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Have You Already Taken The BEST Photo You Are EVER Going To Take?

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JohnSil

JohnSil

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At 72 I believe I get better and better with every photo I take. AND I've taken a few VERY good photos but I don't think I've yet to do my best photography, that's still to come. With every shoot my work becomes a little more sophisticated and both complex and simple. My eye gets more discerning and my composition much more deliberate. It's the natural progression of every artist.

To that end I use the best equipment I can afford to make sure that when that opportunity presents itself, I want to be sure my file will be both printable and enlargeable so that I can capitalize on the image.

Are you still chasing those best shots you will ever take or do you not give your photography much thought? Where are you on your photography journey?

John
 
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JohnSil said:
Have You Already Taken The BEST Photo You Are EVER Going To Take?

At 72 I believe I get better and better with every photo I take. AND I've taken a few VERY good photos but I don't think I've yet to do my best photography, that's still to come.
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I don't really think in terms of "best photo". Sure, most of my photos are boring or just plain suck, but I've taken so many photos, that there are a lot of good ones. And it's really hard for me to say, "This is my best photo" or even "These are my Top 10 best photos". Once you have "good photos", they're just good -- none are "better" than the others.
JohnSil said:
With every shoot my work becomes a little more sophisticated and both complex and simple. My eye gets more discerning and my composition much more deliberate. It's the natural progression of every artist.
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Sure -- me, too. I don't want to simply shoot the same photo I've taken before, I want something "better". But I don't rank the photos unless they're pretty much the same thing and one is better than the other.
JohnSil said:
To that end I use the best equipment I can afford to make sure that when that opportunity presents itself, I want to be sure my file will be both printable and enlargeable so that I can capitalize on the image.
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Sure.
JohnSil said:
Are you still chasing those best shots you will ever take or do you not give your photography much thought? Where are you on your photography journey?
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Just trying to enjoy photography and get good photos -- as always. Hopefully, get more for the "good collection", although, to be honest, there really isn't any point, other than the satisfaction of doing it. Kinda like climbing a mountain that has no peak -- no real point other than enjoying the journey itself.
 
now that the kids are nearly grown up, there is little chance of capturing magic family moments as good as some we already experienced, with some of the good lighting we arranged the house for
 
JohnSil said:
Are you still chasing those best shots you will ever take or do you not give your photography much thought? Where are you on your photography journey?

John
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Always striving to improve. Always hoping to get something better. I have been improving for 50 years. Still not that good though.

I'm not exactly sure what my best shots are. Or what "best" means.

Shots that I have had printed that folks have seen and asked to also get a print are images that I consider to be my most successful. But that doesn't mean I always think they are among my best. A couple that I think are among my best no one else of those who have seen them seems impressed by them.

If I were to go through all the images I have, both film and digital, and pick what I think are my 10 best, and then have other people look at my catalog and pick 10, I doubt the lists would be the same.
 
Yes, probably. This chap, a well known and regarded snapper, reckons he takes about half a dozen good shots a year.

My thing is wild plants and I know I'll never take a better image of this unusual UK plant, Daphne mezereum.



06e616344c284cfebdeac5f365f52e47.jpg




--
Andrew Skinner
 
I don't have a BEST photo, and I don't ever expect to have one. But I've probably already taken more really good photos than I will in the future. The greater experience and knowledge I've gained over time is helpful, but there are also other factors at work. I don't shoot as often, or in as many locales, or with as much enthusiasm as I did in the past, so the odds of surpassing the number of my really good existing photos are not great ... which is actually okay. Regarding advances in gear ... frankly, they haven't had a significant effect on my ability to make really good photos. The gear was always capable enough.
 
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How am I supposed to know?

The best shots are a combination of opportunity, being there, having the right gear for the shot and everyone involved working well together. This may happen tomorrow or never again.

Am I still developing? Of course.

Am I still looking for better gear? Of course.

Am I still exploring how to get interesting assignments? Of course.

I'm not dead yet.

Good luck and good light.
 
I probably have. My travel has slowed down and I don't see unique places and things like I once did. I have several I would classify as very special to me but maybe not to others.

Kent
 
I don't have any idea as to the actual answer to this question. I would have to say that in order to maintain any interest in photography, the answer is I certainly hope not. There would be little incentive to try to get better if I felt I had already done the best I could ever expect to do.

Along that line though, in all the photos that I have saved and/or can remember in over 65 years of the hobby, there is one particular photo that still stands out as the best in my collection. But it was taken by my wife years ago with a cheap little point and shoot camera and just blows me away every time I see it even today.
 
I have been into photography for about 20 years now and expect to live another 30-40 years yet, so I'd guess I'll take a few better photos than the ones so far.
 
.
 
JohnSil said:
Are you still chasing those best shots you will ever take or do you not give your photography much thought? Where are you on your photography journey?
Click to expand...
It's possible, I've taken a couple that I think could be "up there" but I don't really give it a lot of thought.

I "see" things that I think would make a good shot and if I have a camera with me, I'll shoot them.

At the moment I'm leaning into taking night sky shots with my current gear with the thought that I'd like to be able to shoot (and process) deep-sky stuff (nebulas and galaxies). So, the journey isn't over.

- Gary
 
Maybe. I don't know. But I hope not.

I can't single out one photo as being my best, but I have a number of them that do stand out and are candidates. Digital photography has materially contributed because I have been able to shoot more, thus learn more, experiment and practice.

I do have a number of photos taken at various locations or venues which I know I can't improve on, or even duplicate, so there is no point in revisiting that location or venue. That is a nice situation to be in because I can concentrate on other locations and opportunities. Those prints are on walls; mine, family, friends.

But I never want to think I have passed whatever peak I may have previously attained.

I want to think my best photograph (given the challenging task, if even possible, to narrow it to one) is still yet to be made. That is what impels me to keep going out and taking photographs.

This state of mind is where I always hope to be.
 
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Even some of my worst Technical Photos might be important to me for a given reason. Some of my best compositions which I also felt were more than decent IQ wise, I don't put one necessarily about the other. So the Best Photo ever is a strange concept to me.
 
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