Your thoughts on the "Why aren't you out shooting?" post

[Corran]

Restrict yourself to one exposure a year and see what it does to the quality of your output.

Reminds me of a book my friend showed me. The photographer restricted himself to one exposure a day, for a year. The resultant 365 photos made the book. I thought the majority of them were poor. No one can have a 100% success rate, and artificial restrictions is not going to change that.

Speaking of getting "out there," I am shooting right now. Waiting for a rain shower to dissipate.

[BrianShaw]

the only time it bothers me is when it's intended as an insult. There are reasons some people shoot very little or not at all... Economic, time, health, etc.

x2

[mdm]

I have a book called chased by light by Jim Brandenburg, he restricted himself to 1 exposure a day for 90 days. He was a Nat Geographic photographer so must have been used to making many many more exposures than that in a day. He did an outstanding job. He was working at it every day.

[Kirk Gittings]

Restrict yourself to one exposure a year and see what it does to the quality of your output.

You are aware, I presume, that is not what I am referring to.

So this is how I make a significant portion of my income. All my income comes from photography and about 30% comes directly from the sale of prints from my LF photography. The rest is digital commercial architectural photography and teaching photography. There are a few group shows that I do every year and these require fresh work. So I do work at it. But working at it is as much about planning as actually shooting-finding locations and picking times of the year that are likely to give me the lighting I want.

Also, unlike when I started shooting LF in 1978, I do my editing before I set up the camera rather than after I develope the film. After some 40 odd years at this I can look at a subject/view and know what it will print like and whether I am likely to bother printing it or whether it will sit in a file forever. This results in a lot less shots taken and a much higher percentage of "keepers".

[Alan Gales]

Also, unlike when I started shooting LF in 1978, I do my editing before I set up the camera rather than after I develope the film. It results in a lot less shots taken and a much higher percentage of "keepers".

When I started shooting 35mm in 1982 I burnt through rolls of 36 exposures (and keeping notes) like anyone should be doing when they first start learning. After awhile I started buying the 24 exposure rolls and eventually I felt that 12 exposures on a roll was too many sometimes.

I fully agree with you that editing before you set up the camera saves you a lot of time and money and really thinking about what you are shooting does yield a much higher percentage of "keepers".

[Corran]

On the other hand, if two experienced photographers go out and one shoots 20 sheets and gets 5 keepers, but the other shoots 100 and gets 10 keepers, who's doing it right?

(Both!)

It just depends on your style and way of working. Also, "keepers" may be subjective.

[Alan Gales]

Keepers are always subjective!

[tgtaylor]

Just finding a worthy subject is not an easy task. I know Ed Weston said that he could take a good picture by just looking down at his feet but have you ever seen a print he took of his feet? I haven't. I think Ansel Adams comes closer to the truth when he wrote that if “you get a good one a month, you're doing good.”

But it doesn't end with finding the “right” subject. It took me three days to take the negative for the last print that I posted on my website and it only worked then because the print (salt) toned as I wanted it. On my last image shot earlier this week the subject and composition was perfect but the tone on the print didn't turn out as I wanted. That may have been due to the high relative humidity on the day that I printed it and/or to the time of day that it was taken. For this subject the sun illuminates the east side or the west side of the subject and not its front or facade which determines the composition. So its back to reprinting and/or re-shooting the negative.

Even with street photography where you would expect to shoot more negatives it's iffy. On my last two outings I took zero shots on the first but got three good negatives on the second. Just lucky, of course, but you have to be out there to be lucky.

Thoma

[John Kasaian]

The elements of "money" and "time" have to be in the proper ratio for the 'dorff and I to go outside and play.
Right now getting the kids healthy and back to school requires 100%.

[Old-N-Feeble]

The elements of "money" and "time" have to be in the proper ratio for the 'dorff and I to go outside and play.
Right now getting the kids healthy and back to school requires 100%.

We need a "thumbs up" smiley. Priorities are always to family first.