Bad habit of excessive shooting


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Try editing or do some PP to your photos.
Then you'll realise it is very tiring to PP so sooo many photos. And then you will shoot less.

Tada! Cure...
 

Excessive shooting could be related to the simple fact that it's a new camera & u're trying your best to 'break even' or get better ROI. Disk space is less of an issue with today's tech & price, so e downside is that u may end up spending a lot of time editing or doing post processing. Perhaps what u can do 1st is to check the photos that u've shortlisted, & ask yourself why those photos were chosen. Instead of attempting to improve in all areas at once, choose a particular area that u want to work on 1st, say composition or exposure. Then use the next photography session to work on that area.
 

there's one great solution to your problem : PREVISUALIZE

i also used this technique...think before you shoot cause sometimes 80-90% of the shots are most like to be very ordinary snapshots if you don't stop and think how to compose in the first place.

every 6 months, i will delete shots in my hd that i deem too ordinary...
 

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I've shot about 4k in less than 4 months, I suppose shooting is one good way to really learn how shots come out esp for exposure. Pre-visualising can sort out framing issues but ultimately, you need to to shoot enough to know how the camera processes the data since different cameras behave differently.

Anyway shooting 200 frames a day would take 500 days to change cameras, a pretty good time frame to move up. Or just spend 100-200 replace the shutter and shoot for another 500 days!
 

I don't really know what you mean by bad photographs, it's hard to give comments on how to improve it.

But basically, before you snap off each shot, just run through the basics again. posture, breathing, settings and composition. then shoot. This way, you increase the latency between each capture, and if your composition is off, at least you get a resonable photo.

Sometimes i get into a frenzy as well and just snap off shots during an event, but it's a different subject matter from what i normall shoot.
 

I would shoot several pictures of each seen and sometimes would take photos of useless seen hoping that some of the shoots will be good.

Now this habit has been transfered to DSLR photography. As an example, in my recent 3 days visit to Singapore I took almost 3500 photos! I would say only 1000 of them worth it and less than 250 of them are excellent photos which worth showing them to people.

I see some people have used less than 2k shutter counts on their DSLR after 1 year of owning the camera. Considering that an entry level DSLR (like my Alpha200) has limited life (I guess around 100,000), what do you think about this habit of mine?

my k20d has 24K shutter count since a year plus of use.

the people who use less than 2k shutter count? it depends on how they use it. if they've taken it out once in that year, it doesn't mean anything.

when you're doing things like panoramic photography, landscape photography, you want to take multiple shots of the same thing to make sure you get it right. of course nailing it at the first time, with the right light, etc is best. but just in case.

no shot is useless - if you think, think, and think. if you think a shot is worth dumping, think about why afterward. be hard on yourself, not to the point that you start loathing photography and beating yourself up in front of other people ( i think that's really pathetic).

after nearly 3 years of shooting, i have 2018 files stored in my photo folder, out of which some are copies of the original in case i want to redo them. go figure.

to me, the ends justify the means, as long as the means are really the means. if you are trigger happy, and you learn with every shot, and your trigger happiness goes away, and it should if you are learning from it.. then by all means, go trigger happy and learn fast. but it should trail off after a while.
 

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when i first started out i was exactly like you..i think every newbie is. but after awhile u just get sick of going thru photo after photo and wondering 'why the hell did i even take this in the first place??'

the best is to visualize the picture in ur mind first. LEARN TO SEE THRU THE CAMERA or as others have put it: previsualise. this i think is the best solution for ur bad habit. and just because u shoot lesser doesn't mean u have a lesser chance of getting a good shot.
 

i have this 'bad habit' as well, the same shot i can take like 3-6 shots?

anyway i dun think this is really a 'bad habit' :bsmilie:

better to be safe then sorry mah especially if u are overseas. u dun have the world in your hands to take another second shot after u left the country do you? :D

and the point of buying a camera is to use and abuse it... not to treat it like king... :bsmilie:
 

A good shot is made up of 4 key elements.

Technical: (science) - exposure in otherwords, lack of camera shake, no blown out areas unless the lighting is godawful.
Timing: (inherant in photographer) You either have this or you don't. It's an innate ability to know exactly when to press the shutter.
Artistic: (art) The composition of the shot
Story: (emotion) does the image convey a meaning, a story or evoke an emotional response.

To produce good shots you must address all 3 criteria. You can learn the technical side from one book, "The Manual of Photography" (it's also known as the Ilford Manual of Photogrpahy), which is the most comprehensive and no BS "Look at how wonderful my pics are" book produced.

Timing: This is one many photographers never get the hang of. If you have great internal timing you'll always capture the shot at the right time. It's really a blend of man and machine (camera) as the two become as one and things such as shutter lag (time between pressing the shutter release and the shutter opening) is automatically factored in. This is a key requirement in shooting sports or any subjects related to motion. Timing in landscape or architectural work involves waiting for "perfect light" especially if there's cloud around or flat lighting.

The artistic side includes previsualisation, an art in itself and one that 99% of photographers never come close to mastering. The artistic side also includes perspective, compostional elements such as the use of shadows, colour and lens choice as well as dozens of other factors.

The story/emotional content: A photograph should always convey a message to the viewer or have an emotional impact on the viewer. The best images may also inspire or cause a person to question the contents of the image. Really powerful images can be life changing for some viewers.

The best way to get good at photography is to slow down, make EVERY shot count and become your own harshest critic. Don't study your good images too much, instead study your failed images. Autopsy the bad shots, work out why it failed and then what you need to correct and then reshoot it with the new knowledge you've gained.

Remember a good photographer can produce a killer shot with ANY camera and lens.
 

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i have this 'bad habit' as well, the same shot i can take like 3-6 shots?

anyway i dun think this is really a 'bad habit'

better to be safe then sorry mah especially if u are overseas. u dun have the world in your hands to take another second shot after u left the country do you? :D

and the point of buying a camera is to use and abuse it... not to treat it like king...

i agreed. For example when you buy a car just because it is a necessity or just a toy for you? What's the purpose for buying that car - driving right? same as ur camera - shooting. but then if you don't drive it around instead just park it in your garage to worry about the maintenance cost, petrol lah etc... same like storing ur camera in dry box...worry abt the shutter count lah....then what is the point of buying it in the first place? i know not all can afford these costs. - i'm one of those hee hee :embrass:

my point is... just shoot as much as possible don't worry abt the shutter count etc.. you will learned from your mistakes - at least you reliaze now you might took too much compare to others - is a good sight. BTW in order to become a PRO then you have to crash as many cars as you can and burned as many tyres as you can - PRACTICE MAKE PERFECTION!!! keep shooting... let's $$ burned for some experience gained -- just that some people might burned lesser than you do... ;)

Nothing for FREE in this world same as knowledge in photography - is a $$ driven hobby if you were a gear driven photographer rather than technique driven photographer.

Happy shooting everyone

-- a bird view from a newbie :bigeyes:
 

some want to preserve the shutter life, some want to expense..
it's personal preference or due to requirement..
a camera is just a tool.. to get good photos is the goal :cool:
i don't like to be sorry while checking the pictures back at home and regret "oh..i should have spent several clicks more"..
so why worry? just enjoy your hobby :lovegrin:
 

As a trial, next time you are out, limit yourself to 36 shots (1 roll of film equivalent).

You will be amazed how it makes you slow down and plan each shot.

Of course some with motor driven film slrs can still burn through 36 exposures in a few seconds but if you apply the basic rules of photography every time you frame-up then you will find your shutter count decreasing and number of keepers increasing. Main thing is to enjoy the experience.
 

I stop to enjoy when I start to worry.
 

Another quick cure: get a film camera.

No denial, digital photography has made us trigger happy.

Film is a good way lol.

An alternative to that, shoot in RAW on a 256mb CF card. Or even better a 128mb CF card to "simulate" film. I was forced to do that when i was schooling. They made us shoot in RAW, Manual adjustment of shutter and aperture, and manual focus. I really learnt a lot through this method. And raw files take a while to process but they really make a difference. Trigger happy with raw files will kill a person lol.
 

it is actually absolutely fine to snap excessively. pros do it all the time, but they know how to throw away the bulk of their photos later. no matter what level of experience you are at, most of your photos are still gonna suck. pros continue to push their creative limits by exploring other angles and compositions ceaselessly; you should too.

If i interpreted your problem correctly, you snap away hoping for a good photo without consciously considering what the settings and composition you use for the picture. Perhaps one step towards reducing those wasteful "meaningless" rounds of ammunition is to ask why you are taking another photo.

1. I am capturing f/2.8 aperture to see the maximum bokeh.
2. I am capturing f/4 because f/2.8 may not provide enough DOF to clearly expose subjects are different distance.
3. I am capturing at ISO 100 because i want the least amount of noise.
4. I am capturing at ISO 400 because i wish to use a faster shutter and less blurry shake.
5. I am capturing at EV -2/3 + and - 1/3 bracketing to observe the exposure differences.
6. I am capturing the subject at the top right third with the pond surface and reflection to the left.
7. I am capturing the (same) subject at the bottom left third to show the sun piercing through the overcast clouds in the background.

list goes on and on...

as you gain more experience with the settings, you should edging closer to capturing the ideal image you envisioned with lesser and lesser trial and error. don't even bother about shutter count; if it breaks down just service it. remember there is a relation between shutter count and skill.
 

If you are using a zoom on a crop sensor, then get a 50mm prime. Because it is neither wide nor tele, you have to compose your shots to get a meaningful pic. This will naturally slow you down and make you think. Soon you compositional skills will improve significantly and you will take less shots but more good shots.
 

If i interpreted your problem correctly, you snap away hoping for a good photo without consciously considering what the settings and composition you use for the picture. Perhaps one step towards reducing those wasteful "meaningless" rounds of ammunition is to ask why you are taking another photo.

Yes, you were right to the point. If I had a good reason for what i do, I would not ask myself why I am doing this.

Because I am not a professional I am changing the settings (almost randomly or without a logical and structured reason).

I guess your listing provides a very good start for me. I'll follow some of them hoping I will understand and learn when and how to change the settings.
 

Yes, you were right to the point. If I had a good reason for what i do, I would not ask myself why I am doing this.

Because I am not a professional I am changing the settings (almost randomly or without a logical and structured reason).

I guess your listing provides a very good start for me. I'll follow some of them hoping I will understand and learn when and how to change the settings.

Do not be too worried about oversnapping for now as a start, but learn up from the shots u took what shutter / aperture and various settings u took can change a scene. after a while when it becomes second nature, and with alittle more self criticism and selection, better shots will come along.

i came from there as well. now i usually aim for just less than a handful of keepers per shoot and i am satisfied

enjoy shooting!

ryan
 

everyone provided sound advce but TS dont wory, it's a pattern, you start shooing more, preview ur photos and learn from your lessons, you will shoot less. Part and parcel of learning the PRAGMATIC way!
 

I have this problem too when I'm bored. Maybe you can try to be less bored. :think:
 

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