beginner doing it wrong?

[Sean Dempsey]

for me, I count on:

1 in 1000 to be "gallery" shots I'd have no shame putting a hefty price tag on.
1 in 500 to be "printable" shots that would be like $15 dollar matted prints.
1 in 100 to be "keepable" shots that I might put up in my bedroom.

all the rest are JUNK. BTW, these numbers dont count shots of vacations, friends, family fun... these numbers are for my professional hopes of selling prints. Lord knows I've got over a thousand shots of my girlfriend I'll never get rid of.

this means if I wanted to have a booth at next springs Art Festival with 25 prints for sale, I have to shoot at least 25,000 shots in the next 8 months =D. I can do it. And so can you!

[another view]

When I was shooting a lot of slide film, I usually figured that I'd like about three per roll of 36. Depending on what I was shooting and how I was doing it, that number might be higher or lower. Sure, there were times I'd throw the whole roll out but I didn't worry about it as long as I learned something from it. With digital, I think my percentage of "keepers" is higher because I can see if what I am trying is working. Sometimes I shoot more than I would have with film - sometimes less.

I think that a combination of both approaches is important. Read about a technique, but you don't really learn it until you've tried it yourself. The more you do it, the more you will be able to predict the results. You'll know how your camera's meter will respond to a situation and can act accordingly depending on the results you want. This is true not just of the technical aspects but also of composition.

Last year, I saw a nature shot as I drove by it. I pulled the car over, shot it and got exactly what I wanted with one shot. Sure, it was digital so I could verify it was what I wanted, but film would have been the same result. I did change the composition a little with a couple of other shots, but liked the first one best. That's one of my favorites and I have a print hanging here of it. This happens very rarely though! Like they say, chance favors the prepared mind.

Get a book on the style of shooting that interests you, then try to apply that knowledge. Go back later and re-read it, you may pick up more from it with a little experience.