Pro photographers, just curious, for every great shot you take, how many bad ones are there?

Question

maybe not bad, just not usable for your purposes. Thanks for answering!

Answer 1

Well I find it amazing that people think they take such GREAT pictures with so few pictures. To me this means that they really do not have high standards.
I would expect those numbers for good pictures. Ie Pictures that would make it past first edit. For very good Pictures, I would suspect the number to be closer to 1 in a hundred. If it was for say a cover of a magazine or an Ad the number would be closer to 1 in a thousand. But a Great Pictures is one that is worthy of being in your Portfolio or hanging on a wall in an art Gallery. INMHO There are plenty of so called photographers that never reach this level. Those are rare and it may take many shoots to get one great one.

Answer 2

I often shoot 200 pictures at one session, however, I am not a portrait or studio photographer. I am very particular, so I am not sure how much that effects my selections, but if I get 5 good photos out of that session I am happy. But it is really not a matter of how many usable shots you get. It's a matter of the quality, the composition, the background, etc. There are so many things that must be just right.

I shoot a number of exposures of each subject, at all kinds of different angles, settings, etc., and make my selections carefully from among them.

I know a photographer who says he shoots 3,000 photos a month, and he may use only 3-5 shots out of that. But again I am talking about really, really, picky photographers.

But, with the use of the digital cameras, and not having the expense of film developing, who cares how many shots we take? Plus, every photographer has a different purpose for their shots. With photography becoming more than photography now and actually being an art in itself, we all have different standards of what will work for how we produce or use our photos.

Best wishes, and happy shooting!

Answer 3

One of the greatest things about the internet, and the sort of anonymous commentary you find here, is that when you ask a question, you do so without the benefit of bias (and unfortunately, without the benefit of tact, as well). What you are getting here is honesty, brutal sometimes. These people don't know you, they don't love you, they are not your friends, and they do not owe you anything. This new trend, the idea that somehow this perceived rudeness is a form of bullying, is born out of a generation of people who never experienced failure, criticism, or any such idea that they could possibly have chosen the wrong path, and that perhaps they weren't meant to do certain things. If you show me a picture you mommy told you was beautiful that I thought sucked, am I supposed to hold back my opinion for the sake of your feelings? Should people just tell you that everything you do rocks hard, and you're made of pure win? Or should they just tell it like they see it? That's the point, right? Otherwise, why are you asking? Are you merely fishing for compliments? Well, this isn't the place for getting ataboys, and a pat on the back. You got your moms for that. People here don't owe you anything, especially if they don't like what they see. And the thing about real creativity is, the good one's never need approval. They never need to ask how they're doing. Everyone else (including you) is just looking for approval. And when you put yourself out there, you can't have this disillusioned attitude toward sentiment that disagrees with your sensibilities because you only have a stomach for the "nice" stuff. You can't go through life rejecting criticism (even the sort that hurts). When you are confident in yourself enough not to have to ask for approval, or help as you put it, you'll find that when you do encounter criticism, you can either take it for what it is, or accept it and move on. I apologize, I hadn't the chance to answer your question, and I'm sorry I missed the opportunity to do so. But from what I learned, I'm not sure I would have had anything positive to say either. Sorry but, perhaps the reason the criticism was so harsh, was that you have much to learn about event photography despite the number of weddings you've got booked. Good news for us all however, is that photography is an evolution. You learn through experience. And being told you suck at something doesn't feel good, no matter how long you've been at it, or how much experience you think you've got. So chill out, already. It's not that big of a deal. If you can't deal with the answers, perhaps you should avoid asking the question.

Answer 4

Since I learned photography with film camera... I got a few bad shots, and then I would have... well perhaps a 1:5 ratio between great shots and usable shots. I never really count though so that's just a guess. But basically, I do still have dark and blurry photos sometimes when I forgot to wait for my flash to recycle.

Answer 5

Just like in good shots in movies, I live under the 20:1 rule, meaning if I don't get 1 absolutely fantastic photo out of every 20 I make, I must re-evaulate my methodology.

Of course as a professional the other 19 are usually just as well exposed/in focus as the fantastic one but there is something about that moment and composition that works best on that 1.

Answer 6

its a shame better answers didnt show up,

ok as a film trained pro...........kiddies here ask why do i have to learn film at photography school?? others say film is dead.....not to fine art fotogs.the best of the best use film.....

rave over, film taugh me not to just shot and hope, normally if i make 10 images on a job 8-9 are acceptable,


last week i did a demanding shoot for a new client, the needed 6 images, normally i would shot 6-8 images, job done - i do architecture so it doesnt move or go places, not like people shots... anyway i shot 20 exposures, some where experiments with white balance,,,,,of the 15 that worked i "edited" down to 12 and handed them over, so thats 60 percent

for my own personal shooting (this will make sence in a few years if you pursue the art) i like to drive then tramp somewhere, use a view camera with a piece or two of film in it, set up and when the light is magic make one exposure, then i go home........

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Answer 7

Of course it depends on what type of shoot. If I am doing formal portraits, out of about 10 shots I will find one that I would not show a customer. At a typical wedding I may shoot 600 pictures but present only 400 pictures, but that is mainly because I shoot large groups many times to insure the best possible expressions on everyone and many of the reception pictures are culled out.

Answer 8

Portraiture: 20:1 or so, bad-to-good. Pan-Blur Action: 500:1 or so. And then, every ratio in between for other types!