Over the years, I have found a winning formula for quickly getting a stellar shot from every photo shoot, regardless of the conditions or your experience level. My successful photo session equation is to “shoot more and show less”.
Let’s start with the first step: shooting more. Why should you take lots of shots? Taking a ton of shots is one of the best ways to ensure you get a display-worthy photo.
Every photographer, regardless of skill level, gets some hits and misses when they are out shooting. Similar to playing basketball, the best way to increase the probability of getting a winning shot is to take more shots.
Be sure to experiment with angles, compositions, lenses, camera settings, and even different types of cameras as you take multiple shots of the same scene. When you are just starting out, this is the quickest way to learn in the moment what is working and what isn’t.
As you get more experienced, taking similar shots at different exposures will give you more flexibility to create interesting effects in the editing phase.
When the time comes to edit, it is much easier to winnow the shots down and select the best to work with than it is to try and make something magical out of one or two shots that aren’t quite right.
Once the editing is finished, don’t forget the “show less” part of the equation. As important as it is to take a lot of shots, it is equally important to curate the edited shots down to the best ones to display in your gallery or social media.
By showing only the top shot or two from each scene, you will highlight your skills and build your confidence through the positive reactions you get.
Next time you take your camera out, remember the shooting more and show less formula. Based on my experience, it will produce great results almost every time.
