frederdane Loc: Orlando, FL

I sent a reply, but it did not go where I expected it to. Still new to this forum. What I said was, "no" it wasn't me. But I hope to shoot there soon. Foggy day at dawn or twilight. Tail-light at a slow shutter speed. May have to simulate with my new Tiffen double fog filter.

docgipe Loc: Northcentral Pennsylvania,

My college just gave me a field pass for a dandy football game. I will have full run of the track right behind the team areas to both end zones. This is the next best thing other than getting back in uniform.

My mobility scooter will go fifteen miles up to seven miles per hour. A high score game will use up about three quarters of a charge. In the past I have shot up to three or four hundred shots looking for 20 or so acceptable to publish and half a dozen excellent captures after post processing. Note the monopod ancored to the deck and using the steering wheel for stability. Works pretty good.

johnr9999 Loc: Carlton, OR

Not sure I agree that the more you do something, the better you get. When I was learning to play the bagpipes I was advised to have a teacher because the more I learned a bad habit the harder it was to break. They become automatic after awhile.

dmartin Loc: Pemberville, OH

I once read in National Geographic that for every photograph printed in the magazine, over 1000 were shot. That makes me feel better, at least.

wilsondl2 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska

When I started photography in the early 60's most sports phtogs used Nikons with motor drives. I read about a guy that did boat races with Speed Graphic where you had to set exposure and speed, put in a film holder, take out a dark slide, take your picture, put in the dark slide, take out film holder and then start over for the next picture. Their were six boats that flipped over that day and he had great pictures of five of them. I think if you work hard before you take your pictures at least 1/2 will be good. Great shots or a differant story. Dave

Sundog Loc: Sedona, Arizona

I don't think, in the beginning, that it's bad to take lots of photos and experiment, get use to where all the settings are on your brand of camera (that takes time and use).

But as you become more comfortable, yes, by all means slow down, take time to setup, anticipate, plan and keep your eyes and awareness on what is going on around you. You just might get a shot you didn't even think about before then.

RParker Loc: Orlando

frederdane- That was a JOKE! I'm in O-ville, your in O-ville kinda thing.
On I-4 it would be brake lights and SLOW TO NO speed (no joke).

johnr9999- It's the same with learning sax or a lot of instruments I imagine. Does anybody ever get good at playing bagpipes, and if they do how do you know? JOKING AGAIN! I heard a jazz pianist, Jutta Hipp, play JAZZ bagpipes, and she was great!

Pick up the book and read the intro to see the statement in context, I don't have it this second.

GTinSoCal Loc: Palmdale, CA

Now that's funny!
LOL

Gordon

Paw Paw Bill Loc: d

I have a friend with an eye for composition and lighting. For every 100 photos, she will get 3-5 keepers. I have a sister with a great camera, but, no vision for photography. She can take 1000 photos and not have one keeper.

Giving you a number would make it sound like it is possible for anyone to go out and shoot a specific large quantity of shots and will be guaranteed to have a few very good keepers. Sorry, it just "Ain't gonna happen."

Any one of us could give you an average for ourselves, but it would be useless beyond our own portfolio. Bob has declared that he may get 2-3 good shots out of a hundred on A GOOD DAY. And, he is a very experienced and knowledgeable photographer. That axiom you quoted is used as an encouragement for new photographers, and it is often correct, but, at times fails. Practice and learn - then you will begin to get better and at some point even good.

WaltJ

According to Henri Cartier-Bresson - "Your first ten thousand shots are your worst."

krashzmom Loc: Columbia, SC

I was told "as many as it takes". That's a lot of help, huh?

ShakyShutter Loc: Arizona

Use the "rule of thirds", shoot one third of your memory card on each shot if your subject will hang around that long.

Seriously, you just shoot until it feels like you've either captured the shot, the essence, the color, the flight or the smile. It doesn't take 30 frames to capture a 3/4 view of a car posing in the sun. It may, however, take 100 frames to capture that first smile of a baby. Just keep shooting. And the answer previously given is exactly right... shoot as many as it takes.

Here is another great spot where it would be great to be able to submit a contact sheet just to show the evolution of a shot.

Donaldaq

My twisted side wants to reply to this by saying "Lee Harvey Oswald only needed three shots to get the right one", but this would be misunderstood and is probably too crass considering the topic at hand. Personally, in my past film photography experience I was rarely fortunate to be able to afford more than one or two exposures of a subject. The beauty of digital is you can take far more shots and, deleting them immediately if you find them unacceptable. As I know it, the best practice is to bracket each subject shot one to one and a half stops of exposure on each side of the original exposure. I have found with experience that it is terribly difficult to get the image you see with your eye to match the image the shows up on the camera. With practice this does get easier however. In time you will be getting better shots with fewer attempts and, in the end, it really matters what you INTEND to do when taking the shot. Sometimes the shot you are looking for is not what most people would think is correct. Since it is your art, it is your call. That is the beauty of this medium. There is room for so many different views and interpretations of the scene (eye of the beholder and all that..).

I hope this helps.

Donaldaq

@ walt
According to Henri Cartier-Bresson - "Your first ten thousand shots are your worst."



Boy, it seems that way , doesn't it?

DB Loc: Myrtle Beach, SC

wow guess all my good shots are still bad ones :( no where near 10,000. :(