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.
I tend to have per job, that I look at and think ‘wow, I’m good at this’. Not to say there isn’t any that are high quality, there’s plenty. But they don’t make me go wow
Some of my favourite photos were taken on a whim with my phone lol
Me too! In fact, the reason I’ve decided to take this hobby up was because I took a picture with my phone that gave me feelings and it convinced me to dive in and see what I could do.
All this has done is highlight differing standards for ‘great’.
When I look at the ‘greats’ of photography I realise that I can be very competent technically, quite astute in my choice of subject and how I use it, but great?
It’s very interesting to hear where people have put their personal bar for great.
Anyway who cares if you love your image that’s enough. If others agree (even just one who isn’t your Mother) then that’s a bonus.
if you shoot film 90 percent of the time
Like maybe 3 great shots from nearly a decade of shooting including 5 years of it full time.
Thousands of good shots, but ones I see as truly great are rare.
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.
I’m a pleb, so I take thousands, and maybe I’ll end up with one or two. Being focused in the moment helps, but still feels like a game of chance.
People occasionally give compliments for saying “oh your pictures are so good!” But that just hurts me inside because I know for a fact none of my photos were perfectly planned and intentional.
About 1:1000 I think
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.
1 in… 1000 maybe?
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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.
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.
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.