Don't Give Up

It's normal to lose your drive sometimes, especially if you're not happy with the work you've done recently.  The time I felt that the most was right after I got my first DSLR and I shot Tigerama, Clemson's homecoming pep rally, which isn't the most camera friendly thing  to shoot anyway.  I was so frustrated with these pictures that I gave up on editing and didn't look at them again until four years later before I shot the Miss Clemson University pageant.  If you need a reminder that it gets better if you don't give up, check out these two photos.  I know it looks like I edited one and purposefully edited the other one badly, but they're not edited at all.

This is the difference that can be made with 4 years of learning and experience (and also a change in gear).

Canon Rebel T3 with 18-55mm kit lensSettings: 35mm, f/5, 1/200 second, ISO 6400, custom white balance set before the lighting changed, no flash, manual focus, shot in JPEGSide note: those dresses are all orange.

Canon Rebel T3 with 18-55mm kit lens

Settings: 35mm, f/5, 1/200 second, ISO 6400, custom white balance set before the lighting changed, no flash, manual focus, shot in JPEG

Side note: those dresses are all orange.

Canon 7D, 50mm f/1.8 lensSettings: 50mm, f/1.8, 1/250 second, ISO 640, auto white balance, no flash, auto focus shot in RAW and converted to JPEG for this post

Canon 7D, 50mm f/1.8 lens

Settings: 50mm, f/1.8, 1/250 second, ISO 640, auto white balance, no flash, auto focus shot in RAW and converted to JPEG for this post

I hope that helps motivate you a little in whatever you're doing.  I was laughing and snapchatting the 2012 photos to my fiance and my photographer friends. Good thing those photos never had to be used anywhere!   It's a nice reminder of how much I've improved and why it was a good idea to not give up.