CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

My film statistic too is much higher where some rolls are now almost every image, minus the occasional footshot and similar misfire. But, the subject matter and method tend to be much different with film than digital, where digitally, I'll attempt much more outlandish exposures / apertures to see if I can get even just one that will work. On film I'm much more conservative, working with perfect technique and subjects hopefully I can catch using a tripod. When I returned to film after several years away, I had too many rolls come back where I struggled to find even one image to justify the effort and expense. But, I took the challenge to up my game on understanding the various types of film, technique, and the situations of when and why as well as when and why not.

RichardSM Loc: Back in Texas

I like your thinking about video display. When I lived in sunny 😎 SoCal I had a nice video display it’s size was 8x10 which showed many pictures in my home we sold out and live in a Motorhome no place to hang it so I sold it. I still have the SD cards but no video display. Oh well some day I’ll have home again and I’ll buy a display to show the new stuff LOL.

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

I rarely make prints. I create photo shows using Pro Show Gold. The product uses a different criteria in composition and quality than for printing. I have more latitude in what I consider acceptable when I put a show together. Many times there is an overall story to tell that cannot be represented in one static print, so the individual photos in the show are judged by me on a different standard than for a one-off print. I have more "keepers".

suntouched Loc: Sierra Vista AZ

I get less keepers as time goes on. I think that is because I am getting pickier. I keep about 10% or less overall and compare over the years. I am looking for something unique in the bird or landscape world. A different view, a different pose, a unique condition or exposure. I don't want 25 views of the same thing.

lmTrying Loc: WV Northern Panhandle

Look on Amazon, B&H, etc.

rodpark2 Loc: Dallas, Tx

I don't just blast away. I compose and adjust settings knowing with a good deal of certainty what I want, and how to get it. I shot film for many, many years and the cost of pushing the shutter release was between $.50 for 35 mm to $15 on 8X10. I still tend to shoot very conservatively. When I travel I edit and upload every night before going to bed. 25-50% of daily shots are used, and I'm particular. I usually choose between slight compositional differences as I expect to have well over 95% keepers. I probably don't actually discard one percent. But of course subject matter makes a huge difference. Shooting birds in the air nets a much lower percentage of keepers. Slight exposure bracketing on sunset and sunrise pictures gives me choices to best edit from. When shooting a wedding or party I expect to only toss 3-5 shots out of several hundred. I heard a woman say she got about 75% of her wedding shots that were usable. What were the 25% that were missed?

lmTrying Loc: WV Northern Panhandle

Don't apologize. I found your post very informative. Thanx

lmTrying Loc: WV Northern Panhandle

Good info. Thanx for sharing, it all made sense after thinking back over my first attempt at setting one up.

Jklovell Loc: Rock Hill, SC

You’re right. Just not where I live. Heading to Charleston for a week soon. Should be plenty there.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

I say this about Williamsport but then look around with a tourist eye and there really is a lot of stuff, just see it every day.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

My percentage would vary on the location, the event, the subject.

If I am shooting Landscapes = I would estimate that over 60% (One exception was on a trip to Arcadia Nat. Pk. I kept about 90%)

If I am shooting Wildlife = about 5 to 10%. (Usually on "burst mode".)

If Shooting an event = (sports and gatherings, street, and large groups) = about 10%.

If shooting people (models, musicians, business execs) = about 5%

If shooting Stilllife = About 90%

And If I am experimenting (Old cameras - and cameras I have built, with Lenses I made) always 99%.

So with me - It will vary per what I am shooting, and of course, my high standards of my own work.

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James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

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I like your style. :-)

While on locations I feel I MUST - Up-Load to the portable drives, and most often, See What The Hell I Got. Because at the time of capture - I am All about the technical part of the work and what I see in the viewfinder and ground glass. The ART will come later.

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joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I don't display on my walls any more.

There are different ways to define keepers. If using "Properly Exposed and Critically In-focus" roughly 50%.
Worth processing and sharing less than 5% of the 50%.

olemikey Loc: 6 mile creek, Spacecoast Florida

I'm supposed to look at all my shots and cull and throw out the bad, keep the good.... oh dear!! What to do, what to do!!! LOL It (keepers) depends (for various reasons), fabulous/technical marvels, interesting subject matter, sentimental, only existing shots of cousin Joey, special places, special memories, those no longer with us, and on and on and on) - "keepers" aren't always about the "technical qualities", there maybe compelling reasons for keeping some shots that aren't technnically "up to snuff", family photo albums are usually full of them!!!

Some of us don't care about "wall hangers" some of us do.

Estimates: For special interests (where I try my bestest, use all my brain cells and exp) the keeper rate is optimistically somewhere in the 20-30% range, for walkabout casual shooting/snapshooting probably 10% or less. How many of any would I print and hang, that number is lower, single digit, however, I rarely print, but do several types of digital playback (digital frame, TV, monitor), that is my definition of a wall hanger.

Since I too am a harsh critic of my own work, I have a method that gives many shots a good second chance; I only throw out the poor/bad/blurry, "nobody is gonna want to see that" shots during initial reviews. I usually have another set of eyes (or two or three) look at them and along with my feelings about the shot, determine who stays in digital storage (it is so cheap & easy to store several sets, why not) and they get reviewed again at a later date. I often find some shots that I initially dismissed, as compelling for reasons I didn't see in earlier reviews, more often than I would have imagined.

In one of the family photo albums there is a B&W group portrait with many relatives who were long gone before I was born, it is set on a great uncles farm in Ohio - In front of the barn (well, where else), everyone is obviously in their Sunday-go-to-meeting/church best, all framed and exposed in typical non-pro manner, not technically very good. It is a wonderful average family shot - and unless you look really hard at the cut-n-stacked, huge woodpile beside the barn (next to the old "outhouse" with the moon on the door, edge of the frame), you would never see the smiling face of one of the farmhands, big ole grin, missing a couple front teeth, straw hat, ( he was a person of color that my grandmother said lived and worked there all his life ). The shot is "famous" in my extended family, who took the shot, lost to time - My point is that "keepers" aren't always the technical marvels..............

Somewhere on an 8gb card is a P&S run of a squirrel drinking from a beer can it stole off our picnic table, the shots were dark (nearly zero-dark-thirty), distant up in a tree, bridgecam zoomed to the max, but they are a funny set, the squirrel sitting back, holding up the can, looking like Jabba the Hut, chuckles all around! They are lousy from a photographhy POV, but are definitely keepers from my POV.

Second looks and second chances can often change perspective on "keepers". Obviously, for the pro, or pro-hobbiest, pro-am, the culling is a little different, but for the majority, take that second look, you never know where you'll find the next photo-gem!

nikon123 Loc: Toronto, Canada

I have read all the previous posts and agree that the images worthy of framing and hanging on a wall represent a low percentage of the shots taken. However, there are some shoots that yield a high keeper rate. It all depends on how you feel that particular day. The more relaxed and open you are to the selected environment, perhaps the greater will be that day's keeper rate. As well, certain places inspire the photographer and would result in a higher keeper rate.