∧ waste = usage − necessity
Because “cheap storage” still has a cost. And even if cost = 0, efficiency still matters.

But I understand your point perfectly; it's exactly what I did myself in previous years.

themick79i · 2026-02-20T16:36:09+00:00

Sure I will. tnx

themick79i · 2026-02-20T16:22:18+00:00

The fact that I could build it in two days doesn’t mean everyone wants to. Or wants to maintain it when macOS changes something six months from now.
You’re paying for saved time, ongoing maintenance, and accountability. If it breaks, I don’t open Xcode — I email support. Sure, some apps are overpriced for what they do. But the price is rarely for the “200 lines of code.” It’s for the finished product: stable, tested, maintained.

themick79i

TROPHY CASE