Perfectionism

[Mendoza]

(Thinking out loud a bit.)
Does any one else find themselves susceptible to perfectionism with photography? Recently and at this moment I continue to search for the "perfect" shot -- perfect sunrise, perfect sunset, perfect framing, perfect lighting, perfect composition.. and the result is a seemingly endless stream of disappointment punctuated by extremely rare shots I would call perfect or near-perfect (as in they are satisfying and could not really have been any better under the circumstances.)
For instance, this evening I took a ton of pictures of the afternoon/evening sun setting in clouds around a mountain and probably the best was 83/"100."
Do you ever find yourself searching near-endlessly for that magic shot, only to conclude that 99%+ of your results don't even come close? What do you think about perfectionism and photography?

 

[rhinoryan]

you will constantly be looking for the ''perfect'' shot.... because as you get better your standards will become higher.

 

[dtzitko]

Story of my life. Always trying to find/do the perfect "insert 'perfect thing here'"

Why live if you don't try to accomplish your best or see/touch/feel/etc. the best?

This post might have inspired me also. I've had an idea brewing for a few days now and have been trying to figure out how to act on it, and this might just be the way to do it.

 

[wescobts]

Me too, but I always try to remember that it's the journey, not the destination, if I got the perfect, then what ? Have fun and enjoy the ride.

 

[astrostu]

Definitely.

 

[Pugs]

Always. For work I'm currently on my fifth major re-structuring and re-write of a document and accompanying presentation. For photography, I'm currently culling through pics to put together a portfolio and out of over 5,000 I've looked at so far, I have around 35 potential candidates... and I'm still waffling on most of those...

I will shoot oodles of exposures of the same subject and then come back a different day/time/season/etc... and do it all over again.

It's how we learn. It's how we continue to improve. And it's never-ending because as noted in a prior post, your standards will constantly get set higher.

 

[OGDaniel]

It's the feeling of being satisfied with myself that I have made a piece of art that drives me. Something special from me that I contribute to everyone else. It's the striving for perfection that is natural to anyone who takes real pride in what they do, and if you don't really shoot for that perfection then why do it? I think if you believe it's a waste of time to go through all the frustration to get that one perfect photograph, then you probably don't take a lot of pride in it or enjoy it, although it might be automatic to question the practicality of the process.

 

[Torus34]

It's a 'given' for any photographer who wishes to produce fine prints.

And if you wish to produce prints which can be considered as art it gets far, far worse.

It's the price we pay. And when that really great print pops up now and then, its all been worth it.

Rock on!

 

[KmH]

Perfect is unattainable. Strive for it, but know you'll never get there.

My motto: If it's good enough,........ship it, and deposit the check.

 

[IgsEMT]

I stopped looking for perfection, since I'm my worse and hardest critique. Now, if client likes it is good enough Nonetheless, I try to alter technique, change lighting, play around with various filters in PP, etc etc

 

[pugnacious33]

It is the ultimate catch-22. The better you get the more you'll expect of yourself and the more you'll look back on your previous work and find ways that you could have improved it, so you'll constantly be trying to top yourself. It can give you a feeling of frustration, but it is a false feeling. The trick is to get the opinions of others (this forum is perfect for that of course) and if the work is truly of quality, you'll be made aware of it.

You don't want to let it consume you, but you can also make it work to your advantage. Very often i'll shoot a scene over and over and over until I feel like i've exhausted every angle, lighting condition, position, etc. Sometimes when you sit down and look at your stuff there will be times when you realize it just isn't good enough, so you go back and try again.