Percentage of quality shots (Page 5): For example (and I still shoot as if I was using slide film, so I don’t shoot if I don’t like it, and exposure and composition need to be...

george19

Tino wrote:

My question for everyone on here is this. Out of all the shots you take what is the percentage that you would consider displaying on a wall in your home for anyone to see? Not that I take a lot of pictures but out of what I have taken, I find very few that would be worthy of displaying. My girlfriend thinks a number of my shots are beautiful but I disagree. Then again, I am a very harsh critic of my photography and can always find something wrong.

For example (and I still shoot as if I was using slide film, so I don’t shoot if I don’t like it, and exposure and composition need to be spot-on...very little cropping in post), I took about 800 shots in the Galapagos. Half were keepers, 80 were worth publishing and sharing, and less than 8 were exposition/competition worthy. Yesterday at the butterfly conservatory, I only took 40 shots and have about the same percentages.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

nikon123 wrote:

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.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Jklovell wrote:

In the 5 years or thereabouts that I’ve been involved in photography, I probably have 10-15 images I’m proud of. My problem is subject matter. Unless you’re dealing in the abstract, the subject is what ultimately decides an image’s potential. Where I live in South Carolina, the subject matter is just not there. It’s depressing. I read somewhere that subjects don’t come to you, you have to go to them. I guess I’ll have to go a little further. Maybe then my keeper rate will go up.

There’s subject matter everywhere. You just have to get out and find it. I find the more I go out and shoot, the more I “see”.

hogesinwa Loc: Dalyellup Western Australia

I have been taking pictures since the mid-70s. I have done this over half the planet, including 6 years sailing and living aboard in the Med.
Out of the thousands of shots taken, I have 4 on the wall in our dining room (one of which was a double page centre spread in a magazine), one on the wall in our tv room, 3 aken in southern China in 1985 in a corridor and 2 in my study.
So percentage-wise, less than 0.001%. Ten out of thousands.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Architect1776 wrote:

Sad we have so many pathetic shooters here that ca... (show quote)

I’d hope shooting with an 8x10 view camera you would have a high keeper rate. I wonder what Ansel’s keeper rate was? We have no idea how many shots he took that we’ll never see. Yes, I imagine it’s pretty high. I think subject matter has a lot to do with it. If it’s a planned shot, landscapes, architecture, etc. the keeper rate is gonna be much higher than if I’m shooting wildlife or sports.

elent

In the beginning, about 1percent were hangers. But,as the years passed, like most, I developed an eye to what might be a good/great shot, so less digital trash, more quality shots, more keepers.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Tino wrote:

My question for everyone on here is this. Out of all the shots you take what is the percentage that you would consider displaying on a wall in your home for anyone to see? Not that I take a lot of pictures but out of what I have taken, I find very few that would be worthy of displaying. My girlfriend thinks a number of my shots are beautiful but I disagree. Then again, I am a very harsh critic of my photography and can always find something wrong.

Many here discuss wall hangings, (Tough to do much unless you have Buckingham Palace), or presentations etc. If a photo is worth using digital storage space (Some here have 10's or 100's of thousands of stored digital photos) then it is a keeper worthy of hanging on the wall but one does not desire to do so for many reasons. Use your imagination as to why not.
So the question is worthy of hanging but perhaps is not hung or displayed for a myriad of reasons but still kept for personal reasons. So of all your shots taking up storage space in some form or another would be presumed to be "Keepers" worthy of display even though due to space limitations or personal reasons are not displayed.

Fredrick Loc: Former NYC, now San Francisco Bay Area

russelray wrote:

About 99% of an average 3,500 pictures I take each week.

Wow, that’s 180,180 pictures wall hangable pictures a year!

Ansel Adams said he did 10 wall hangable pictures a year. I guess Ansel didn’t have “burst” mode.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

If I had any wall space left....hahaha.....about 4 to 5% I would guess. I do mostly large album books now as they can be passed around at the family gatherings. And they're portable for when I travel to visit friends & relatives.

chemsaf Loc: San Diego

Over the past 10 years, I have shot about 5000 images a year underwater. Out of the 5000, 13 make the annual underwater calendar. There are about 10 runners up. That is about 0.5%
Neal

AndyH Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire

SuperflyTNT wrote:

I’d hope shooting with an 8x10 view camera you would have a high keeper rate. I wonder what Ansel’s keeper rate was? We have no idea how many shots he took that we’ll never see. Yes, I imagine it’s pretty high
...

Actually, we can guess. He famously said that twelve successes a year was a good output. In his autobiography he discusses taking a case full of loaded sheet film holders on an overnight hike. My Graflex cases hold about a dozen 4x5 holders, fewer, of course in larger sizes.

So the man is taking two dozen exposures over a two day trip to El Capitan- with only the hope that he’d get an exhibition worthy print from the trip.

Andy

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

SuperflyTNT wrote:

I’d hope shooting with an 8x10 view camera you would have a high keeper rate. I wonder what Ansel’s keeper rate was? We have no idea how many shots he took that we’ll never see. Yes, I imagine it’s pretty high. I think subject matter has a lot to do with it. If it’s a planned shot, landscapes, architecture, etc. the keeper rate is gonna be much higher than if I’m shooting wildlife or sports.

From my desk here, I can see into the closest with at least 6 frames leaned against the back wall waiting for a larger house ...

lmTrying Loc: WV Northern Panhandle

From all the looking through the view finder, one thing that the camera has taught, and is still teaching me still, is how to look at a scene and see what the camera sees. This works many ways. I find myself looking at details in a scene that I would normally miss. I find myself composing a scene before I even pick up the camera. I am evaluating a scene for light, color, background, content, and more before I pick up the camera. I take photos I know won't work and ones I think will work to confirm my "predictions". It's all part of my learning process. And my wall hangers are shifting from shear luck to a product of effort.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

SuperflyTNT wrote:

There’s subject matter everywhere. You just have to get out and find it. I find the more I go out and shoot, the more I “see”.

Hmmm.
Have you read Photographic Seeing by Feininger?

philo Loc: philo, ca

I'm out of wall space. However I save about 1% to display in the local fair. I keep about 90% in my hard drive. I hope in years to come someone will discover my work and i will become famous.