How many shots one must take before he can capture "soul" of the scene?

<p>I recently came across a quote (supposedly from Steve McCurry) which said it takes at least 20,000 images to place yourself as a photographer! A controversial statement indeed but I guess there is some truth to it because human brain takes practice to master things. Even to master the settings of your camera it takes a while.<br>

 

Hence my question to you all. Approximately how many shots have you taken in your life time? What makes you go out and shoot every day, is it a 365 project or commercial reasons, or do you just do it for the fun of it?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Thousands of shots over 60 years. Generally 1-2 shots to capture the "soul" of a scene if I've had a chance to scope it out beforehand, maybe 4-5 shots if not. When I'm physically able, I'm out almost every day, strictly to observe and record what others may have overlooked or missed. While I don't disagree with Steve McCurry, I routinely see people capturing 1000 shots/day (IMHO what a waste unless they're doing it commercially - like for a wedding). However a discriminating photographer doesn't need that type of overkill, as they have planned ahead, and generally know what to anticipate, when and under what conditions and prepare accordingly.</p>

<p>I'd guess that came from something they used to claim a long time ago, that it took 10K rounds of practice to make a decent pistol shooter. Sometimes yes, sometimes no, and for those with no talent, almost never. As to Souls, IMO, those are likely the exclusive property of living things.</p>

"The soul of a scene" as you put it is a reflection of your soul. Sometimes we get lucky but to really understand a place

you've to spend enough time there that it soaks into you and you into it and then you need to be able to stand back and

say you with your photos "this is what I see and I want you to see it too."

<p>I'm not sure what the "soul" of any given scene is supposed to mean and even if I did I'm not sure if it could even be described in a photograph the way I intend it to. It's not something I care about either and by that I mean I have various reasons for why I shoot and for the most part these reasons aren't quite clear to me and may never be and that's OK. I enjoy the act and for the sake of simplicity that's what I tell people. However people want to interpret my work is up to them and whatever conclusions they arrive at is also OK with me. Life is complicated enough, why make it more so? </p>

<p>I've read that given motivation, any skill such as learning an instrument, a language an art including photography generally takes about 8 years to reach a level of competency. You can read all the articles there are on photography, or street photography etc. and they may give perspective and inspiration, but only getting out and doing it will bring about proficiency. I've found that to be true in many instances.</p>

<p>About 100</p>

<p>Only one. It is the mind of the photographer that captures the soul of the scene not the camera. If you don't see it in your mind a million shots aren't going to put it there. Back in the late '60s I was fortunate to spend about a month with Ansel Adams in Yosemite. We went out every day to photograph that area that Ansel knew so well. In that month of going out every day, Ansel exposed one sheet of film, though he was "photographing" every day. If the conditions did not fit his image in his mind he didn't expose the film. The "shot" was taken and processed in Ansel's mind long before he ever went out on location.</p>

 

<p>It does not work like that number of shots.</p>

<p>Art/Photography is not subject to mathematical equations. </p><div></div>

<p>I agree with E.J., <em>One</em>, if its a good one. </p>

<p>Like the old joke, how many balls of string does it take to reach the moon... <em>One</em>, if its a big one.</p>

<p>It all depends on the photographer. Vivian Maier's contact sheets show a remarkable one-shot hit rate. The Magnum contacts show photographers shooting many, many frames (sometimes rolls of film) while working a scene.<br /><br />I think McCurry's estimate of 20,000 frames is a broad generalization, but it's in the ballpark IMO. I'd say it took me 10,000 deliberate, thoughtful photographs to begin to realize myself as a photographer.<br /><br />For me, the pursuit of photography is one of self-exploration. So rather than thinking in terms of "capturing the soul of a scene" I'd probably say something like "finding the message of a scene that speaks to my own soul, and capturing that in a way that makes it visible to others." I don't think scenes have souls - they're just visual organizations of events. Photographers sometimes have souls, and that makes all the difference. The better I know myself, the better my photography becomes.</p>