Cameras in my pocket - more, crappier photos?

[GarageBoy]

So I started walking around with an Olympus XA2 in my pocket, and I do notice that I'll take photos without hesitation. Unfortunately, this means a lot more mediocre photos.

I guess I take more time to think about the scene when I have to dig a camera out of my bag

 

[Dirk]

If you're coming from digital, you may have formed a habit of just firing away. Film teaches you discipline.

 

[bessadriver]

Even so, a crappy pic is still better than no pic at all! Besides, I'm sure they are not that crappy :~)

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Once, 100 years of solitude and Nobel Prize writer García Márquez said a good writer is known not for how many sheets of paper are written every day, but for how many sheets of written paper end up every day in the trash can... In photography, in my opinion, that self criticism is not indicated by throwing or discarding photographs only, but also by not hitting the shutter... It's a good exercise: Is this goig to be really moving, amazing, interesting from any point of view? Anyway in our field it's necessary to shoot a lot, and even so, only a few of our images end up seeing life through time... Most of our shots end up in the trash can no matter how good or bad we are... Some time ago I read National Geographic Magazine once asked all their professional film photographers how many shots in promedy they needed to shoot to get one published, and here's the truth: they got one published, in promedy, after every 13,000 shots... So, relax...
Cheers,
Juan

 

[jsrockit]

If you're coming from digital, you may have formed a habit of just firing away. Film teaches you discipline.

Tell that to Winogrand... 😀 Most photographers photograph a lot to get a little.

 

[mfogiel]

This is the university of photography: make pictures, look what came out, think, adjust, repeat, do it all your life...

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

and here's the truth: they got one published, in promedy, after every 13,000 shots... So, relax...

That says it all, I think. 🙂

 

[zauhar]

This is the university of photography: make pictures, look what came out, think, adjust, repeat, do it all your life...

Excellent.

 

[daveleo]

It is great that you recognize the quality level ("mediocre" ?) of your pictures. Does not matter how many you shoot. What matters is how critical you are of the pictures you make.
Possibly the danger is seeing so much "meh" shots can lower your standards over time. Hopefully that does not happen.

Shoot / Criticize / Trashcan / Repeat

(FWIW, I am down to making 2 or 3 really good print-worthy pictures per year !!!, and about 20-100 webpage "beauties" 🙄, and about 1000-2000 are trashcan food.)

 

[zauhar]

To paraphrase Cocteau: The prerequisite for creating something good is the capacity to recognize what is bad.

Someone else already linked to this article that includes a letter Sergio Larraine wrote to his nephew about photography. I think it is inspiring:

http://fotografiamagazine.com/letter-by-sergio-larrain-to-his-nephew/

Randy

 

[dtcls100]

To paraphrase Cocteau: The prerequisite for creating something good is the capacity to recognize what is bad.

Someone else already linked to this article that includes a letter Sergio Larraine wrote to his nephew about photography. I think it is inspiring:

http://fotografiamagazine.com/letter-by-sergio-larrain-to-his-nephew/

Randy

Great letter!

 

[mfogiel]

Wonderful find zauhar !

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I have XA in my pocket. If I want it on film.
If I need just a snapshot - I have iPhone in another pocket. I could analyze it as well.


XA.

Untitled by Ko.Fe., on Flickr

iPhone.

Now... which one is better. I have to analyze it...
If I want to join instagram crowd or if I want it printed for the gallery.

Would Winogrand perceive popularity on instagram, get published in the magazines with DSLRs taken pictures or would he choose forgotten film RF at these days?
He didn't have choice back then, just film cameras and no internet, you know...

 

[zuiko85]

Depends on the format;

35mm half frame, ratty-tat-tat.....
35mm full frame , clickty-click-click
6X6 or 6X9, lets see...ok move a bit to the right...cock shutter, frame, release, wind on, move on.
4X5, mounted on tripod, I have exposed a maxium of 3 DDS's (6 shots) at any one time.

 

[tunalegs]

You will regret the photo you didn't take a whole lot more than the one you took, but which sucked.

 

[Landshark]

Tell that to Winogrand... 😀 Most photographers photograph a lot to get a little.

Didn't he leave several thousand rolls of undeveloped film when he died?
You just don't need to process all of them, just the ones with the keepers.

 

[David Hughes]

Hi,

Since you say " I do notice that I'll take photos without hesitation" then I'll suggest that you pause and think about what's in the viewfinder. Walking about a bit, often only a couple of paces often improves pictures a lot.

And there's been a lot of good to excellent XA2 photo's shown on RFF...

Regards, David

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

Walking about a bit, often only a couple of paces often improves pictures a lot.

Indeed, it does.

 

[chipgreenberg]

I carry a small camera, but still don't push the button unless I think magic is going to happen. For me, this amounts to 2-3 rolls of 35mm/yr. I've shot one roll this year, got 2 images I felt justified scans. One is magic and framed on the wall, the other had technical issues I didn't realize until I started post processing and canned it.

So I actually googled yesterday to try and see how many images Ansel Adams produced in a year. I'm getting 1-3 worth hanging IMO.

Ansel said a photographer that gets 12 significant images in a year is doing well. He shot full time, and went on long photographic expeditions.

Just some thoughts.

 

[jsrockit]

I carry a small camera, but still don't push the button unless I think magic is going to happen. For me, this amounts to 2-3 rolls of 35mm/yr. I've shot one roll this year, got 2 images I felt justified scans. One is magic and framed on the wall, the other had technical issues I didn't realize until I started post processing and canned it.

If this is how you want to enjoy photography, then so be it... but it certainly is not a recipe for successful images for all.

So I actually googled yesterday to try and see how many images Ansel Adams produced in a year. I'm getting 1-3 worth hanging IMO.

Well, if you do three rolls a year, then you will only get that many... that is why people choose to do more.

Ansel said a photographer that gets 12 significant images in a year is doing well. He shot full time, and went on long photographic expeditions.

He was a large format photographer at the top of his game at that point. It's a totally different type of photography than most practice here.