It is said that a photographer must not only be their own biggest fan, but also their own biggest critic.  I have found that this can be a difficult to balance.  The inability to be critical of one’s own work, is one of the biggest obstacles new photographers face.  It is hard to improve when you never see the need for improvement.  On the other hand, being overly critical is a trap that those of us who have been around for a while can easily fall into.

The images below are from weddings I have photographed over the last couple of years where I finished the day feeling like I did a less than perfect job.  Sometimes it was due to scheduling or weather problems the day of the wedding, and other times I just felt like I was less creative than usual. I actually didn’t sleep well after the wedding days because I felt disappointed in myself.  However, after looking at the photos the next day, I realized the photos turned out just fine, and I was beating myself up for no reason.

My New Year resolution for 2013, is to maintain a better balance between criticism and appreciation of my own work.  I am going to start by trying not to worry about the images from a wedding until I actually see them all on the computer a few days later.  And, I will only maintain just enough self criticism as is productive to my improving as a photographer.