# How good are you, really?



## Josh66 (Jul 26, 2014)

Be honest.

I estimate that 10% of the pictures I take are "good", and 10% of those are the ones I really like.  So out of all of the pictures I've taken, maybe 1% (10% of 10%) meet my standards to sell or hang on my wall.
I think I've progressed enough to know that most of what I do just kind of sucks, lol.

That seems about right to me.  What about you?  Does that figure sound too high or too low?  Why?


----------



## sscarmack (Jul 27, 2014)

I think that's high. Extremely high. 

I'm lucky to get 1 photo that absolutely blows me away and I've never seen anywhere else before.

But my goal is to get 2-3 keepers out of every 100. So 2% I'm guessing for me lol

And I'm talking a photo that sets itself apart from the rest. 

Very rarely am I super 'impressed' with my own work


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## tecboy (Jul 27, 2014)

I dunno.  I rather let people judge my works.


----------



## Josh66 (Jul 27, 2014)

tecboy said:


> I dunno.  I rather let people judge my works.


You have to do at least "a little" self editing though.

Yes, let people judge your works, but you get to choose which works they see.


----------



## Josh66 (Jul 27, 2014)

sscarmack said:


> I think that's high. Extremely high.
> 
> I'm lucky to get 1 photo that absolutely blows me away and I've never seen anywhere else before.
> 
> ...


For me, personally, a half of a percent might be closer to the truth - just going off of what I have on Flickr.  A little over 6000 photos - 60 "really good ones", out of that 6000 does start to sound a little on the high side.


----------



## jsecordphoto (Jul 27, 2014)

The more I shoot the more particular I am of my work. A year....6 months ago, I'd say 25% of the things I shot I thought were good. Now I'm happy with about 10% of the photos I take. I'd say each month I'll get 2-3 photos I'm REALLY happy with, and maybe 10 I like enough to share. It also depends on what I'm shooting...if I'm doing stuff for clients like interior photos of their business, 75% of the photos I shoot I am happy with- and so are my clients. If I'm doing landscapes for myself I'm way more picky


----------



## astroNikon (Jul 27, 2014)

I can take a photo of a white wall and blow it out   E-V-E-R-Y .  .   S-I-N-G-L-E .  . T-I-M-E


But seriously.  I'm enjoying what I'm doing.  When  I do my kids soccer I have a good percentage that are keepers.  When I start doing things with flash and more product stuff then the number goes down dramatically.  Waterfalls .. 50%

When I went on my photo vacation I was surprised by how few photos I took, but they were mostly good .. as long as you exclude the escapade of attempting to shoot fluttering butterflies.

I think it's down to when I get into situations that I've built up some knowledge I can think in my head of what and how I want to do it.
When I do stuff where I don't have much experience, then it's more hunting and pecking to figure out something good.


----------



## Derrel (Jul 27, 2014)

It depends on what the subject matter is, and how target-rich the environment is! I mean, seriously, on a good day in a target-rich environment like say, Silver Falls State Park, where there's a glorious waterfall every 3/4 of a mile or so, or the central Oregon Coast on a beautiful summer day, it's pretty easy to walk around with two or three lenses in a fanny pack, and score a lot of "good shots". Same with the Columbia Gorge National Scenic area...people come from all over the USA to shoot both the coast and the gorge...shooting there, I'd say that a full 20% of my images are at least "interesting". Out of my typical 700-frame day (two, 8-gig cards shooting 12-bit compressed RAWS) I can make 150 good pictures if the conditions are even remotely decent.

I shot a portrait set on Monday...704 frames on the D3x, 70 on the Fuji S5 Pro, still testing it out...i got 204 frames I really liked, and 25 A-list shots.

I suck at math, and I seldom compute percentages for anything except restaurant tips...but I realize that how good *I* am is highly dependent on how interesting my subject matter is, and how good the lighting is. And, also, how diligently I am applying myself. Some days I just want to shoot snaps of what I have seen. Other days I am shooting for keeps. I tell myself I am a LOT better than many people, and also that there are a LOT of people who are way better shooters than I am.


----------



## Josh66 (Jul 27, 2014)

I just meant that people like to brag that "they're all keepers, man!"  I'm sure I've said it before, lol.

When I say "10%", I don't mean "exactly" 10%, obviously - I'm just talking ball-park figures.

BUT ...  I do have a little more than 6000 photos on Flickr, and of those - I'm pretty sure there are only 10 or 20 that I consider good enough to sell.

I do post a lot of "crap" on Flickr though - my family mostly lives far away, so it's an easy way to keep them up to date on what's going on.


----------



## Derrel (Jul 27, 2014)

A guy who brags, "They're all keepers man!" = a guy with low standards!

I dunno...it's not like there's any certification examination to pass, any cup to pee in, any breathalizer to blow into...it's not being judged by anybody except by individual shooters.

Here's an example of a shoot that made me feel pretty good about my camera handling abilities. I got a FB message one day. A peripheral friend (the pretty blonde lady whose in a few shots) had her dad, and her nephew from a California college, coming up to Oregon to play in a triple-header small college baseball game. She called me in the third inning of the first game. By the time I drove the 45 miles there on Interstate 5 and got into the stadium, the second game had already started. I had not shot a baseball or softball game since 2006, and this was in 2013, so seven years since I had shot even one click worth of baseball. I had not shot my 300/2.8 in seven years either! So, on literally like no notice,totally unexpectedly out of the blue, I was asked to come down and ,"Get some good pictures," so, I tried. I spent some time sitting in the stands and conversing with my FB friend Dawn, and her dad, and shooting off a mopopod down near the first base area, but then in the second game, I moved around a bit and tried to actually ,"Get some good shots" of her nephew, as well as the other parts of the game. Even though I do not understand baseball all that well, and was rusty, I thought I did pretty well with one lens and a camera on a monopod after a seven-year layoff.

Corban vs Antelope Valley Photo Gallery by Derrel at pbase.com


----------



## jaomul (Jul 27, 2014)

My hit rate is lowish but my percentage is going up. This might be slightly due to improvement but is as likely to do with me being less shutter happy. On a recent trip to the Saltee islands in Wexfird, Ireland I took about 200 shots in a 5 hour period. Some colleagues had 1000 +. It is a lovely spot with gorgeous birds everywhere. Of my 200 photos I got about 70 keepers by my standards. This was a once off and as mentioned above was to do with location and my probably low standards. 

On another day I may take 50 shots and not be happy with any.


----------



## Pejacre (Jul 27, 2014)

I find the more I learn, the higher my standards get so the number of shots I actually think are great gets lower, then I learn from them and improve so I get more selective when I shoot and the aggregate level of keepers improves. Then I have a bad day and it all goes to pot!


----------



## keyseddie (Jul 27, 2014)

I've been a full time photographer for over 35 years. On commercial or editorial assignments, almost everything was good. It had to be and you just kept going till it was. Your skill set had to be beyond reproach. You edited and bracketed of course. There was no "chimping", so you didn't see your work till the transparencies came back. A half a stop either way you were f**ked. Same with wedding photography except the film had more latitude and the pressure was still there, but for me, less intense. Since the late 90's i've simply become an artist with a camera. An occasional assignment, usually food or something with writing involved. So I only shoot for the final product based on my own judgment. It's all "personal" work, just like an amateur. Mostly Europe, some US and tropical. Last autumn I had a 9 day photo safari to Florence and Tuscany followed by 5 days on the Cinque Terre. I also get there a week before the troops to get most of my images before they arrive. I don't shoot a lot. I think a lot and wait for the light or come back. I returned from about 3 weeks with exactly 1000 raw files, the most I ever shot. My initial goal was to get three images to sell and at least one from each trip. That doesn't count the images that go in the attendees slide show, about 50. So far I have 2 from Tuscany and nothing passes my criteria from Cinque Terre. Perhaps I'll develop one. So 2 out of a thousand. For my use, I'm good with that.


----------



## manaheim (Jul 27, 2014)

75% or higher of what I take is composed and exposed well and is technically good. 50% of those are what I would consider viable as good representation that I would be comfortable handing to a customer or selling. If I'm extremely lucky, I'll get 1-2 of those where I go "Oh wow, Holy Crap, that needs to be framed NOW."

These are odd numbers for most photographers, I think. Much of my work is to purpose... I'm shooting for something... soccer game, wedding, corporate event. Very rarely these days do I just roam with my camera. AND since I've been doing this a while I burn far less "film" just trying things. I know what I want, I know what I like, and generally I can get it in a shot or two.  When I used to roam, I'd shoot like 100-200 pictures in a few hours.  These days... I'd be impressed if I shot 15-20.  It's usually closer to 5-10.


----------



## sm4him (Jul 27, 2014)

I don't think there is any way I could even begin to accurately estimate a "percentage" of keepers for my overall body of work. It varies so wildly from outing to outing, and depending on what type of photography I'm doing. For instance, when I'm shooting for work I tend to have a much higher "keep" rate, because I know what I need to shoot and I go out and get those pictures and I'm done.  But when I'm trying to shoot abstracts--well, the whole outing could be a blazing success or a dismal failure.

So I have no numbers or percentage to put to my "keep" rate, and certainly none for my "wow, this is wall worthy!" rate.
But I do know this: Most other people, other photographers included, seem to think I'm far, far better than *I* think I am. 
I appreciate that, because those positive comments from others encourages me and makes me believe that I'm doing alright; on the other hand, my secret knowledge that I'm really just a tiny step above a DOAMWAC (Drunken one-armed monkey with a camera) keeps me motivated to continue trying to get better.


----------



## sashbar (Jul 27, 2014)

It is not about what percentage meets your standard, it is about what your standard is. You may say 1 % of your shots are good. But it still says absolutely nothing, as we do not know what is "good" by your standards.


----------



## mishele (Jul 27, 2014)

I'm absolutely brutal on myself these days. A winner is hard to come by.  A lot of that comes down on how creative the shot is and less about technical stuff. That's not saying that I don't save and edit a lot of work. I'm just not interested in printing. =)


----------



## KmH (Jul 27, 2014)

Ansel Adams


> Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop.


----------



## 407370 (Jul 27, 2014)

My keep rate is much higher than the previous posters. I dont have a single standard to which all pics must reach. 

I kept 100% of the pics I took during a bait digging session with my daughter and my dad, precious memories. These pics have zero artistic merit but mean the world to my family.

I keep about 75% of my desert landscapes as they are always worth going back to and processing differently.

Out of the 1000's of pics I have taken I reckon 75% were keepers but I have very low standards and a high tolerance of technical faults.


----------



## tirediron (Jul 27, 2014)

Of the many, many tens of thousands of frames I've taken over the course of my photographic "career", there are less than a half-dozen images that stand out as being really, really good images, but actual 'keeper' rates vary widely.  On a recent shoot I did for a woman's motorcycle ride, I shot about 400 frames, and aside <half-dozen missed focuses, pretty much every image was a keeper, but there wasn't a lot of artistic value to them, they were simply images to record an event.  On the other hand, the last 2-3 times I've gone out with the MF gear for a nice landscape, I've come home, looked at the results and chucked the lot in the dust-bin...


----------



## wyogirl (Jul 27, 2014)

I have no idea what my keeper rate is.  However, I am not much more selective *BEFORE* hitting the shutter.  If the light isn't just right, I don't shoot, where as before I would try to shoot anyway.  There are a lot of situations where I don't shoot because I know it wont make the photo that I want.  

Being more critical before hitting the shutter does increase my keeper rate though.


----------



## The_Traveler (Jul 27, 2014)

tecboy said:


> I dunno.  I rather let people judge my works.



People, people don't know anything.

Satisfy yourself.


----------



## Designer (Jul 27, 2014)

How "good" I am depends on many factors, such as time available to grab the shot, moving/changing subjects, my ability to adjust my gear properly, even my "mood".

Also, my own impression as to my own skills have changed over the years.  Some shots that I kept (not good, just "keepers") are now in the dustbin.  I still keep some junk simply due to sentimental reasons (family trips and gatherings).  

I've also printed some for the wall that wouldn't make anyone swoon, but I thought they were worth a frame at least.


----------



## AlanKlein (Jul 27, 2014)

Josh66 said:


> Be honest.
> 
> I estimate that 10% of the pictures I take are "good", and 10% of those are the ones I really like. So out of all of the pictures I've taken, maybe 1% (10% of 10%) meet my standards to sell or hang on my wall.
> I think I've progressed enough to know that most of what I do just kind of sucks, lol.
> ...



Yeah 10% of 10% sounds about right.  Of course my wife hasn't felt any are worth putting up on a wall.  But what does she know?


----------



## D-B-J (Jul 27, 2014)

I have images I'm proud of, I have images that took a lot of work, and I have images that I got really lucky with. I have yet, however, to take an image that blows me away. Who knows if I ever will. But the chase is what keeps me intrigued, and keeps me trying to improve with every shot I take.


----------



## JustJazzie (Jul 27, 2014)

It really depends on what I'm shooting. I'm pretty decent at natural light portraits so the keepers are high. I'm new to strobes so keepers are low. I'm even more inexperienced with panning so keepers are miniscule. When I gave water drop photography a try I had a high keeper rate, but there were so many ones I loved, I really had to be super critical of what was good.

But while I do like to improve, I do this because I really enjoy it. And sometimes, oftentimes really, I shoot a bunch of snapshots because I like hearing the sound of my shutter click and I have nothing better to do. Because of this, giving myself a grade hardly seems fair.


----------



## pgriz (Jul 27, 2014)

Damn.  In the past 6 months, I don't think I have one that is "wall-able".  I shoot about 30-50 each day, mostly work-related.  On the week-ends and time-off, maybe 5 per day if I'm lucky.  So....  my artistic self sucks.  Oh well.  My wife and kids still love me.  So.... PFTTTtt.


----------



## runnah (Jul 27, 2014)

Depends, for my job my standards are low because the people I am trying to impress aren't savvy so any image with a decent composition and a little bokeh blows them away. My keeper rate for them is extremely high.

Personally it's much lower, half the time I don't even bother taking a photo of something unless I know I am going to be 100% happy with the result.


----------



## Ilovemycam (Jul 27, 2014)

sscarmack said:


> I think that's high. Extremely high.
> 
> I'm lucky to get 1 photo that absolutely blows me away and I've never seen anywhere else before.
> 
> ...



Nice work! Liked the Flickr.


----------



## rexbobcat (Jul 28, 2014)

I fluctuate between "Ain't nobody who can touch my foto skillz" and "Why do I waste my time - it's all ****."

And it usually happens in the span of an hour especially when I see people who are amazing after photographing for three years, while I'm mediocre after 6. 

It's like being the fastest person in the slowest heat at a track meet. You go in thinking "Wow I'm actually pretty good at this," only to realize you beat the fat kid and aren't even close to making finals.


----------



## mmaria (Jul 28, 2014)

My keeper rate is decent but I couldn't tell that in percentage. 

It's decent simply because I'm not snapping on everything. I just don't want to be bothered by deleting all those "I know I can't get anything out of this" pictures. I get very disappointed if I don't have one keeper out of three  for one scene, when I'm in a mood for snapping too much then that's probably five snaps-one keeper.

Yesterday, I shot something for work (a manifestation, you'll see, I'll post a few), keeper rate is very high when shooting for work because my standards are low. I could post sooc photos on our website and everyone would be more than satisfied and happy to "steal" them  (yeah, really, and there's nothing I can do about it)


----------



## imagemaker46 (Jul 28, 2014)

If I walk away from a shoot with a couple of real killers, I'm happy.  Not everything I shoot is great, but it is consistent.  I set my standards of work at a very high level, because I have to, in order to keep doing what I do.  I can compare myself to other photographers that I consider some of the best, I beat them, they beat me.  That's all.

I consider myself very good with a camera, but it doesn't mean I don't still have some bad shoots.  Any photographer that says they never screw up, are full of s**t.


----------



## jake337 (Jul 28, 2014)

No matter how much others may praise what I create I seem to not like any of it.  

I'm not sure why but I feel it's never good enough.


----------



## The_Traveler (Jul 28, 2014)

jake337 said:


> No matter how much others may praise what I create I seem to not like any of it.
> 
> I'm not sure why but I feel it's never good enough.



Good, that's what keeps you working.


----------



## The_Traveler (Jul 28, 2014)

A couple of years ago, I took a picture that, after editing, I thought was* the best picture* I had even made and that I couldn't surpass. For a good long while after that, I looked at everything I shot as lacking.
Eventually, my awe for my own picture diminished and now I see it as pretty damn good and a lucky instance but I realized that a single picture, no matter how good, is only one word in a story to be told.


----------



## Tailgunner (Jul 28, 2014)

Derrel said:


> It depends on what the subject matter is, and how target-rich the environment is! I mean, seriously, on a good day in a target-rich environment like say, Silver Falls State Park, where there's a glorious waterfall every 3/4 of a mile or so, or the central Oregon Coast on a beautiful summer day, it's pretty easy to walk around with two or three lenses in a fanny pack, and score a lot of "good shots". Same with the Columbia Gorge National Scenic area...people come from all over the USA to shoot both the coast and the gorge...shooting there, I'd say that a full 20% of my images are at least "interesting". Out of my typical 700-frame day (two, 8-gig cards shooting 12-bit compressed RAWS) I can make 150 good pictures if the conditions are even remotely decent.
> 
> I shot a portrait set on Monday...704 frames on the D3x, 70 on the Fuji S5 Pro, still testing it out...i got 204 frames I really liked, and 25 A-list shots.
> 
> I suck at math, and I seldom compute percentages for anything except restaurant tips...but I realize that how good *I* am is highly dependent on how interesting my subject matter is, and how good the lighting is. And, also, how diligently I am applying myself. Some days I just want to shoot snaps of what I have seen. Other days I am shooting for keeps. I tell myself I am a LOT better than many people, and also that there are a LOT of people who are way better shooters than I am.



This^ 

I just got back from spending time in the rocky mountains. We're talking about a target rich environment, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Then other times I'm lucky to get 10% when I'm walking around town or cruising the country side. Anyhow, I like to think I've come along ways but I also realize I have a long ways still to go.


----------



## astroNikon (Jul 28, 2014)

sm4him said:


> ... my secret knowledge that I'm really just a tiny step above a DOAMWAC (Drunken one-armed monkey with a camera) keeps me motivated to continue trying to get better.



Wow, that means that you are one step above Robbins.Photo in your abilities.  I heard he's pretty good too.  :thumbup:


----------



## mmaria (Jul 28, 2014)

The_Traveler said:


> A couple of years ago, I took a picture that, after editing, I thought was* the best picture* I had even made and that I couldn't surpass. For a good long while after that, I looked at everything I shot as lacking.
> Eventually, my awe for my own picture diminished and now I see it as pretty damn good and a lucky instance but I realized that a single picture, no matter how good, is only one word in a story to be told.


Nicely said Lew

Reopening this thread made me realise that the question was: How good you are, really?  I think I'm not good at all. I have two or three picts that I consider as good.

As for "keepers rate", I've already told that. I just forgot to mention that what I think is a keeper doesn't necessarily mean that it's good, it just means that I'll keep it.


----------



## astroNikon (Jul 28, 2014)

I just keep reading, asking, recomposing photos.  I'm getting better and better (at least I hope so).
And someone said it earlier ... they're still learning even after 35 years ..


----------



## Vince.1551 (Jul 28, 2014)

If I'm good my prints will be selling like hotcakes. 

Every day is a new discovery.


----------



## Pejacre (Jul 28, 2014)

rexbobcat said:


> I fluctuate between "Ain't nobody who can touch my foto skillz" and "Why do I waste my time - it's all ****."
> 
> And it usually happens in the span of an hour especially when I see people who are amazing after photographing for three years, while I'm mediocre after 6.
> 
> It's like being the fastest person in the slowest heat at a track meet. You go in thinking "Wow I'm actually pretty good at this," only to realize you beat the fat kid and aren't even close to making finals.



Most days I feel more like the fat kid.


----------



## robbins.photo (Jul 28, 2014)

astroNikon said:


> sm4him said:
> 
> 
> > ... my secret knowledge that I'm really just a tiny step above a DOAMWAC (Drunken one-armed monkey with a camera) keeps me motivated to continue trying to get better.
> ...


Rotfl..  well gorillas don't really go in for drunken monkey style kung fu.  We really prefer crane, makes us feel all dainty and graceful.


----------



## The_Traveler (Jul 28, 2014)

Vince.1551 said:


> If I'm good my prints will be selling like hotcakes.



This is sort of interesting and reflects how each of us has a different perspective.
I have never sold an 'art' picture; of course I've done work for money  but no one has ever asked to buy any picture I've taken for myself.
I don't take this personally; I find it difficult to see why anyone would want one. They aren't pretty and  I see them as very personal expressions of what I think and would be out of place on the wall as a subject.

Perhaps I'll be discovered after I die.


----------



## Tee (Jul 28, 2014)

This is going to sound very shallow but my keeper rate increases exponentially based on how good looking the model is. I could use the same lighting set-up on 2 different subjects and I'll get better images with the better looking one. 

On average though, I'd say every 15 images is a automatic keeper but I'm a deliberate shooter and do not spray-n-pray.


----------



## MiFleur (Jul 28, 2014)

I don't think I am good, but I think I am better than I was and I will keep learning because I like what I do. To know how many keepers I have is hard to say. I keep close to half of the photo I shoot just because it is hard for me to delete them as I document the life of our eco-village and even if technically they are not the best, they are still useful. But to have some really good ones that are the result of my planning, humm, not too many! I always find that they have something wrong, but that keeps me going...


----------



## limr (Jul 28, 2014)

Well, I don't know about y'all, but I'M AWESOME 

Except when I suck. 

From every roll I shoot, there are always a few that I like enough to clean up, tweak, and name. From a roll of 120, I aim for 2-3 keepers. For 35mm, I'd like to see 5-8 (depending on 24 or 36 exposures.) I guess that's generally a 10-20% keep rate. Sometimes the ones I don't like are shots that just didn't come out the way I envisioned it. Nothing really _wrong_ but they just fall flat. Other ones I don't like because I totally effed them up  And every once in a while, the stars are aligned or something and I get a roll that is just full of win. :cheer: Then the very next roll will be one stinker right after the other.


----------



## snerd (Jul 28, 2014)

I'm not really very good at all. It's a good thing that it's not a requirement for enjoying it!!


----------



## Ilovemycam (Jul 29, 2014)

I just shot this last week.

(nsfw)

Whoop Whoop! The Gathering of the Juggalos.

Took about 2500 shots. I will get maybe 60 shots for my book. But just guessing, still going through them. 

It just depends on your standards. If many of you guys were saving shots you would get hundreds from my work. But my standards are a little different than the average Flickr photog. With me it boils down to this; is it going into a museum, an artists book, my portfolio or sentimental / personal? If not...it is trash.

BTW...I have not been to a rock concert in 40 years. Even then only went to 2 of them in my lifetime. So I went into the project blind and with no skills for concert photography. You camera fondlers would not like this shoot. My Faygo soaked camera had to be washed 7 times a day or more. Some of the buttons are sticky now. But cams are disposable, at least the Fuji's. The Leica's I am more cautious with. I can't afford to replace them.

No doubt I could have done better if I had connections and access. But I have none. I just buy a ticket like everyone else and start shooting.


----------



## keyseddie (Jul 29, 2014)

I believe nipple licking is frowned upon here.


----------



## rexbobcat (Jul 29, 2014)

Ilovemycam said:


> I just shot this last week.
> 
> (nsfw)
> 
> ...



I've wanted to do a photo essay over juggalos for the longest time. Unfortunately, there aren't any juggalo gatherings near me and I'm afraid I would either say the wrong thing and get stabbed or I'd just be creepy as hell, because I just do not understand the culture. lol

In the long run, I just want my photos to be recognized as being good enough to tell a story that people respond to. Because when I die, nobody will even know or care how I thought of myself. All that will remain of me is my work and other people's opinions of me and my work. If that work doesn't have staying power, then chances are I will most likely be forgotten very quickly (well except for family and stuff). Then again, who's to say I will ever create work powerful enough to create such a response in the first place lol


----------



## imagemaker46 (Jul 29, 2014)

rexbobcat said:


> Ilovemycam said:
> 
> 
> > I just shot this last week.
> ...



Just wear the makeup, you should  be fine


----------



## snerd (Jul 29, 2014)

Ilovemycam said:


> .......... You camera fondlers......



Hmmm..... we probably don't want to go there hee hee..............


----------



## snerd (Jul 29, 2014)

keyseddie said:


> I believe nipple licking is frowned upon here.



Speak for yourself, my good man.


----------



## robbins.photo (Jul 29, 2014)

snerd said:


> keyseddie said:
> 
> 
> > I believe nipple licking is frowned upon here.
> ...



I don't think he meant your own Snerd.. lol


----------



## spacefuzz (Jul 29, 2014)

I am amazing, and my photography is outstanding.  What else do you need to know?  

Doesnt really matter how many shots I take, its art so its the end result that matters. Some will hate it, some will love it...but in the end its personal expresion and if you go into it feeling like you suck I bet your images will suffer accordingly.  Of course on the flip side don't be cocky....then you get lazy.


----------



## DanOstergren (Jul 30, 2014)

I'm certainly not as good as I want to be. I want my work on the covers of W Magazine and Italian Vogue. I want to be as skilled as Michael Thompson and Mario Testino, if not more so. I want to be able to sustain a living with photography that allows me to continually travel and explore every place that I want to see before I die. I'm partway there, but still have a long way to go before that goal is met. I obsess about this and longboarding 24/7. 

I don't shoot many frames when I am shooting. I just don't like having a lot of photos to go through or edit. I like to take my time, find the right light, do my best to groom the model and setting, and usually take 2-3 frames before getting the shot and moving to the next. I'll generally shoot about 150 frames in 2 hours, and have around 20-30 decent shots that I think can be kept, but only really about 3-8 favorites that stand out above the rest.

 I feel like my strongest skills are being able to work natural light like it's my *****, waiting for a very evocative moment or expression before hitting the shutter button, and sometimes I'm decent with retouching. My weaknesses are posing models without reference, not being able to replicate a photo in my head (sometimes I can do this), I procrastinate when it comes to planning shoots and meeting deadlines, and I am very ungraceful when it comes to receiving uncouth or non-constructive critique. 

Really I'm happy if I get just 1 exceptional shot out of 200 frames, but I definitely strive for more.


----------



## keyseddie (Jul 30, 2014)

DanOstergren said:


> I'm certainly not as good as I want to be. I want my work on the covers of W Magazine and Italian Vogue. I want to be as skilled as Michael Thompson and Mario Testino, if not more so. I want to be able to sustain a living with photography that allows me to continually travel and explore every place that I want to see before I die. I'm partway there, but still have a long way to go before that goal is met. I obsess about this and longboarding 24/7.
> 
> I don't shoot many frames when I am shooting. I just don't like having a lot of photos to go through or edit. I like to take my time, find the right light, do my best to groom the model and setting, and usually take 2-3 frames before getting the shot and moving to the next. I'll generally shoot about 150 frames in 2 hours, and have around 20-30 decent shots that I think can be kept, but only really about 3-8 favorites that stand out above the rest.
> 
> ...


Dan the man, your post should be required reading. Having ambition to be the best, realization that you are not there, dedication and a recognition of weakness and strength, are all necessary elements in the pursuit of excellence.


----------



## MargueriteBeaty (Jul 30, 2014)

I think that the number of photos that I think are good change the more I look and edit my work.
At first I feel more emotion towards the images, specially when I photograph travel or babies.
I remember the moment and details.
The second time I look, I pay more attention to the technical details and so on.
By the end I love fewer images.


----------



## jsecordphoto (Jul 30, 2014)

Dan, I completely agree. I want to travel, be in magazines, etc for my landscape work. Things started to change for me big time when I started holding myself to the standard of photographers I look up to that are succeeding on that level. Now I know that my work isn't on their level, but I strive for it. I had to suffer failures, spend a ton of time reading and learning, and try new techniques often while out shooting. I started seeing my keeper rate go way up. And it has paid off, with more print sales, magazine features, etc. I'm still not on the level I want to be, but so far the true success has been chasing a dream, working hard, and having a small taste of success for my efforts. Great post.


----------



## jowensphoto (Jul 30, 2014)

My keep rate for a wedding is about 70%

Are all of them works of art? No. Are half of them works of art? Not even close.

I get maybe 1-2 shots if I'm lucky that I fall in love with. That's what keeps me doing what I do.


----------



## spacefuzz (Jul 30, 2014)

DanOstergren said:


> I feel like my strongest skills are being able to work natural light like it's my *****.



lol, show that light who's boss!


----------



## ristretto (Jul 30, 2014)

A couple of nice images per roll of 24.


----------



## DanOstergren (Jul 30, 2014)

spacefuzz said:


> DanOstergren said:
> 
> 
> > I feel like my strongest skills are being able to work natural light like it's my *****.
> ...


Oh trust me it knows...


----------



## kathyt (Jul 30, 2014)

I forgot how to use my camera because it's been so long. So basically I suck.


----------



## bc_steve (Jul 30, 2014)

Really depends what your shooting and what your standards are.  I've found as I get better, the bar gets raised at a faster rate, so I end up with fewer photos that I'm really happy about than I ever have.


----------



## snerd (Jul 30, 2014)

kathyt said:


> I forgot how to use my camera because it's been so long. So basically I suck.



Hi Kathy!!!!


----------

