I Take BAD Photos, Revealing my Failed Photoshoots

[@chibuzonweze3291]

Her bad photos are better than my whole portfolio

[@jeffsimbro7742]

Irene, thank you so much for this video. This happens to me so many times, even on a shoot that turns out amazing, I'm panicking throughout thinking that I'm failing miserably....and of course there are many that just don't work out. Your work is simply amazing and beautiful, so knowing that you struggle at times, makes it easier for us to accept. This was wonderful, thank you again!

[@monaburch9163]

I love that you shared your “fails”. I think when we newbies have shoots we aren’t feeling we feel like failures and that the pros never have bad days….

[@esteban.vqz01]

At the end, we're humans trying to do our best, amazing work! 👏

[@teej008]

So glad to know that this is universal. I’ve only done a few shoots this year an none have felt like they came together that well. I’ll keep trying x

[@IreneRudnyk]

Happens to all of us! Good luck on your next shoot :)

[@sadowskaphoto]

I I would actually love to from the very end of the first photo shoot I think they look quite stunning!

[@glendamccaleb847]

I love your style and have been following and emulating you as well for sometime. Thank you so much for showing us your ideas don't always work, as well. Sometimes I feel like such a failure. I agree the inside shots didn't feel like your style. However, as soon as you took the crown away, it totally transformed the look. I agree with the artificial flowers and have moved away from using them even though I have a ton of them. I feel like it's worth the money to buy real ones when there's no free ones available. I then treat myself to a vase of them after the shoot. Thank you, again!

[@g_pressley]

Thanks for this. I was overthinking a shoot that didn’t work how I planned and this was encouraging that I’m not alone in that

[@IreneRudnyk]

Hate when I happens but yeah we all go through it! Glad this video helped :)

[@TheHolyFlipsterTHF]

Man, I thought you were going to show some trash photos lol I get not getting the look you want but these photos still came out pretty well! Definitely helps knowing that we all can have moments where things don’t go the way we envisioned them though!

[@IreneRudnyk]

Well I would hope that after 12 years or so of doing photography I wouldn’t produce complete trash 😂😂

[@Alexandraostiguy]

Thank you for sharing this kind of video ! We love to compare ourselves and be mad at ourselves if a shooting didn’t go right. Thanks again. Still love your pictures taken in this video 😍🫶

[@IreneRudnyk]

Glad it could help!

[@Alvarolvnn]

Those indoor photos are wonderful. Your BAD photos are much better than those from ordinary photographers .

[@BrianMakesFilms]

I too often let the fear that a concept won't come out well, or how I want it to, keep me from shooting. This is inspiring to just get out and do it. As you say, we're by far our own worst critics - so what I deem as a failure most people might love. And - as you say, no photographer (or in my case videographer) gets 100% of their shoots to a level they want. 2025 goal - get out and shoot more and don't let fear of failure stop me.

[@michaelcliffordphotos]

Hi, Irene! These all sound so familiar! I think we all have shoots where nothing goes as planned, and the result just isn't what we wanted, and may not even be recoverable. Sharing what didn't go so well, in addition to what did, helps all of us learn. I'm really glad that you posted this video. 😀 One strategy I use is to test out new concepts using whatever happens to be available before the shoot, figure out what the root causes of any problems I run into are, and eliminate them,. It doesn't always work because something you didn't think of will go wrong anyway! But it definitely helps a lot. I also like to test new techniques during shoots before the one where I plan to actually use them. That lets me get a sense of how things will work when the shoot relies on those techniques, and to modify as needed. I liked the version of the indoor photo without the flower crown better. Does it feel more focused on the model to you without the crown? The moths were a great concept (were those swallowtails?), and I loved the cosplay. What you said about things having to make sense makes sense. :) The challenge with "living" props or costumes is that unless they look absolutely authentic, both on their own, and in terms of how they interact with their environment, they can appear unreal or even disconcerting. The problem gets worse with higher resolution cameras, because little imperfections are magnified. Is this the sort of thing that didn't feel right when you used them?

[@realrobbyrob]

Hello Irene, hot pixels are coming up if you take long exposure shots. These sensor pixels are getting to "hot" due to the exposure time and it is quite normal. You can easily fix them afterwards in post.

[@MDILVG]

Thank you for this honest insight. Your work is great! Did you pay the model yourself for a private project, or were those shoots for s client? What do you do if this "it doesn´t turn out good" happens to you when you have to deliver pics? Many thanks for an answer.

[@NeoPlatina2009]

I love your experiments. Keep at it, doesn't matter the fails, that's how you evolve.

[@IreneRudnyk]

Thank you!

[@НиколайБашкатов-ч2б]

Замечательные фото у озерца с фонарем. Это, просто, волшебство!

[@sasalko]

Your work inspires me ❤

[@brizacacii3551]

Irene you're not alone. RIP to all the efforts we shed but the results didn't went well.

[@MadHakatrii]

Thanks for the video. It is always good to know that I am not the only one who sometimes stuggles with the results of the session. Though my sometimes is probably more of often than yours ;) Your work is awesome ❤

[@maxmillion4216]

Nice to see your fails and you are right, you only learn from your failures. We all fail from time to time. The last shot with the model in front of the black screen I would have used a hair light to help separate her from the black back ground.

[@thekrolli95]

Just found your page your shots are epic. A lot of photography is just perception thank you for sharing with us

[@JIMMY_NEMESIS]

its nice to share some reality because not every time that everything work according to plan and the vision and it is the worse feeling when you lose it and the passion you do is not enjoyable anymore during a session, it happen to me also we had to reschedule

[@kokolittlekup239]

I like the result of the 3rd shoot very much !

[@KiraBiel]

i dont like indoor too.. 😄 love the outdoor so Magical

[@غالبالحمدالاحساء]

What is the name of the camera and is it full frame and what is the name of the lens

[@IreneRudnyk]

I mostly used canon R5 and RF 28-70F2 L

[@davidmpoliveira1]

I wouldn't say these are necessarily bad photos, but I agree with your assessment that these photoshoots are not on pair with your usual work. That being said, I like a lot the vertical shots, of the elf, where the model was standing up.

[@Baruk1993]

Indoor photography specially wedding is very stressful. It happened to me also and the feeling is so indescribable specially if your client expect that you are a good photographer !📸📸📸

[@AdvantureRoad]

I got into photography a couple of years ago and was having a blast. Then, in my opinion, the worst thing happened. I did a couple of shoots with friends and they talked me into turning it into a business. I spent a good chunk of money on all the things needed to sell and advertise. I was always trying to get clients and trying different styles that I just didn’t feel. Eventually I just put my camera down all together. It was no longer fun and it felt like I was failing at pretty much everything related to the camera. It’s been probably 5 years now, and I’m starting to get the bug again. This time, just for my enjoyment and as a hobby. I’m guessing that happens to a lot of people.

[@IreneRudnyk]

If you’re getting that feeling of wanting to create again you should definitely give it another try! good luck 😉

[@Tebanisomura]

I love all your photography thanks for sharing with us

[@pariharediting5519]

loved this video😍😍

[@vickydec1]

first of all thanks for sharing ...everyone have these moments ..take it easy and everything teaches us something. more than any other video ..we will all learn more from this video

[@IreneRudnyk]

Glad this video resonated with you!

[@orlowskifotografia]

Sometimes it happens that we capture the atmosphere during a session better than the photos themselves.

[@rickfarber4243]

Thanks for an interesting video. I believe there is a single-pixel noise reduction slider in Capture One.

[@IreneRudnyk]

I’ll look for it! Is there a way to avoid it in camera?

[@largefamilyruralliving7434]

Thanks so much for this. Fun experiments.

[@rolandzachau3544]

Hello Irene, I like your work a lot. Hotpixel are no problem with LR. LR remove ist automatically. In Capture One you can go to Refine and Noise Reduction. Here is th option Single Pixel. Have a nice weekend. Roland

[@IreneRudnyk]

Thanks for the tip!

[@greatpix]

A few times I have had what I called 'Shoots from Hell' where everything seemed to go wrong but I usually got through it and the clients were happy. There was one, a mermaid shoot at the beach among the rocks, that took place the day after a storm. I know planning a shoot the day before of after a storm is a gamble because the weather is usually unstable. Well, it was the day of our shoot, windy and cold. Five minutes after hitting the beach the model's hair was a mess and she was covered in goosebumps for the rest of the shoot. For the entire shoot I got one picture I thought wasn't bad, not a really good shot, just not bad. The worst thing was that there was to be a second shoot up at the Chateau Marmont on Sunset Blvd the next day, only the model caught a bad cold at the beach (no surprise) and had to cancel the shoot. I was really looking forward to that shoot too.

[@andyvan5692]

wow, good effort, that first shoot looked ok, esp. with the natural light; what you where missing was the bokeh, to blur an edge all the way around the model, if you had shot it MF, like the X2D with its lenses, or a film Rollieflex, Mamiya, Hasselblad v; with an 80 f 2.8 or f2 that would have given the 'pop'; also a gold umbrella, or reflector, with that softbox, from above, as a hair light it would mimic what you do outside {a single light source}, like in the X2D shoot with the model in sunlight.

[@walter_schachner_photography]

Hello Irene! If you’re doing long exposures, you should have noise reduction enabled. Have a nice weekend, greetings from Austria, Walter

[@IreneRudnyk]

Thanks for the tip!

[@GodOfWaaar]

Thanks for the content. IMHO way more interesting than your late gear focussed videos. Please don't abandon this kind of videos, even if they don't get as many views as gear talk. This is IMHO your core brand. On topic: Thanks for sharing. Those are fantastic inspos. Maybe more so than your successfull shoots, because here we can't compare to a high level final result and have to be creatrive on our own. XD Keep up the good work!

[@marisaharris1384]

I think they are very good photos, and I understand that they deviate from your go-to product, which is sun behind your subjects to create angelic halos behind them. Maybe that's why you think they are not good. Happy photo shooting :)

[@irenegbfotografia]

I loved this video. You are the best.

[@ahmedabbas7484]

How are you? Which is better, the 24-70 or 24-105 f/2.8 lens from Canon? reselution, Details,sharp.....

[@bngr_bngr]

As a sports photographer, there are a lot of failed pictures in the pursuit of the pictures I want.

[@jonassergio4493]

this video is highly relatable😊

[@thomasreagan6745]

I wish I could take some photos as good as some of your bad ones!

[@robertchmara8818]

For this first shoot maybe if You have large deep umbrella ( 130cm - 150cm) it would be better. Light on the model will look more soft and not that flashy. IT would be any large modifier.

[@escapingdeception5799]

Great perspective

[@MrKeith57]

Some of those shots I loved. The ones you had a problem with were to busy.

[@o.aldenproductions.9858]

Thank you ❤❤❤❤

[@nikolayradanov9855]

Isn't it possible with stacking - one "black" frame with the same exposure, and then stacking it with the main photo.

[@MoeMoeThae-dj1cr]

Please Can you explain about picture style🙏

[@olesjor]

When it comes to hot pixels, there is a solution to it. go buy yourself a new camera :) When you take a camera with you on a plane, you expose it to radiation from space. occasionally it hits the sensor. (this is why they don't ship new cameras by plane) it destroys the pixel it hits. at long exposures you will see it. there is another solution and that is to have your map the sensor to ignore the dead pixels.

[@IreneRudnyk]

Never knew that! I take my camera on a plane lots! I guess I’ll just have to edit the hot pixels out.

[@ivandj707]

Great video, thank you.

[@MartinV.]

Great Video!

[@raneemsh1288]

I would love to watch a full BTS videos about ellf and flash light concepts

[@AbhiRathna-z5i]

Your bad photos are my best photos

[@ProEditingLooks]

Osm❤️❤️

[@darrelljohnson7052]

Shooting on tripod or monopod would have help better balance the ambient light...

[@IreneRudnyk]

Tripod has nothing to do with ambient light…..

[@darrelljohnson7052]

​@@IreneRudnyk---- Really???!!!😲🤔 👌

[@darob.6808]

Beautifully :)

[@Pallab_Barman_Photography]

Love from India 🇮🇳

[@ScottBasu]

Thanks for sharing! I feel like the Elven theme has real potential. I feel like I've seen scenes like that in LOTR, especially Rivendell (Rivendale). I wonder if you fed one those photos into an AI program, and asked it to recreate it in Rivendell, what it would come up with? The old ballroom looked a bit bland to begin with - maybe it needed the model to be busting out some classical dance or ballerina moves to make it more interesting? Just a thought. And I'm not sure about that swamp - perhaps a more creepy swamp would have worked better, as that particular space looked a bit too safe with the neighborhood in the background? Agreed that your model in that scene is a stunner!

[@Hamyhamster24]

Girl from one photographer to another…if you wanna show your failed photos..,show the ones in your earlier days as a beginner. Showing in recent years after all the experience you gain doesn’t even consider bad to untrained eyes. They’re still above average.

[@IreneRudnyk]

I’ve done that many times :)

[@johnlypasco558]

We grow from our mistakes 🩷