who here thinks that they are a good photographer...

I don’t think I’m a good photographer, but I do think that I’ve taken good photographs. More than anything I’m trying to be a better editor these days. That said, there are some great photographers on this forum.
 
I'm the "even a blind pig finds an acorn" but at least I try to do it with film instead of blasting a full card on digital.
 
I am a competent street photographer and really bad at staged portraits and landscapes in general. I merely record scenes that are already interesting whether I got it on film or not.

Edit* I have a portfolio of pretty decent snaps but am insecure about it. These 20 years I have been really lucky due to opportunities for tons of travel to interesting places. A lot of my street photography were made during my travels and for that reason I do not respect my own work. A friend once told me anybody can take a good photo in Paris. Is it called the Nat Geo syndrome?

I once went to an exhibit of large 4x5 prints of native tribesmen posing outside their huts. All the shots looked the same but different people and huts. It could have been a highschool reunion shot from New Jersey. What’s “special” about it was purely subject matter. I felt I was going down that road and had to stop.
 
I would describe myself as a competent photographer. I can shoot a film and develop it to a consistently high standard and I guess that makes me a good technician rather than nescessarily a good photographer. On my best days I make images that please me. If others like them too then that is a huge bonus. We can all fall into the trap of making the same image over and over, but the challenge is to shoot a variety of subjects well.
 
It would be rather fun to have an anonymous poll, if it's anything like the self-rating of driving abilities everybody would be well above average...
 
Many of us here are good photographers. We've worked hard, read a lot, looked at lots of photographs and learnt lot more being here and seeing the discussions. The weekly Gallery Picks is amazing sometimes. A friend of mine, married to a poet, said that there are a thousand fine poets you'll never hear of. Photographer too most likely. Most of us like me are a few rungs down but know what we are doing. Some like Barnwulf now gone, Tigerphil, OurManInTangier, Steveh and many others are in the first row.
 
I'm critical of my photographs, with a few rare exceptions. However, other people seem to like them. Surely this kind of thing is for others to judge? The consensus view counts, not mine.

So, I make no personal judgement on whether I'm a "good photographer", but people have brought my photos, I was awarded a distinction in my MA Photography degree, and galleries have asked to exhibit my work, with comments like

‘‘An ambitious and very confident project exquisitely
handled throughout, culminating in an exceptionally
beautiful book.’’
(Mark Power, Magnum photographer)

But I still suffer from Imposter Syndrome!
 
am not daring to think I have talent, but over the years I've learned some understanding about light and composition, so I consider myself better than average phone snapper out there.
 
Judging by the number of followers I have on Flickr and the paltry number of views my photos typically receive, I can't claim to be a great photographer. But this is probably not the most reliable measuring stick. And popularity on Flickr is likely more highly dependent on factors other than photographic quality. All modesty aside, I do think I'm a good photographer in that I like my photos, in general, more than a lot of others I see. I have no photographic training, and I am not well read in the art of photography. However, I do have a degree in "Fine Art", for what it's worth. Bottom line, I think I have good taste and a good eye for interesting images. And I also think there are many good photographers on this forum who are as good and even better than me.
 
I think I am a bloody awful photographer. But on the other hand I am really quite accomplished at putting lipstick on a pig in Lightroom.

As a result, I am now inclined to think (perhaps making a virtue out of necessity) that at the end of the day, it really does not matter how you get the final image so long as you get it.
 
I daresay that most of us think that we are fairly proficient.

We seldom engage in avocations in which we perform poorly.
 
Awful. I do NOT have the photographers eye. I love the “Camera” itself as an Art object, and I am a competent camera collector. The “only” time my photography was “good” was during my civil war re-enactment photography decade.
 
Richard G said:
Many of us here are good photographers. We've worked hard, read a lot, looked at lots of photographs and learnt lot more being here and seeing the discussions. The weekly Gallery Picks is amazing sometimes. A friend of mine, married to a poet, said that there are a thousand fine poets you'll never hear of. Photographer too most likely. Most of us like me are a few rungs down but know what we are doing. Some like Barnwulf now gone, Tigerphil, OurManInTangier, Steveh and many others are in the first row.
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention Lynnb largely confined to the Gallery. Wonderful stuff.
 
Better than average, I suppose. I know what I’m doing, mostly. As to output, I’ll leave this for others to judge. I just enjoy doing what I’m doing with a camera and it satisfies my artistic and creative need.

Working for a living I have long years of technical film and darkroom knowledge and experience but this accounts for nothing as now I haven’t a darkroom and I don’t develop and print my own films.

Digital; still work in progress. One step forward sometimes two back, especially in post processing software learning.
 
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