Still Lots to Learn

Francis · 08-28-2011, 06:45 AM

Just got back from a three week holiday that included Alaska and all that nature stuff, and New York.

Alaskan Cruise - one other person had a Pentax. Think they were from Italy. Was happy to see that.
While in New York I bumped into a couple who were both sporting Pentaxes. A camera shop in Times Square sported one full window of the Pentax family.

Anyway, I realize after looking at my pics on LR that I still have a lot to learn about photography. Lots of photos are off to the recycle bin. Some nice (for me) photos, but most are waving "bye bye". Thought I adjusted enough in terms of shutter speed but apparently not.

RioRico · 08-28-2011, 08:00 AM

Long ago I took my first portable digicam on a long trip and shot many photos and wasn't satisfied with many and deleted many. In a couple years I'd learned better editing/PP techniques and managed to 'save' many of those I hadn't gotten around to deleting. MORAL: Keep your luzers, you may be able to fix them someday. (Or display them small enough, so their shortcomings aren't so obvious!)

KSmith · 08-28-2011, 08:07 AM

I know what you mean ( the lots to learn part ! ). At first, I would be quite bummed to download my card only to then trash 50% or more of the photos. Now, I look at it as a way of not letting my collection get too large ( I am actually quite severe when I review my photos, and delete rather liberally ). In fact, I am happy if I have 5% of the pics that are print worthy. What does bug me, however, is when a good shot get's trashed because it's OOF.

As for other Pentax shooters, rarely do I see any, but then again deep down I think all of us enjoy the fact that we are not following the crowd.

Ken

**baro-nite** · 08-28-2011, 10:16 AM

Originally posted by KSmith

I am happy if I have 5% of the pics that are print worthy.

+1. Rare that I keep more than a quarter of shots from an outing, and more often it's 5-10%.

Francis · 08-28-2011, 11:03 AM

Thanks, I feel encouraged

KSmith · 08-28-2011, 12:08 PM

Originally posted by baro-nite

+1. Rare that I keep more than a quarter of shots from an outing, and more often it's 5-10%.

When I dump my memory card, my usual procedure is to do a first pass deleting OOF or any blatantly flawed pictures only. Typically 40-50%. On the 2nd pass I am looking more closely at compostion. Usually another 25-50% of remaining photos go bye-bye. Sometimes I stop there but usually a 3rd run-through ( depends on my mood ) just to be sure.

I don't expect every shot to be gold, but I don't see the point in cluttering up my computer with garbage either. But then again I am pretty self-critical...

Ken

GhoSStrider · 08-29-2011, 09:50 AM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by Francis

Alaskan Cruise - one other person had a Pentax. Think they were from Italy. Was happy to see that.
While in New York I bumped into a couple who were both sporting Pentaxes. A camera shop in Times Square sported one full window of the Pentax family.

It's always fun to find other Pentaxians. Apparently I really excited one young lady at a reenactment a couple of weeks ago when she saw I was carrying *two* Pentaxs! (K-5 and K-x)

Quote:

Anyway, I realize after looking at my pics on LR that I still have a lot to learn about photography. Lots of photos are off to the recycle bin. Some nice (for me) photos, but most are waving "bye bye". Thought I adjusted enough in terms of shutter speed but apparently not.

The very best photographers will be doing the same thing. If they tell you otherwise, they're lying to you. Your "hit" rate will go up as you go along, but it will never be all that impressive if you're editing correctly. The key is to learn from the mistakes. When you send them to the recycle bin, make sure you know why they're going there. Is it exposure problems? Focus? Composition? Keep the faults in mind the next time you're shooting. You can read all you want online, but I think that's the best way to learn to improve your shots.

Also, I believe St. Ansel was happy if he got one portfolio grade image a month. So even the very best didn't get that many keepers.

DaveHolmes · 08-30-2011, 06:56 PM

Originally posted by KSmith

On the 2nd pass I am looking more closely at compostion. Usually another 25-50% of remaining photos go bye-bye

Play with crop tool on that 25-50% and you may keep another 10-15%... Composition can change in post...

**dadipentak** · 08-30-2011, 07:00 PM - **1 Like**

I have a life membership in the Still Lots to Learn Club ;~)

RioRico · 08-30-2011, 09:46 PM

Originally posted by dadipentak

I have a life membership in the Still Lots to Learn Club ;~)

+1!! I graduated into it when I was about 30. Moving on from the Nothing Left to Learn Club can be traumatic, eh?

**Schraubstock** · 08-30-2011, 11:02 PM

Learning? what's that!
Never went to Uni, I got all me knowledge from bartenders!

Greetings

**Ash** · 08-30-2011, 11:31 PM

And the more you learn, the more you find out how little you actually know...

zxaar · 08-30-2011, 11:53 PM

Originally posted by KSmith

I know what you mean ( the lots to learn part ! ). At first, I would be quite bummed to download my card only to then trash 50% or more of the photos. Now, I look at it as a way of not letting my collection get too large ( I am actually quite severe when I review my photos, and delete rather liberally ). In fact, I am happy if I have 5% of the pics that are print worthy. What does bug me, however, is when a good shot get's trashed because it's OOF.

As for other Pentax shooters, rarely do I see any, but then again deep down I think all of us enjoy the fact that we are not following the crowd.

Ken

5% is too high. I remember when we went to Tajmahal, I told my wife that if I could take one photo that I could enlarge and print it, this trip will be worth it (it was already worth it because it was with my wife, but from photography point's).

I was lucky I finally had few that I could print.

still usually when I make trip, I now plan on how to get that 1 print photo. sometimes I succeed sometime I fail.

Last 5 years I do not think I have 20 good photos to show.

**Canada_Rockies** · 08-31-2011, 09:08 AM

Originally posted by baro-nite

+1. Rare that I keep more than a quarter of shots from an outing, and more often it's 5-10%.

When I was shooting kids' sports, 2 of 36 exposures on a roll of film was about the capture ratio of keepers. That matches your 5% number closely enough. With digital, I find that, as Scott Kelby puts it, not seeing $ every time I push the shutter, I have a somewhat lower keeper ratio, but occasionally one of the experiments works. For routine "vacation" shots and the like, my keeper ratio is very high because a deliberate shooting strategy cuts down my time post processing. I never liked working in the darkroom, and I still don't even when it's Lightroom.

**dadipentak** · 08-31-2011, 10:09 AM

I should add that I came back from China with 4.500 shots. Almost two months after our return, I'm still wading through them. At this point I'm pretty grateful that most of them are crap or redundant (or redundant crap.)

08-28-2011, 06:45 AM	#1
Francis Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hilversum Photos: Gallery Posts: 215	Still Lots to Learn Just got back from a three week holiday that included Alaska and all that nature stuff, and New York. Alaskan Cruise - one other person had a Pentax. Think they were from Italy. Was happy to see that. While in New York I bumped into a couple who were both sporting Pentaxes. A camera shop in Times Square sported one full window of the Pentax family. Anyway, I realize after looking at my pics on LR that I still have a lot to learn about photography. Lots of photos are off to the recycle bin. Some nice (for me) photos, but most are waving "bye bye". Thought I adjusted enough in terms of shutter speed but apparently not.

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08-28-2011, 08:00 AM	#2
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Long ago I took my first portable digicam on a long trip and shot many photos and wasn't satisfied with many and deleted many. In a couple years I'd learned better editing/PP techniques and managed to 'save' many of those I hadn't gotten around to deleting. MORAL: Keep your luzers, you may be able to fix them someday. (Or display them small enough, so their shortcomings aren't so obvious!)

08-28-2011, 08:07 AM	#3
KSmith Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Montreal Posts: 54	I know what you mean ( the lots to learn part ! ). At first, I would be quite bummed to download my card only to then trash 50% or more of the photos. Now, I look at it as a way of not letting my collection get too large ( I am actually quite severe when I review my photos, and delete rather liberally ). In fact, I am happy if I have 5% of the pics that are print worthy. What does bug me, however, is when a good shot get's trashed because it's OOF. As for other Pentax shooters, rarely do I see any, but then again deep down I think all of us enjoy the fact that we are not following the crowd. Ken

08-28-2011, 10:16 AM	#4
baro-nite Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: North Carolina, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,294	Originally posted by KSmith I am happy if I have 5% of the pics that are print worthy. +1. Rare that I keep more than a quarter of shots from an outing, and more often it's 5-10%.

08-28-2011, 11:03 AM	#5
Francis Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Hilversum Photos: Gallery Posts: 215 Original Poster	Thanks, I feel encouraged

08-28-2011, 12:08 PM	#6
KSmith Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Montreal Posts: 54	Originally posted by baro-nite +1. Rare that I keep more than a quarter of shots from an outing, and more often it's 5-10%. When I dump my memory card, my usual procedure is to do a first pass deleting OOF or any blatantly flawed pictures only. Typically 40-50%. On the 2nd pass I am looking more closely at compostion. Usually another 25-50% of remaining photos go bye-bye. Sometimes I stop there but usually a 3rd run-through ( depends on my mood ) just to be sure. I don't expect every shot to be gold, but I don't see the point in cluttering up my computer with garbage either. But then again I am pretty self-critical... Ken

08-29-2011, 09:50 AM - 1 Like	#7
GhoSStrider Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: 14er Country Photos: Gallery Posts: 323	Originally posted by Francis Alaskan Cruise - one other person had a Pentax. Think they were from Italy. Was happy to see that. While in New York I bumped into a couple who were both sporting Pentaxes. A camera shop in Times Square sported one full window of the Pentax family. It's always fun to find other Pentaxians. Apparently I really excited one young lady at a reenactment a couple of weeks ago when she saw I was carrying two Pentaxs! (K-5 and K-x) Quote: Anyway, I realize after looking at my pics on LR that I still have a lot to learn about photography. Lots of photos are off to the recycle bin. Some nice (for me) photos, but most are waving "bye bye". Thought I adjusted enough in terms of shutter speed but apparently not. The very best photographers will be doing the same thing. If they tell you otherwise, they're lying to you. Your "hit" rate will go up as you go along, but it will never be all that impressive if you're editing correctly. The key is to learn from the mistakes. When you send them to the recycle bin, make sure you know why they're going there. Is it exposure problems? Focus? Composition? Keep the faults in mind the next time you're shooting. You can read all you want online, but I think that's the best way to learn to improve your shots. Also, I believe St. Ansel was happy if he got one portfolio grade image a month. So even the very best didn't get that many keepers.

08-30-2011, 06:56 PM	#8
DaveHolmes Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Yorkshire Posts: 1,501	Originally posted by KSmith On the 2nd pass I am looking more closely at compostion. Usually another 25-50% of remaining photos go bye-bye Play with crop tool on that 25-50% and you may keep another 10-15%... Composition can change in post...

08-30-2011, 07:00 PM - 1 Like	#9
dadipentak Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,590	I have a life membership in the Still Lots to Learn Club ;~)

08-30-2011, 09:46 PM	#10
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Originally posted by dadipentak I have a life membership in the Still Lots to Learn Club ;~) +1!! I graduated into it when I was about 30. Moving on from the Nothing Left to Learn Club can be traumatic, eh?

08-30-2011, 11:02 PM	#11
Schraubstock Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,386	Learning? what's that! Never went to Uni, I got all me knowledge from bartenders! Greetings

08-30-2011, 11:31 PM	#12
Ash Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toowoomba, Queensland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 23,920	And the more you learn, the more you find out how little you actually know...

08-30-2011, 11:53 PM	#13
zxaar Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: kobe/japan Posts: 510	Originally posted by KSmith I know what you mean ( the lots to learn part ! ). At first, I would be quite bummed to download my card only to then trash 50% or more of the photos. Now, I look at it as a way of not letting my collection get too large ( I am actually quite severe when I review my photos, and delete rather liberally ). In fact, I am happy if I have 5% of the pics that are print worthy. What does bug me, however, is when a good shot get's trashed because it's OOF. As for other Pentax shooters, rarely do I see any, but then again deep down I think all of us enjoy the fact that we are not following the crowd. Ken 5% is too high. I remember when we went to Tajmahal, I told my wife that if I could take one photo that I could enlarge and print it, this trip will be worth it (it was already worth it because it was with my wife, but from photography point's). I was lucky I finally had few that I could print. still usually when I make trip, I now plan on how to get that 1 print photo. sometimes I succeed sometime I fail. Last 5 years I do not think I have 20 good photos to show.

08-31-2011, 09:08 AM	#14
Canada_Rockies Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Sparwood, BC, Canada Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 12,385	Originally posted by baro-nite +1. Rare that I keep more than a quarter of shots from an outing, and more often it's 5-10%. When I was shooting kids' sports, 2 of 36 exposures on a roll of film was about the capture ratio of keepers. That matches your 5% number closely enough. With digital, I find that, as Scott Kelby puts it, not seeing $ every time I push the shutter, I have a somewhat lower keeper ratio, but occasionally one of the experiments works. For routine "vacation" shots and the like, my keeper ratio is very high because a deliberate shooting strategy cuts down my time post processing. I never liked working in the darkroom, and I still don't even when it's Lightroom.

08-31-2011, 10:09 AM	#15
dadipentak Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,590	I should add that I came back from China with 4.500 shots. Almost two months after our return, I'm still wading through them. At this point I'm pretty grateful that most of them are crap or redundant (or redundant crap.)