Re: Mathematical odds of a success.

[michaelk@xxxxxxxxxxx (Michael Kersenbrock)]

> One major problem that many people have is the opinion that shooting a 
> lot of film insures at least a few good pictures.  My experience is not 
> so.  If you can't compose worth beans, your chances of getting a great 
> shot is nill.  I can not over emphasize the ability to see a great shot 
> before it's been shot and on your light table.

As one of those who have posted on this subject, I'd like to chime in and
agree.  Although I am in the camp of expecting few jewels per roll of
images, I did not intend to give the feeling that the jewels were the
pure luck result of taking a lot of images -- like buying a lot of
lottery tickets to get a winner. I can't even touch the elegance and authority 
of Duane's posting, but I'd like to add a simple-man's (my) comments.

To me, the subject of "yield" photography includes the plight of the developing 
photographer during the learning phase using trial-and-error techniques in 
attempt to achieve the mental image with the captured one. This is the
phase I've been in for at least 25 years, and expect to be in the rest 
of my life.  :-)

My previous postings  weren't toward taking a lot of pictures "on purpose", but
rather of not being afraid of "wasting film" in one's personal quest for that 
National-Geographic-quality kind of image -- learning from those images that fail
without being afraid of taking chances on technique or creativity.  Taking
chances causes failed images, and if one doesn't take chances, one advances 
very slowly at best.

Mike K.

P.S. - One also sometimes keeps some of the really bad ones.  I took a series of
       3D shots in the 3D movie shown in the Luxor (Las Vegas).  The movie that
       has the field of dancing glass/water people (if you saw it, you know what
       I mean).  Pure WAG as to method used, and indeed only one image turned out,
       and that one underexposed.  But, indeed, one *can* see the dancing
       images, in 3D, on my realist format slide!  Won't show it to anyone, but I'll
       keep it (until I go there again and do it better with the knowledge I gained).
       I "wasted" a number of images on my film, but I gained from it, even though I
       did not succeed in getting the image I envisioned.  I'll be closer next time.
       So although the yield of really good images may have been low, I still got
       a good deal out of that roll, even the bad ones.  This is what I meant....








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