We all suck at photo taking most of the time...

[nomade]

I agree with this, 99% of my work stinks, but the other 1% is what keeps me going, that's right...This 1 % that people may talk about, congratulate u for, and praise ur exceptional talent...

Well but i think what screws everything mostly is that for ex, here a roll of film is expensive as well the processing...More expensive than abroad i guess. When i was in Canada i had no problem shooting more than 3 rolls/day, but here u cna shoot 6 rolls/day but u've to hold ur hand from shooting on film till the end of the month, it's expensive both ways, but u just can't unless u've a fortune salary every month and i'm still a student so practically there isn't much left...

So i've to think that i need to make a good shot this time, because a roll isn't that cheap to waste it either and i don't wanna to pay for crap when developping...And i think that too much thinking will screw u up..

I agree with Denishr probably it's msotly about the mood, sometimes u r just unable to do anything with the thing u r holding in ur hand, and other times u r just in the mood whatever u get is genuine...

 

[zuikologist]

I agree with Denishr that mood has much to do with success rate, but mainly that you need to feel that you are observing rather than participating, say at a party or with street action. This seems to create a calmness to capture what is happening.

 

[aizan]

this is the other "zone" you talk about in photography. 😀

 

[Poptart]

I may be weird, but I get a large percentage of good stuff on most of my b&w negs, and almost nothing on color. Color just seems too literal to my way of shooting.

 

[Chuck A]

I also agree that mood is an important factor. If I am in the zone, I may get a few nice shots in a day but then go months with nothing good to show. I am still trying to find a way to get into the zone when I want to. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I have found that if I prepare before hand by listening to music, reading something photographically inspirational or looking at great photos, it helps.

 

[dmr]

My RF's are the camera of choice for me but I think that most of my pics are pretty bad. There are some that I let out into the world but the majority are hidden away under lock and key.

I think that all of us have learned that if we want one great photo, we need to take tens of shots, and yes, there will be something not right with most of them.

If I get one photo that I want to show off out of say 3-4 rolls, 100 shots or so, I'm happy. That's 1%. If I have one per roll (3-4% or so) I'm thrilled!

And yes, I have literally thousands of negatives, small prints, and slides that I never want to admit I took! 😱

 

[24x30]

What's good, and what's bad?

I don't care about it, because if I would I had to stop at this moment taking images. 🙂
I would never touch my ego, so 100% of my images are great ;-) ... some of them ( 99%)
are that good I would never show them to anybody 🙂.

It's my hobby ... why thinking about something like that. (And yes my mother also likes
100% of the images I take from her grandchildren. 🙂

Have fun and always the right light.

/rudi

 

[Will]

I agree with this, 99% of my work stinks, but the other 1% is what keeps me going, that's right...This 1 % that people may talk about, congratulate u for, and praise ur exceptional talent...

...So i've to think that i need to make a good shot this time, because a roll isn't that cheap to waste it either and i don't wanna to pay for crap when developping...And i think that too much thinking will screw u up..

Agree, I think I have it worst than you...
...the only professional film I can obtain in the small town I station in (South China) is RDPIII and only I store can process it. I usually buy films from Hong Kong (about 1/3 cheaper, and much fresher). There are no B&W lap near by, and it is very expensive in Hong Kong, so I mostly shoot C41 B&W, and I don't have a spot meter... (zone? everything at a distance is in zone 5) :bang: :bang: :bang:

I may be weird, but I get a large percentage of good stuff on most of my b&w negs...

Me too, I would say I appreicates the results more...

...I have found that if I prepare before hand by listening to music...

This I want to try...
... but if I get an mp3, I will start getting electronic stuffs (my newest camera is a F3, which was passed to be me by...), which I am trying to avoid (ie, R-D1)...

Life is complicated, isn't it? :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:

 

[24x30]

Life is complicated, isn't it? :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang: :bang:

I get headache from this smilie 🙂

/rudi

 

[phototone]

I disagree. Completely. If you have any training in photography then you can get techniucally acceptable, and compositionally acceptable shots with regularity. Whether the average person likes your subject material is not a consideration.

 

[TPPhotog]

phototone I disagree with you but respect your right to disagree.

I think the average person including picture editors, clients and buyers may find many pictures on every film perfectly acceptable. However for myself I stick to the average of one picture per roll that jumps out at me and says I'm the one and for me that's the only one that matters 😉

 

[aizan]

I disagree. Completely. If you have any training in photography then you can get techniucally acceptable, and compositionally acceptable shots with regularity. Whether the average person likes your subject material is not a consideration.

who has ever said that technically and compositionally acceptable shots are automatically great photographs?

 

[phototone]

phototone I disagree with you but respect your right to disagree.

I think the average person including picture editors, clients and buyers may find many pictures on every film perfectly acceptable. However for myself I stick to the average of one picture per roll that jumps out at me and says I'm the one and for me that's the only one that matters 😉

Well, what you are referring to is an emotional response to a photo. What I am referring to is getting the photo. That is, in the professional world, getting an image that meets the clients requirements. The resultant photo may not move me, but it is what is needed to fulfill the desire of the art director, or editor, or whatever.

For my personal work, when I am just wandering around taking photos for fun, I get maybe three or four images per roll that I really like. I am not "trigger happy" and I don't shoot things that I don't think will make good photos. Years of experience allow me to self-edit before I fire the shutter in most cases.

 

[FrankS]

I think we were all talking about photos that we like and respond to emotionally, rather than photos that are technically acceptable.

 

[TPPhotog]

You didn't mention the professional world in your post now did you 😉

With all my pictures it's not an emotional response to the photo but the one that is the way I wanted it.

I've found in many cases that the picture the client wanted was a load of cr*p but as that's what they were paying for that's what they got ... a record shot.

I also self edit as I shoot, but as I like to shoot real people in their own environment and without control over them, it's impossible to nail a high percentage of shots per roll as they can do the strangest things. That's what makes it so much fun, but sounds like we are kind of in the same ball park on non-professional shoots 🙂

 

[phototone]

You didn't mention the professional world in your post now did you 😉

With all my pictures it's not an emotional response to the photo but the one that is the way I wanted it.

I've found in many cases that the picture the client wanted was a load of cr*p but as that's what they were paying for that's what they got ... a record shot.

I also self edit as I shoot, but as I like to shoot real people in their own environment and without control over them, it's impossible to nail a high percentage of shots per roll as they can do the strangest things. That's what makes it so much fun, but sounds like we are kind of in the same ball park on non-professional shoots 🙂

I did mention the professional world in my post.

I tend to shoot more "objects" than people for my personal work, and perhaps that is why I feel that I get a relatively higher percentage of shots I am happy with. My gallery here reflects my current personal work. I always shoot at least two frames on every shot, sometimes more if I am concerned about exposure issues. In some cases I shoot up to six frames, if I think I might have issues with camera shake. So my rolls of film do not have 36 different views on them.

 

[TPPhotog]

Sorry this was the first post I saw of yours on this subject and can't see professional in it. Never mind it makes little difference 🙂

I disagree. Completely. If you have any training in photography then you can get techniucally acceptable, and compositionally acceptable shots with regularity. Whether the average person likes your subject material is not a consideration.

The subject is where we differ on our perspective as people are happily the most unpredictable of subjects and that's why I like them so much. Static objects I have very little interest in shooting and leave that to those that enjoy it and therefore do it better than I do, give me chaos any time.

Bracketing is a very useful tool, however with people each split second is a different shot 🙂

 

[phototone]

Sorry this was the first post I saw of yours on this subject and can't see professional in it. Never mind it makes little difference 🙂

I apologize, you are quite right. I actually thought your post was in reference to my first followup post, where I talk about the difference between "getting the shot" as a professional, and getting the image as a personal expression.

 

[24x30]

I want to ask again: What's good and what's bad?

I've different intentions to take pictures. Examples:

Family stuff. Nobody outside the family have to like them. Lifetime
max. 20 years, later nobody remembers the persons on the pictures.
Should these pictures not be taken?

Lokal village stuff. Looking now boring, but start to be more interressting
in about 20 years. Who wants to see them? Lokal people, living in
this village. Even here no art is required? Should these pictures be taken?

...

What kind of images are those 'great' and 'good' images everybody
praises? What can we see on these pictures? Nude women, Famous persons,
history, ... ?

/rudi

 

[dim]

I want to ask again: What's good and what's bad?
...

What kind of images are those 'great' and 'good' images everybody
praises? What can we see on these pictures? Nude women, Famous persons,
history, ... ?

/rudi

In my opinion there is no good or bad selection of subject matter. The one that stirs you up is the one to go on with.

And then, after you have selected the subject matter, which photograph is a good one?

Some people will talk about the Form/Content relations, others will talk about the originality or about the relations between volumes, etc. My perception on this is very vague. I like photos that have something more to see (of feel) from the picture it’s self. I like each one of those who will see them to give their own description of the photo, if possible.

How many photographs have I that fulfill the above? In a year I do photography I have about 90 rolls shot. On these 90 rolls I like about five pictures. This, always in my opinion, is not bad for a newcomer. From the rest, 90% has nothing to offer and 10% has something that interests me and I would like to explore it further.