If you are just starting out in photography, what overwhelms you?

[Addisonjones]

When I was first starting out in photography I had so many questions. There were so many different numbers and  people didn't explain it in a way that I understood it. After learning the camera, the next step was figuring out how to shoot with people and where to just start.

I have met so many people that love photography, want to start shooting photography and then just don't do it.  I would love to help share how to breakthrough those overwhelming thoughts so you can move forward doing your passion.

I am curious- to the people just picking up the camera. What is the most overwhelming/intimidating part for you?

[Tintype_18]

As I mentioned, I pair the camera with the manual. Read, try, experiment. I also like to take photos and compare, checking the different settings for the best photo before any editing.

[Tronhard]

Thank you! 

Previous generations have their brains wired differently from those who grew up as digital natives.  For me reading was natural because it was so much of my intellectual input, and I got exposed to imagery, particularly video past my formative years.  My sister, who is 5 years older, grew up without the influence of a TV at all, while I had some of that, so we each approach intellectual input differently.  She loves books exclusively, while like both, but have been drawn to the visual arts more.   That said, I can read for extended periods without undue stress, but I find that the current generations in their teens and up to early 30's are not wired that way.   The technical stuff I am comfortable with because of my engineering and IT backgrounds.

I see it in the changes in teaching that have adapted to their needs - shorter lectures, lots of visual stimulation that is shorter, and more dynamic.   I find both in the general world (and here in particular) that instead of looking for information many will ask others if they know the answer.   Academically, that is not a viable method - one has to have valid and verifiable references, and asking the world through social media will doubtless be faster, but because it is unmediated or edited, one can get a lot of invalid or misinformation  The ultimate example of this is the AI based search engines that are now showing that their results are often peppered with invalid references that the software just made up - called in the business Hallucination...  That is a challenge the developers are grappling with but is of serious concern.  If you are interested, the following 60 Minutes episode is rather educational.
Artificial Intelligence | 60 Minutes Full Episodes (youtube.com)

I was unusual for my generation.  I had essentially 9 distinct careers, some simultaneously - photography was a constant from my mid 20's while I did other things too.  Most of my contemporaries will have had a lot less change, but for your generation that will likely be the norm.   With changes in technology, particularly the rise of AI (which I keep up with), a lot of careers that were considered secure will be eroded by systems that can search for, assimilate and process information to offer conclusions far faster than a human.  We already see that in medicine, law and computers are now writing their own code.  So, the big question is going to be what do the mass of people who are no longer employable in those careers going to do?  It's a huge and looming question that I am glad I don't have to answer...

[Tronhard]

There is one area that I find challenging, and that is the digital darkroom.  When I started it was transparencies, so one was judged on what came out of the camera as a slide, rather than with a layer of manipulation in the darkroom.  I shot that way until I went digital, and have not become sophisticated in using PS or LR.  I can make corrections, change the basics, but I don't manipulate layers, or add or remove things.
Don't get me wrong, from the beginning I have seen post processing as a very valid stage in the creative process.  Ansel Adams likened the negative to a musical score and the PP as the interpretation of it by the conductor, and I think that is an elegant analogy.
Still, I am OK with that level and am concentrating my studies on the art side, both for photography and across the disciplines of painting as well.