Tom Williams
Age; 25
Amateur/Hobbyist/Student?; Hobbyist Photographer, but Graphics Designer by trade.
Why Photography?; Ever since I was young I had always fiddled with cameras. Taking photos and wasting many rolls of film on my parents camera's and when I could get my hands on disposable cameras. I loved being able to capture moments in time, moments that could always be looked back upon for years to come! At those times it was all just play, however, as the digital camera age came along and my family got their first digital camera. That's where it picked up a lot. Capturing moments with friends, to taking photos of cars and other things. It was a developing hobby!
What emotion do you get when reviewing your pictures after a photo session?; Generally I trash more than half of the photos from a session, and usually tend to favour a mere couple of photos. More often than not, I'm not as impressed as I had hoped to be. However, once I select the few I'm happy with, the excitement starts to build.
Have you ever felt like giving up? If so why? If not, why not?
Many many times, and I have before but that tends to last only for a short amount of time. I put the camera down for different reasons. One of the more recent times was because I started earning money from doing something that I love to do. That may sound odd, but first understand the context of this. I was hired to do some events for people and their friends and family. I quickly learned during these times and when the post processing work came along, that I had lost the joy from it. But that was only because it was the wrong type of photography for me. It wasn't a type of photography I enjoyed doing. The joy felt lost, it was no longer desirable, I felt burnt out after those jobs. Stick to what you enjoy and love, or you run the risk of burning out and getting over it much faster. Think about all those who are getting paid to do this kind of thing, they have a passion and love for what they do, and that's why they excel at it! You tend to excel more with things that you enjoy, than with those that you dread or don't enjoy as much.
When was the first time you felt you had a talent for photography, and what sparked this feeling? Was it a comment or something else?;
Around the time just before I got my first car. Car photography was something I was always interested in, mostly because I enjoyed taking photos and cars were a big part of my life. Most of the photos I was taking around that time were on a small 3.2mp digital camera, and edited in Photoshop. It was due to the great reception I used to receive from members on various car forums.
Has a person's comment on your work ever had negative effects on you?
Majorly! Through those comments I've learned that you can't impress everybody. If you try to impress everybody, you'll end up appealing to nobody. Do it for yourself, there will always be criticism. But with every bad comment, there will be many more good comments.
What's the one bit of advice you would give to a fellow amateur/hobbyist/student to help motivate them?
If you're feeling down about your work, or somebody has said something you didn't want to hear. Don't let that be the end for you. Take any constructive criticism and grow from that. If it is blatant criticism, take what you can from it or get an explanation. Constructive criticism is quite a wonderful thing, as it is people sharing what they like and how they feel about your work. You can find what they don't like and learn from that, progress, grow and build your talents to appeal to a larger audience. If you're starting to lose the joy, learn something new, or make yourself learn something new. We all love new things don't we? Consider start a project, such as a "photo a day" or "photo a week" project. Your friends and family will love following it, you'll learn heaps and can accomplish something I'm sure many around you haven't even thought about doing. For example; The first new lens I bought, I wanted to force myself to learn how to use it and use my camera as best as I can. I had no idea what I was doing with manual settings, framing, and other things to that extent. I put myself in a tough spot by doing a "photo a day" project, and prevailed for 134 days straight. (http://daily.omgtom.net)
Amateur/Hobbyist/Student?; Hobbyist Photographer, but Graphics Designer by trade.
Why Photography?; Ever since I was young I had always fiddled with cameras. Taking photos and wasting many rolls of film on my parents camera's and when I could get my hands on disposable cameras. I loved being able to capture moments in time, moments that could always be looked back upon for years to come! At those times it was all just play, however, as the digital camera age came along and my family got their first digital camera. That's where it picked up a lot. Capturing moments with friends, to taking photos of cars and other things. It was a developing hobby!
What emotion do you get when reviewing your pictures after a photo session?; Generally I trash more than half of the photos from a session, and usually tend to favour a mere couple of photos. More often than not, I'm not as impressed as I had hoped to be. However, once I select the few I'm happy with, the excitement starts to build.
Have you ever felt like giving up? If so why? If not, why not?
Many many times, and I have before but that tends to last only for a short amount of time. I put the camera down for different reasons. One of the more recent times was because I started earning money from doing something that I love to do. That may sound odd, but first understand the context of this. I was hired to do some events for people and their friends and family. I quickly learned during these times and when the post processing work came along, that I had lost the joy from it. But that was only because it was the wrong type of photography for me. It wasn't a type of photography I enjoyed doing. The joy felt lost, it was no longer desirable, I felt burnt out after those jobs. Stick to what you enjoy and love, or you run the risk of burning out and getting over it much faster. Think about all those who are getting paid to do this kind of thing, they have a passion and love for what they do, and that's why they excel at it! You tend to excel more with things that you enjoy, than with those that you dread or don't enjoy as much.
When was the first time you felt you had a talent for photography, and what sparked this feeling? Was it a comment or something else?;
Around the time just before I got my first car. Car photography was something I was always interested in, mostly because I enjoyed taking photos and cars were a big part of my life. Most of the photos I was taking around that time were on a small 3.2mp digital camera, and edited in Photoshop. It was due to the great reception I used to receive from members on various car forums.
Has a person's comment on your work ever had negative effects on you?
Majorly! Through those comments I've learned that you can't impress everybody. If you try to impress everybody, you'll end up appealing to nobody. Do it for yourself, there will always be criticism. But with every bad comment, there will be many more good comments.
What's the one bit of advice you would give to a fellow amateur/hobbyist/student to help motivate them?
If you're feeling down about your work, or somebody has said something you didn't want to hear. Don't let that be the end for you. Take any constructive criticism and grow from that. If it is blatant criticism, take what you can from it or get an explanation. Constructive criticism is quite a wonderful thing, as it is people sharing what they like and how they feel about your work. You can find what they don't like and learn from that, progress, grow and build your talents to appeal to a larger audience. If you're starting to lose the joy, learn something new, or make yourself learn something new. We all love new things don't we? Consider start a project, such as a "photo a day" or "photo a week" project. Your friends and family will love following it, you'll learn heaps and can accomplish something I'm sure many around you haven't even thought about doing. For example; The first new lens I bought, I wanted to force myself to learn how to use it and use my camera as best as I can. I had no idea what I was doing with manual settings, framing, and other things to that extent. I put myself in a tough spot by doing a "photo a day" project, and prevailed for 134 days straight. (http://daily.omgtom.net)
ShutterBugging Out
Below is some of Tom's work, and if it is anything to go by this yourng man has a bright future ahead of him......behind the camera. Poetic no?
The only limitations are those you place on yourself!