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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 พ.ค. 2024
- I used to believe the "keeper rate" myth when I was just starting out with photography: good photographers are supposed to take good photographs most of the time. The better you get at it, the fewer bad shots you take.
This is wrong. Very, very wrong.
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I find it impossible to know straight away if the photos I take are good enough, let alone worthy enough to hang on a wall in a gallery. I tend to use my own motto: if you don’t take the shot you will never know. We can always reject a bad photo but we can’t admire a great photo if we didn’t take it in the first place.
I still delete probably 95% of my images and only keep 5% and of those, I reject most when I try to edit them. I realised a long time ago that other (very successful) photographers must do the same. Now, when I go out shooting after realising this fact, I feel much less pressurised and relaxed, knowing I will not keep most of the images but also knowing that I am learning from every rejected image.
Thank you for re-affirming my conviction that I'm on the right track. Watching you in foul weather, cramped in a damp car, deprived of sleep, eating cold beans, you are a great inspiration to me.
I thought I was the only noob who deleted most of my pictures! It's good to know it's more common than I imagined.
Good advice, more importantly I think it makes the process more enjoyable knowing that not every shot I take has to be great or even a keeper.
Totally! Photography should be fun, getting good images is great but the process to get there has to engaging enough. Otherwise, we'll get tired of it :)
A very long time ago, before anyone dreamed of digital photography, I read an article by a Nat Geo photographer (the best of the best, right?). He said that he shot a hundred frames to get one that he would publish. Over the years, that article has given me just exactly the permission that you describe. Thanks for the reinforcement!
A photographer/educator whose work I love and admire said that there is a great benefit to going out to shoot with the frame (pun not intended) of mind to take what he called "study images." This attitude can relieve much of the pressure of trying to take THE great image, and instead attempt to lean from your efforts what works and what doesn't. And perhaps, while doing that, you may manage to come up with something that delights you.
I like this idea, and one thing I’d like to try is somehow making notes of my thought process as I go.
Sometimes an image will look very differant (better) with a little attention in post. I'm not a fan of the "we can fix it in post" mentality, as it can be an excuse for lazyness, however sometimes carefull editing will transform an image.
One of the reasons why I moved from analog back to digital was exactly that - to be able to experiment more without worrying about the cost for film and developing. And it is the same for all forms of art...looking at my pile of paper with 'failed' paintings. But in reality each of these 'fails' teaches me something :-)
I have friends who have spent tons of money, yet don't shoot images! I offered advice, encouragement, all to no avail! Stop thinking about thirds, gestalt, other crap. See, smell, snap! You are great! Sure nor every push! Bravo!
That’s a great video. Thanks for sharing your point of view. I started photographing about thirty years ago on a film camera. I still make loads of mistakes ensuring I go out to shoot. Wrong settings, wrong framing, wrong metering, no focus. It’s unbelievable! However, yesterday I was able to pull off a panning shot. That was extremely rewarding.
Great video! 👍 The same is true in life more generally. "Just do it!" Thank you.
Paul 😎
This is encouraging to hear, thank you
Thank you!
Hehe I also used to think the same way: "great photographers are the ones who consistently shoot great images."
Until a senior member at a local photo club told something very interesting: "great photographers are the ones who consistently hide their bad images and only show the good ones."
:D
Hi Adrian, I think the problem is also the image we see on our Camera screen might not look to good so we delete the photo even before we view it on our laptops. The image on our camera screen doesn't show the correct exposure, it's only when we edit the photo we see the correct exposure. Thanks Adrian ☺️
Good advice especially when we doubt ourselves.
I just had a very similar conversation with my sister-in-law about my photography. I average about one photo in twenty five that I think is good enough to share. And most of those aren't what you might call portfolio quality, I don't know what that ratio is.
absolutely, no mistakes no growth . photography is no different than any other art form, through trial, experimentation and error you refine your vision, your skills and techniques to think otherwise leads to stagnation and disappointment. excellent presentation
I agree, and you have to understand that images you admire have been edited to an inch of their life. I have taken images in the same location as others I have seen, and I can tell you that in real life the landscape didn’t look like the other images (the water was not that colour, the rocks were not that contrasty etc etc).
I figured out if I could get one good shot on a roll of 36 I was doing well, and gradually as my photography improved I was looking at one shot in 12, but even if I didn't make that mark I still tried to improve.
Great advice, thanks!
When i started, I had the crazy idea that I could only take photos if I was far from home at a National Park or something. Because I believed I should take epic photos only. So your point is a very good one. Just get out there and gain experience
Excellent advice.
Thank you, glad it was helpful!
Maybe it's just me but I don't understand why people delete. I shoot when I'm out and then transfer everything when I get home and never delete. When my memory card fills I put in a new one and store the old one. It's a backup and then I have 2 more on other drives of every photo I have shot. I go back once in a while and find ones I didn't like at the time and then they speak to me and ones I liked sometime do the opposite. Also gives me a chance to look and see, what was good and bad.
Your first 10,000 images are your worst.
I guess I should be in my prime then. I always hope my prime would be better...
In some light situations, I dont take risk to take the photograph, I stay in my comfort zone. I have to work on it but I also need advices
I always shoot more than less, and then keep the good shots. Better get it, than having a chance to fail 💪
I used to have access to legendary photographers negatives and contact sheets. Through my past work as a photographer before moving to Northern Spain. I realized very early on that mistakes equal growth and that’s a universal truth that can be applied to anything. I have never seen such horrendous contact sheets as Bill Brandts but look at his legendary work, I rest my case.
The best advice ever! 🙏🏻
(why is there a drone sound in the background when you are in the kitchen?)
ahh it's the pad from the end. hmmmm.
Not sure about that one, but unfortunately my apartment is not the quietest place in the world haha. Lots of traffic in front of the kitchen, the mic definitely picks it up so I have to repeat myself every time a bus or motorcycle passes by :) I added some music in the background trying to minimize that noise too, maybe that was it?
Ha! Yeah, "keeper rate" is a stupid concept. Back when I shot film and every shot represented a cost (in money and time) for film/processing/printing, I spent more time considering each shot, metering it, and thinking about how to get the best negative in order to get the best print ("pre-visualization"). Digital (and especially mirrorless) has freed me up to simply create, enabling me to go more by feel and stay in the moment rather than potentially overthinking and limiting myself by "playing it safe." When I save images from a memory card to my PC, I probably cull 15-20% of the images I record as "unusable" (from missed focus to boring/repetitive), but the majority of the remainder, although they may be "well-composed" and "technically solid," will likely never be edited and printed. Although I must have thought the scene interesting (or why bother recording it?), not everything photographs well, and most images simply aren't all that compelling, no matter who you are! The best of us are lucky if anywhere close to 1% of the images we record are anywhere close to truly "printworthy" (and who cares?--as you say, every shot is a learning experience, no matter what "level" you are).
People learn by making mistakes. How are you supposed to learn if you don't make any? With film it made sense to maximize the keeper rate but in the digital era taking a photo costs almost nothing so why limit yourself?
is this bad advice for a newbie?
sell all ya cameras as new smartphones are easier, cheaper and take as good of photos
U can clip the lav mic bro
I came from film with the same hang-up due to the commitment of exposing the film. Digital was a revelation, deletion costing nothing and I became freer in my approach. The bad to good ratio changed with time as I tuned in to improved technique and an understanding of what images I wanted to capture. Time, in the field and in post, is the key ingredient.