Off topic: consistency in results

This is a question a little off-topic, but I was recently questioned

how my pictures compare to other photographers' results. I'm no

ansel, not even at the calendar photo level. Just a student with an

old olympus, and an older kodak 620. My question is this, how often

do you all get a picture that really hit the mark on what you wanted

out of the exposure. Where the detail was how you imagined, and the

composition, angle and colors were what you saw when you first hit

the expose button. I average about 2 exposures a month that I'd

really like to have printed and framed, and the others go into my

archive for the possibility of salvaging some of them into a collage

or whatnot.

 

TIA, Eric

Years ago the rule of thumb in the commerical world (at least the one I was aware of) was if you could use 10% of what is shot you are ahead of the game. Whether are not that is still the standard someone else can probably address.

 

Several other "fine art" photographers I have studied with indicated that if they got 12 really great negatives a year they were very happy campers.

 

Everyone probably has different standards. If you are reaching your goal then it really doesn't make much difference what is happening elsewhere.

After 3 years of seriously delving into B&W, I'm printing for my first show. 3 years x 20 rolls/year @ 12 per roll = 720 frames. I've printed 30-35 (5%-ish) different prints, half of which are OK, half I'm proud of (so, 2-1/2%). So, I think 10% would be doing very well.

 

You may also find that you go back to some frames that you hadn't considered before. I've made a couple of breakthroughs in my printing ability, and suddenly I'm printing stuff that I had previously thought had no potential. As I just post on another thread: what was the common thread of my best shots? Very simply, light. As long as the exposure, composition, and development were at least competent, good light carried the day.

<i>...12 really great negatives a year...</i><p>St Ansel quotes " Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a good crop. -Ansel Adams"

I think one needs to distinguish between consistency in development/processing, from being able to consistently capture images that are worthwhile to display.

 

Ansel Adams was able to be quite consistent in his methodology of exposure and development. But even if the negative is perfectly exposed and developed to the desired level of contrast, the image itself (for any number of reasons) may not have been compelling enough for him to display. The photographer (unlike many artists) cannot create an image completely to their own vision, they have to start with what appears on the ground glass (or viewfinder).

 

If your negatives are wildly inconsistent in being able to obtain the correct overall density (because of exposure), or the desired negative contrast (because of film development time), there are things that can be done to improve your technique. But getting that elusive �keeper� is often a long shot.

The question is : what is a good pic ????

 

It's a very subjective thing.

 

If you make wedding pictures every week: 2 a month can be a good result for you, not for your clients !

 

For this kind of commercial work, 90% of "good" pic is a minimum ! (good = good to sell)

 

If you make picts for you, not for a client, 2 a month is good. After 3 years you will look these 72 picts and may be keep 10 ! ;-)

Eric: I find it odd that someone would ask you how your photos compare to other photographers. Compare yours to the pros, and I'm sure you will be quite disappointed. Compare yours to the average photosnapper and I'm sure you will be ahead of the race. Better yet, don't compare. Just do the best you can and enjoy the results you like and learn from those you don't. BTW...learning from our mistakes is not as easy as it sounds because lighting and composition can change from scene to scene or even hour to hour within a scene.

 

To answer your question, how often do I get a photo that really hits the mark? Well, my answer would be never. No matter how many shots I take, I can always find a flaw. I recently went on a weekend shooting escapade and shot about 150 photos. I got six of them made into 5x7 prints but wasn't excited enough by them to run out and buy frames.

I find your question and several of the answers a bit intriguing... As a

commercial shooter, I HAVE to be on the mark all the time. If I went back to a

client as said "..sorry, sorry, sorry I messed up and have to spend another day

shooting your stuff..." my name would be out of the shooting circles (i.e. MUD).

There are MANY times when I have to shoot something and it is boxed up and

shipped out as soon as I'm done or a prototype. On a personal note, when I'm

out shooting pretty pictures, before the day of the shoot, I scout out what I

want, time of day, whether I'm going to shoot B/W or color and then there's the

weather and time of year. Many years ago, when I got into large format

shooting, my success rate wasn't what it is now. LF slows you down and

makes you more deliberate and calculated. This will also go with you when

shooting other formats. A few years ago, as something to do, I took a color

printing course at night, to try to get a few more tips. We had to show our work

before hand to the students and prof. My time came and I laid down about 25

images, and stepped back and watched. There were art types and PJ and

commercial types in the class. The room fell silent and all of a sudden panic

came into my mind. What was wrong with my stuff? Anyway, make a long

story short... everyone was amazed but my prof said they were all amazing

images but they were to "technically perfect"... I went "hhhuuuggghh????

Please explain!!!" He said that the composition, color placement, designing

lines, exposure ect. were all perfect but that was just it... everything was to

perfect. I again went "HHHUUUGGGHHH????" What it boiled down to was

that I was working so hard for perfection that I lost the "feeling". He gave me a

Holga camera and told me not to use the viewfinder, shoot from the hip. I

naturally grumbled and moaned and said something like wasting film or some

other comment that i thought was appropriate. I went out with the Holga and I

have to admit, used the view finder because it would be a waste of film to just

shoot something without any reguard!!! I came back with the contacts and the

prof looked at them and said (within 3 seconds) I had used the viewfinder...

He sent me out again and I then (I say this grumbling...) shot from the hip. I

amazed myself! My goofing around had feeling again! It was right in front of

my nose! I came out of that course learning nothing new as far as printing was

concerned but volumes as far as creating!!! Now, for the past 4 years, when I

go out shooting my "pretty pixs" I take that little piece of taped up, cheap

Holga and "create" images, along with my 4x5 of course! My point is that it

doesn't matter what equipment you have, slow down, look down, look at the

smaller picture and shoot what YOU like and don't compare yourself to

others... learn from others and extrapolate what info you need. Just

remember, we are our worst enemy! Take the picture and look at it upside

down (that's one of the nice things with LF shooting) and judge it for

composition and not content. Basic things like exposure should be right on all

the time unless your doing it intentionally different. Make sure your equipment

is working properly and shoot what YOU like!