“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”
– Henri Cartier-Bresson
Carier-Bresson comes from a time of shooting film with a Leica. Unlike today where we have 12fps and can shoot 1,000 images in an afternoon shoot. Today it wouldn’t be hard to shoot 10,000 images. This quote doesn’t mean spray and pray to 10k. What he means by this is shooting 10,000 images while learning the process of what it take to make a good image. What happens when you change your aperture? What happens when you change shutter speed? What happens when you change your iso(asa for you film buffs)? You will most certainly have good images on your road to 10,000. This quote is to push you to learn photography. Not press a button and capture everything in a snapshot. Even though it is fun sometimes!
I can personally say I have shot well over 10,000 images. I shot 1,000 images in three hours this past weekend for a youth conference alone. It has definitely taken me more than 10,000 images to really understand and have the knowledge of what and why. My style has changed more times than I can count. My passion has gone up and down like a roller coster, but my knowledge has only grown. A big part of what I call the 10k rule is not just learning how to capture the images you see but also learning your camera. Being able to adjust any setting you want without taking the camera from your eye and missing the shot is a huge deal! Where is your iso button? Where is your shutter speed and aperture? Which way do you spin the dials for up and down? How do you quick change your white balance if its not on auto and the lighting has changed? These are all factors that effect the outcome of your image.
Needless to say, this is not an attack on anybody. More so a challenge to make your first 10,000 images count. Trust the process. Be proud when you get a banger. Learn why you missed out on an image. What you can do to not miss it next time. Basically what I am saying, and what I think Cartier-Bresson was saying, is PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE. You can only get better!
Peace
J
uncommonsight 