Good pics like a diamond in the rough/ photographers block?

[4nR]

I hope this isnt just me, but I just want to know from a show of 'hands' (posts), are most of the pictures you guys take bad? let me explain, i usually take a whole lot of pictures, and only about a handful of them (say 2-5%) are actually any good. the other ones are just crap (either poor comp, subject, camera settings, etc). Also, i've been taking some really bad pictures this past week, and i dont feel anything when im taking pictures (usually i get a sense when something would make a good photo). just want to know if anyone else is like this, or am i alone? :o

[troy7997]

I'm right there with you, but I was just considering it as my lack of expericence behind the camera.

2-5%... if that....

-Troy

[Pekka]

When working with people (or animals) number of great shots will often diminish because people move and have infinite number of expressions and poses. If you have two subjects the problem is doubled, if three tripled etc. Group shots are from hell. :)

When you work with e.g. landscape then you could take your time and multispot meter and take that one shot. It's all relative.

You should not worry about how many shots you need to get one good one. Important thing is to get that good one. Of course improving the ratio tells something of concentration and skill, but then again you only need to (and should) show only those good shots. I do not invite people to hear when I practice the bass, I invite them to concert.

[Longwatcher]

Consider this,
Doing a model shoot I usually take between 1200 and 3000 images.
- Of those typically 150-250 are acceptable for pay-per-view use
- About 30 are acceptable for working with in photoshop and getting something decent out of.
- Maybe one or two are really good shots that I like.
- About every 3rd shoot/session I will get one picture that I like enough to print a 13x19 of and to date only three out of about 35000 have been good enough that I would have liked to print larger like 24x36. So like 10% I can make money from, 1% I would not mind printing out with some work, 0.1% that I want to print and 0.01% that I actually consider good.

On the other hand, I will take about 12 shots of a flower and get one I like enough to print in those 12 (unless it is really windy). Not really into flowers, but they are much easier to capture then people.

Usually, while I can't always set up a good shot, I know when I have got one, before even looking at the image. And when I am having a bad day, I do not get as many good shots, but sometimes, just taking the pictures puts me in a better mood.

[PhotosGuy]

- Maybe one or two are really good shots that I like. Me, too. Sometimes not even that, but I can get really picky, too. I shot some crap this weekend, & probably (for sure) will again.
The thing is, shooting is a process for me. Someone once said that if you have an idea, write it down & that frees up your brain to come up with more. Same for pics. Shoot anything to start. Chimp. Move around. Shoot some more. Chimp some more. As ideas come to you, shoot them. Chimp. Move around. Shoot some more, Etc. I usually "plan" on throwing the first 80% away. It's the process that counts. When you know you have it "in the can", shoot some more. Sometimes it's that last shot that really does it!
With film & a new model, I'd shoot with 2 cams, one empty just to give them time to loosen up. ;-)

[JZaun]

Depends on the subject. Flowers I get 75% keepers, People 10%, Landscape 15% birds,1-2%.:) some things are just hard to get a decent pic of. One thing I learned here a long time ago is that if you want good results take a lot of pic's!!!

JZ

[4nR]

this is good to hear that im not the only one. and you guys have probably been shooting much longer than i have (some for longer than i've been alive ;D).

[HJMinard]

You're getting excellent advice, and I need to absorb some of it myself. I tend to be a little too deliberate when I'm shooting, and I think I often lose out on the best opportunites. I have a pretty decent percentage of keepers, but I'm missing out on a variety of expressions (with people) and with wildlife I'm too often missing the shot opportunity altogether.

[EricKonieczny]

On a recent trip to NYC, I had around 3100 shutter actuations. I came home with 2200 shots. I am trying to edit down to around 1000 usable shots, since I took 2-4 shots of the same subject from different abgles and light.

I am guessing I will get maybe 10-20 shots that I really like, and would be proud of.

[VesselinG]

Before I registered to the forum, I used my P&S camera with it's auto settings, and I took only one picture of something, and liked them. Since I registered here, I started taking lots and lots of picutres (for me at least, the first three monts of having the camera = 800 pics, the first three monts after registering in this forums = 4000 pics) and only a small, very small part of those pictures, taken in M mode are any good.