Satisfying yourself....

NOT LIKE THAT!!!!

Ok i'm just curious how critical people are on themselves. I am certainately my own worst crittic and think a lot of my work needs improvement even when people say they love it.

Please list your current number of photos in your collection and number of photos you are really truly satisfied with.

Gallery Images: 12,966
Satisfied with: ~80

Adams said this:
"Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop." - Ansel Adams

Well i must be more critical of myself then as that's only over 2 years.

I've taken about 12,000 photos since I started this hobby about a year and a half ago. There are 3 or four that I like. My wife and buddy both think differently. I'd rate none of my photos as "significant".

I'm not doing the math, but I find myself shooting the same things over and over, always hoping for an image that's better than the one before, even if I thought the one before was very good. Maybe it'll be a tad sharper, or the light will be hitting it a little better, the pose of the bird might be a little more interesting, the color the fly might be just a smidge brighter than the previous one...

i know the feeling. it's a search for perfection... i often look at my pics and think 'that's really nice but if only the focus point was about 2mm to the left' or 'i wish i had framed that slightly differently'

but then again that's what keeps us going. I have a good friend who i really admire his work but he thinks his pictures are mediocre.

Lots
Zero

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #17345127
Lots
Zero

Ditto.. There are some I'm happy with but none that i am completely satisfied with.

memoriesoftomorrow wrote in post #17345127
Lots
Zero

I should also add this scenario is permanent too.

really, you don't have ANY you look at and just think wow?

I have plenty I look at that I like. But there are faults with all of them and the moment I press the shutter is the moment I start to dissect what I could have done better. Hence zero truly satisfying images and then never will be either.

Photography is great as a pursuit in that true perfection is ultimately an unattainable goal. (In my opinion at least). It is the perfect past time/job for those who constantly want to push themselves to improve.

I like your passion about the art. I have maybe 3 or for i keep going back to and think wow i took that but i agree it is hard to see a picture as perfect lol.
My 'satisfied' pictures i'm about 90% happy with.

urbanfreestyle wrote in post #17344961
Please list your current number of photos in your collection and number of photos you are really truly satisfied with.

Gallery Images: 12,966
Satisfied with: ~80

What "my collection" includes isn't clear. All the photos I kept copies of? Many of those are bug macros and don't count for the purpose of gauging satisfaction. Others don't count for different reasons. When I was trying for an image with artistic value, I can only guess that I was satisfied no more than 5% of the time.

"Satisfied" doesn't mean that I think the image is perfect, only that I'm pleased with it.

Ok i should change the wording to clarify.....read Collection as library.

urbanfreestyle wrote in post #17345183
I like your passion about the art.

I don't have a passion for the art as such. I have a passion for perfection which is across the board in everything. My passion is mainly focused on the effectiveness and efficiency of my business. Producing images consistently to a standard which are nearer to my approximation of what perfect allows my photography style to offer a USP in my business which in turn along with other things allows me to progress to my ideal business scenario and work life balance.

Photography in its own right I find relatively boring unless I'm travelling or on holiday... I.e. memory capture.

True efficiency in photography IMHO is being able to see an image in my head and reproduce/capture it with the minimum expenditure of effort.

If there is any art in photography for me it is being able to produce what I want to produce but doing so at an almost subconcious level.