Getting photography assistance

I'm not a cam-whore, but on occassion I do like my face in the picture.

Unfortunately, ever since I got my DSLR, my expectations of my pictures have increased significantly, in proportion to the quality of pictures produced.

This experience happened in Essouira, Morocco.

I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

The problem

I am unable to take a decent self-portrait with my DSLR due to its bulk and weight. This is what I could manage, which does not capture the background which I wanted.

The Solution

Due to my limitations, I engaged the help of a local who was there with his girlfriend, admiring the amazing view of the sea. I described how I wanted to frame the picture in as simple english as possible. I even took a picture of him to set as an example:

My friendly assistant

The Frustration

However, after 3 attempts, the best he could muster was the below picture, which had the walls which I had hoped could be hidden. I thanked him for his efforts, got his email address, and promised to send him the picture I had taken for him (which I did send subsequently).

not quite what I wanted

The Perseverence and the End Result

And in my stubbornness, I placed my faith in another photographer, this time a fellow tourist, possibly from the US. After a brief description and 2 attempts, I got what I wished for:

Satisfaction at last!

G&* damn DSLRs!!! They take away the joys of photography at times!