i agree aelith .. Something *is* much better than nothing. But the act of 'reaching' in and of itself doesnt automatically mean something great will be produced.
Breaking it down, first of all there has to be something interesting to see. Some people can't tell what that is as well as others.
Secondly, it has to be happening right then.
Thirdly it has to be seen in an interesting way.
Fourthly the photographer has to respond to all of this on the ball.
All of that is a lot, and it doesnt happen every time for everyone who tries .. This time, there's a car in front of your perfect picture of the bike in full regalia jarring out your composition, that time there's some flotsam in your tank. That time the tree is in front of the mountain. And so on.
Yet, there exist out there those perfect pictures that don't have those flaws. How DO they all do it?
Then there's the aspect of 'what should people say on a constructive criticism site?' The fact of indigo's shot is that there happened to be a plankton bloom in the tank. but those things are cyclical and seasonal, and at another time there would be none. So maybe she doesnt know that and someone tells her and now she comes back and reshoots and makes her picture perfect (or photoshops it : )). .
Then there's also how attuned different people are to the anal details that separate good from great. Some people are so unattuned they dont even SEE noise or grain or unfocusedness. I show people all the time pictures of mine that are unfocused and they go 'what? no, they're sharp' but i can see they arent because i know how much sharper it could be. if i can point that out to someone and make them more attuned to the fact that little dots ruin the perception of the perception or interest of their picture and they didnt know that, wasnt it worth it for me to say that? after all, again this isnt 'admire my pics in a gallery', this is 'think of something to tell me to help me improve my photography'. right?
again, just academic discussion : )
Originally posted by aelith:
Chris, I understand this philosophy of self discipline in photography. But a lot of non studio shooting is 'capture of the moment.'
You simply can not wait for your subject to be perfect because it will never be just what caught your eye again.
Here's my philosophy,for what it is worth. Waiting for perfection will get you nothing. Reaching for perfection will get you something. Something is better than nothing.
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