Getting Real.
A professional photographer once told me that even the best photographers have a 1% success rate, meaning that out of 100 photos taken, only one is any good. I find this to be very comforting. To think that photographers like Edward Weston, Alfred Stieglitz, Annie Leibovitz, or Henri Cartier-Bresson had relatively few good pictures out of their entire body of work makes me feel better about my own success rate.
As you develop your understanding of photography, your gear, and what makes a good picture, you’ll find you make good images more consistently. But even then, you’ll have to run through a lot of film (or SD cards) to get images you really like. The master photographers of the past might shoot an entire roll of film on a single scene or subject, only selecting one that they felt was the best. In the age of digital, the number of photographs taken is likely even higher.
An Example.
I estimate I’ve only run about 7 packs of film through the Polaroid SX70. At 8 photos per pack, that’s less than 60 photographs. I’m still learning how the camera might expose scenes in different lighting. I have to remember to adjust the exposure compensation wheel, which I occasionally forget to do. I’ve taken some outright bad Polaroids, and some that are approaching fair, but have I taken any that are actually good? Let’s look at the last two packs I shot. Here are all 16 photos.
You can see some are overexposed, some are underexposed, some are blurry, and some are just right. Out of all of these, there is one that I really like. But are any of them good?
Even when using a camera I’m more familiar with, my success rate is still low. Without sounding too self-deprecating, I am not a master photographer. Although I’ve been taking photographs my whole life, I’ve been pursuing photography in a serious manner for less than a decade. I’ve taken many terrible photos, many fair photos, and some good ones. Have I ever taken a truly great photograph? I would say no, not yet.
My #1 best-selling photograph. It’s good, but not great.
Wrapping it up.
If only 1% of our images are good, then it’s even more rare to have a great photograph. I don’t want to sound discouraging. On the contrary, I think it’s important to be realistic so that we don’t get discouraged when things don’t go right. Continue experimenting, trying new things, and above all, have fun! Be patient: the good photos will come in time. And if you ever feel bad about having pictures that you don’t think are very good, remember that even Ansel Adams, one of the most highly regarded photographers of all time, had his fair share of subpar photos.
Keep trying, keep sharing, and keep your focus on the positives. Don’t be afraid to make bad art. You will make mistakes; learn from them. The more you practice, the better you will become.
It is worth the effort.
