Not a good photographer

Not My Nikon D80 We wheeled out the SLR this weekend for some family snaps, and to capture Emily’s enjoyment of Waterbabies. I loved capturing snaps; the ridiculously quick exposure times make it much easier for me – a stumbling amateur photographer – to capture those key moments as they happen.

But I totally lack the mindset of a photographer. I rush to frame the shots, struggle even to obey the simple ‘rule of thirds‘, invariably get the lighting wrong, and take ten useless photographs for every half-passable one. I’ve put this down in the past to being the sort of person that’d rather be in photos than take them…

I’m a bit better with my iPhone. The primitive capabilities of the iPhone’s camera are easier to learn your way around, and inevitably I work my around its limitations where I can.

Maybe I’m just making excuses for not being able to work out the myriad functions of the D80… I should probably go on a course. How did you get better at taking photos?