Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? Sure, we’d all like to be better without putting much effort into it. And, in most cases in life, that is certainly the case. There is a tip, though, that if followed diligently (it can be hard to do) will make you a better photographer. It is…

Only show your best photos! It’s that simple. But, it’s a practice that many amateurs don’t follow. Oftentimes, when starting out, someone wants to show off ALL their photos. All the shots from their recent vacation, all the shots of the new baby (I know how the urgings for that go), all the shots from their son’s football game. What’s the problem with that? Simply put, most of those photos aren’t very good.

Even the pros take lots of okay or even aweful photos. But, you say, that can’t be the case. You only see their great photos. That’s because that is all they are willing to show you.

When you are willing to only show the very best, you are able to automatically elevate your work to the very best it can be – and as an extension the people that see your work will think you are a better photographer. When you show just ’so-so’ pictures, just because you took them, you are allowing youself to be a so-so photographer.

Now, this can be challenging. After all, you took the photos, so you NEED to share them. Resist the urge. Prior to sharing any photos, you should do an initial sort, then sort them again, then again, leaving only the cream of the crop. Scott Kelby brings up this point in his Digital Photography Book, Volume 2 and has a great line. He say “Just ask yourself what you would rather see–80 pretty good shots, or 10 outstanding shots.”

What’s My Percentage?

As an example, since our most recent daughter, Isabelle was born about a week and a half ago, my wife and I have taken around 300 photos of her. How many have I shared with others? 2 on my blog and about 8 total. That includes family and friends – I want to look as professional as I can with them as well. So, in this case, I’m only sharing about 2.3% of my work.

So, there it is. Elevate your work without changing anything about how you take your pictures. Just make sure you are only showing the very best.

What’s Your Percentage?

With that in mind, what is your %? How many photos are excellent vs. the number you take?