It is a truism that you learn far more from your failure than you do your successes, and photography is no different. In this video, esteemed portrait photographer, Irene Rudnyk, goes through some of her failed shoots that never quite made the grade.
No one enjoys failure, no matter what that TikTok influencer might tell you. If it's a personal shoot you get wrong, it's annoying and disheartening, but if it's an important shoot, it hurts. Nevertheless, these shoots that miss the mark are rich in information and can help propel you forward in ways that successful shoots cannot.
Irene Rudnyk is a tremendously talented photographer and even her failures seem pretty damn good. However, sharing your failures is difficult and this sort of video is rare. So in that, it's also valuable to viewers too. When I think back to shoots that haven't gone how I'd like them to, of which I have a few, there are commonalities between them. The most common thread for me is when I've tried to help someone out on short notice and not had my usual timeframe to prepare. I am undoubtedly anal in my preparation for shoots, going above and beyond what is strictly necessary. When I've had no time to prepare, things often go awry.
What have you learned from your past failures? Are there any failures you'd be willing to share?
