I’m new to the hobby and I thought this would be an interesting discussion question. Greatness is subjective, of course, so I’m not talking greatness in terms of being ranked against all photos taken in the world (unless that’s personally the benchmark you choose to rate yourself on). What I’m really asking is how often do you personally feel fulfilled with your photography? Whether you go out daily on photography walks, take your camera everywhere all the time, or just do a ton of professional gigs, what I want to know is how often do you think “Wow, I got a great shot there. I’m really proud of this one.”? Do you have several every time do take photographs, maybe one a day, or is it few and far between for you? How do you feel about coming home from a photo session and feeling that you didn’t really get anything good? For those that do professional client work, how do you feel if you finish a pro gig and don’t feel like you got anything all that special (even though it may be good enough to warrant your professional standards)? On a second note, if you do professional gigs like weddings and such, do you ever aim to get something unique and original or are you more focused on making sure you get everything on your standard checklist of photos your clients expect to have?
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Some of my best shots only came to be in post-production, having thought that I’d not necessarily got what I’d wanted while shooting. For me, i learnt to get as close as possible to the ideal final image while out with the camera to help speed up the editing process and to reassure myself that the photography skills were there instead of the editing skills. So when i took some of my best shots i was probably being hard on myself. That being said, I would take great shots very regularly whilst i was very new to photography because skills develop much more quickly at that point. Now, i can almost guarantee the photos i take will be good, and it’s often a matter of balancing various external factors to then get those great shots.
1 in… 1000 maybe?
I got one this year and was helped to it by the Olympus 12-40 pro. In 2021 I had more, being helped by opportunity, the weather and the Samyang 7.5mm. I got a very nice portrait shot this year. In 2022 I didn’t get any. In 2021 I had more opportunity and I got more. The weather was fab.
I do occasional professional work and a lot of photo walks. And a photo trip somewhere a couple of times per year when possible. I’m rather addicted to photography. It depends on how good “great” is…I’ll get a few shots that make me really happy each week as I shoot quite a lot. That might be a shot I post on social media or share with friends, like a great street portrait. But something truly great for the portfolio?..Probably 10-20 per year? Less? I haven’t counted but it’s not super high.
I do feel very fulfilled with my photography, though I also have so much more to learn. I can see my style even in my oldest images and I see it becoming more refined with each year. Because I snap every time I go out. Sometimes I just snap because I’m curious to see how my camera renders a patch of light or I want to play with a different aspect ratio. Each snap helps me better understand what compositions and subjects best match the feeling of inspiration that first caught my attention. It really is about just shooting more and more and more. Like any other skill.
Regularly. It is usually the first one I take too. I try to shoot about 10 and if I can’t get it by then I move on.
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On my normal work camera shooting for clients, I always get several good shots and 1 or 2 great shots. More than enough to complete the project. I’ve been photographing my niche for over 10 years and using my current camera for about 5 years.
But I recently bought a new camera for personal use and I am not getting great shots. I guess the frustration comes knowing I have the ability and the camera has the ability but we’re not compatible yet. It takes practice to get your groove with a new camera so I’m trying not to be too hard on myself.
I shoot a lot of college sports. 1500-2000 shots for volleyball. 1000 for basketball. 500-1000 for soccer.
In any of those there are 75-200 that are good enough to edit and give to the team. Of those, 2, maybe 3 make me say “wow.”
maybe like this
- 5% great shots
- 10% messing up settings (aperture, SS, focus etc)
- 15% standing on the wrong spot, having blocked view or being too slow to capture the action
- 70% bad lightning or being in mediocre environments, like friends places. Not a bad thing, but rarely do epic shots come out.
for me i obviously get the great photo each shoot but i can only name 4 photos over my three years of photography that truly deserve greatness.
Back in the film days (of 24 shots per roll) there was a saying: “If you have one good shot on a roll, then it was a good roll”.
I recently had three weeks in Japan, I took 10,000+ photos and lots of them are good, but only a handful came out as great and worth sharing: https://flic.kr/p/2p8NTpb
Only been doing it for a few years…I have maybe 5 or 6 I’d consider printing.
My aim next year is to get 12 awesome ones for an end of year calendar for 2025
I take photos everyday, at every situation, if I take my dog out I take my camera with me, I take my camera on Uber rides and take photos trough the window, on a date with my girl, going to the store and everyday I get at least one photo im happy with, plus I do weeding photography on weekends so I shoot a lot, maybe 4 great photos a month, and lots of photos I like
When this question comes up, I always remember the teacher from my photography class in high school. She always told us that if we get one shot that we consider amazing on a single roll of film, we should feel very blessed and that more realistic expectations would be to expect one amazing one from the class. It’s something I still keep in mind years later.
To get a truly great shot that stands the test of time, it needs to be significant, captured with some degree of accuracy, and also a bonus if its lighting and composition are decent… Some have more weight than others, depending on what the subject is. (Tieninen Square, Mohamed Ali over Sonny Liston, Afghan Girl, and Half Dome to think of four examples.)
For most of us, that day may never come. However, I don’t have any of those above four pictures hanging in my home. I have my family, that I shot with a remote trigger from my phone to my camera on a tripod at a local park. I have a large canvas of a beautiful tree that stands alone in a field not far from the house, in a snowstorm at Winter solstice. I have a rolling shot of my friends Ferrari 156 Sharknose that I took on a winding country road, from the back of a 2006 Chevy Cobalt, with the boot propped open with a snow shovel, that made it into Road & Track magazine.
Images might not be considered great to the masses, but they are great to us, and that’s good enough for me. I look for the significance in the lives of both myself and those around me, and try my best to make them look as beautiful as possible. Shots people pay me for and proudly hang in their own homes, or use to represent themselves and their businesses, or to just be there simply because they are enjoyable to look at everyday. So I guess I do alright. Find the great in what’s around you, but if you want to take great shots, it always helps to stand somewhere interesting with a full battery and an empty card.
Ha, after your first paragraph I was so getting ready to disagree with you. But after reading your entire post, I couldn’t have put it better myself!