boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

I haven.t heard that phrase since college in the 60's. Now called plate tectonics. I find making really good photographs of any kind difficult (anybody who thinks otherwise is either a fool or a liar)

Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Strong words. Difficult? The word is Challenging - as in the topic. Several Hogs above thought otherwise than difficult - surely you don't really think of them as fools or liars?

Diocletian

I don’t know if this helps, but I solved my uncooperative cat problem by following him around the yard for a day. Eventually he started to ignore me.

Then inside I marinated a toy in catnip, and he went beserkers for it and ignored me, even though the camera was in his face and I was down on my hands and knees.

Feiertag Loc: British Columbia, Canada

Thank you for your comment, Greg. I am enjoying the various responses. Interesting stuff.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

Children who aren't in the mood to be photographed....including grown up children (my son) who don't want to be photographed.

pila

Really! Greg is spot on with black and white comment.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

Fast Action. I haven’t done it enough, for starters. But I also don’t have the emotional connection to the players. I love sports though... That said I once had the opportunity to shoot my grandson’s wrestling match. The coach gave me permission to be on the floor. That was a very intimate experience and many of my shots came out very well. I gave the Coach a CD and he used it as a training tool.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

Hardest - portraits
Easiest - sunsets

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

Interesting response, Cambria ...

I find the reverse to be true ... portraits come easy for me ...

Sunset pics - good ones - on the other hand - not quite so easy ... sunrises, neither ... it's all about perfect angles, and even more perfect timing!

boberic Loc: Quiet Corner, Connecticut. Ex long Islander

my mistake, I confused challenging with difficult. Sorry about that. I guess I was feeling a little cranky this morning.

Bipod

And the technically perfect sunset shot looks like...100,000 other color images on Pinterest.
But every portrait is unique.

Taking a non-cliché sunset shot -- now that is difficult! Here's one by Eliot Porter:
http://78.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvhhknA8Io1qzbcgoo1_1280.gif

I recently came across this -- a sunset with double exposure -- by Sheryl R. Garrison:
https://sherylrichards.files.wordpress.com/2015/02/20141107-dsc_3938-edit.jpg

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

Wouldn't know, Bipod ... since I don't go to Pinterest ....

Couldn't get to that Tumblr site, either ...

You know, I'd like to think my Sunset / Sunrise (especially) shots - are pretty spectacular!!!

But, Portraits - now THOSE are a dime a dozen ... you've seen one - you've seen them all - unless, they hold special feeling for you - dig?

Bipod

Sorry, but I can't agree. If one never looks at what other photographers are doing, then all one's shots seem unique.
All parents thinks their kids are unique little darlings...

As for portraits,the feeling is in the portrait, (if it's any good). I have absoluetely no idea who any of the people
are in the following linked images, and I certanly have never met them, but I like the images (iconic or not):
By Steve McCurry:
https://filtergrade.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/Afghan-Girl-Portrait-682x1024.jpg
By Brett Harkness:
https://www.ephotozine.com/articles/xxxx-portrait-photography-tutorials-26944/images/street_photography_portrait.jpg
By Dorothea Lange:
https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/fgwebsitemedia/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/03041205/Great-Depression-Portraits-by-Dorothea-Lange.jpg
By Diane Arbus:
https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/fgwebsitemedia/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/03041132/Diane-Arbus-Obscure-Portrait.jpg
By Antonin Kratochvil:
https://s3-us-east-2.amazonaws.com/fgwebsitemedia/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/03041012/Portrait-Photography-by-Antonin-Kratochvil.png

But yes, bad portraits are dime-a-dozen, alas.

Once someone has acquired technical skills, it comes down to seeing: when you see a boring or cliche image in the view finder,
don't press the shutter button.

I confess: sometimes I can't resist photographing a sunset. So I've taken quite a few--but I've never printed any of them.
When I take one tht isn't a cliche, I'll print it. But like I said, that's very difficult.

Type "sunset" into Google images and you'll see what I mean (and many of these are technically excellent). When we''ve got a
1,000,000 images of lovely, colorful sunsets, there really is no need for a 1,000,001st. Just write "<GENERIC SUNSET>"
on a scrap of paper and you've got it -- without inflicting yet-another cliche image on the world.

And frankly, the color in the sunset images and prints never lives up the real thing --full spectral color. It has that RGB
"bad three-color litho" splashy cheapness. Some Impressionist painters were able to use triadic color without it looking
trashy by avoiding saturated colors, using only small dabs (Monet) or dots (e.g., Seurat's pointillism). Some contemrporary
Impressionist that break these rules look very trashy indeed:
http://www.hqwalls.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Leonid-Afremov-impressionistic-art-and-paintings-3.jpg

The above a technically accomplished painting--but if someone gave it to me, after one glance
and a decent interval, I'd sell it. The world only looks like that on psilocybin or mescaline. Dig it?

Chris T Loc: from England across the pond to New England

Bipod - have no idea what those last two things you wrote are ... never heard of the first ... have heard of the 2nd, but have never used it.

I don't do drugs, of ANY sort!!!

And if you set up all those links for me to go to - thanks! ... but you wasted a lotta time and effort ...

If I click on any of those - I will be sure to drop out ... so, I've learnt from past experiences - not a good idea ....

Still not to sure what a "cliché sunset" is ... kinda wish I'd never even SEEN that phrase ...

I'm like a Tortoise, you know? ... If something makes too much noise - I duck in my head, and wait for it to pass .... dig?

Bipod

More like an ostrich.