"F" is for Field Trip...

...and "frustrated" and another f-word that I will refrain from using.

The past several weekends, I have had a great time taking what I considered very good photographs and under flawless conditions. I have been very happy with the progress I have made from the time I got my camera last June and started classes 4 weeks ago.

But today was our first class field trip and buddy boy, let me tell you, I blew it. I took 310 shots of absolute crapola. I will chalk it up to several factors, but it all comes back to me, I have to become a better photographer so I can anticipate and get around it when these things come up.

• Conditions - It was rainy early, then misty, nasty, wet, gray with a 100% chance of "blah".
• Pressure - I was shooting with I guess 30 or 40 classmates, so I put pressure on myself. I'm used to shooting by myself, at my leisure, with no expectations from anyone but me.
• Herd Mentality - It's hard to be unique and let the pictures form in your mind before you shoot them, when you have 40 other people around you clicking away. What are they seeing that I'm not? Ooo...is that a good angle that she's got? I should check that out? etc
  
• Exposure - After feeling comfortable with this for a week or two, I lost it today. I was struggling with getting a large enough aperture in the weak lighting and that caused slow shutter speeds, making it hard to get crisp shots.

Waaaaaah! Waaaaaah! Want some cheese with that whine? Nah, I'm good. I'm just recognizing it for what it is. A temporary set back. I have to look at the big picture. I've made a lot of progress in just 4 weeks, so having to take a step back is okay.

Just the same, I started this blog to document how things go and not just the good shots. So for what it's worth, here are some of the shots I took today. No Photoshop work either, although I am tempted to straighten up several of these!

Yep, this morning's photo shoot was a "bust" (yeah, that was bad but I couldn't resist).

There Is No Substitute.

Some windows and bricks....exciting, huh? I was hoping for a more geometrical pattern but the windows weren't evenly spaced apart width wise.

I loved the color of these doors and the extra deep red of the brick.

I was setting up for a shot when a fellow student stepped into the frame. I guess when you have 40 people shooting one subject, that'll happen. So I shot him instead.

I loved the geometry and color of this building. I will have to come back on a brighter day.

While everyone was shooting the obvious and obligatory Sunsphere, I wandered off and took this picture of another student and his reflection.

All in all it's just another brick in the wall.

This was probably one of my favorites that I took. I just need to straighten it up. You can see the marble church front, the reflection of the steeple, and the copper lamp post.

Typical downtown glass and metal.

I liked these three colors together. It kind of reminded me of an Italian flag.

If I'm going to have to turn anything in from this field trip, I might just go back tomorrow morning and re-shoot the same route by myself.