Our photos are important to us, and as such, it can be difficult to be honest with ourselves and objectively evaluate their quality. However, if we want to improve as photographers, it is crucial that we be willing to do so, and this great video discusses why.
Coming to you from Steve O'Nions, this important video discusses why you should be honest in evaluating the quality of your images. The great thing about photography is that there are so many aspects that go into a successful image, and there is always room to improve. One trick that has made a huge difference for me is to not just study my successful images, but to study my failures as well. For most of us, our portfolios represent only a small fraction of the total photos we have taken. Looking at our failed images (especially as a whole) can help to identify trends in our general shooting style or issues with our technique that might be undermining our keeper rate and help us to become better overall. Check out the video above for O'Nions' full thoughts, and take a little time to dive into your image catalog and evaluate your work!
Many of us are our own worst critic. We know what we had planned and when that plan doesn't come out as we had hoped, we click on 'delete', sometimes, to a fault. Is that good or bad? On average, probably good. We may have deleted a shot now and then that had merit, but in the long run, the shots we save usually work well.