You know those days when you put your memory card into the card reader, wait impatiently for proof of your photographic genius to transfer to your computer, fidget in your chair while the little spinning circle finishes processing … but then you start to sort through the new pictures only to find disappointment? You know, your colors are flat, you have blown highlights, or your precious child has a big booger hanging out of his nose in all the pictures? No? Just me?
Well, even if it is just me, I read a story the other day that really resonated with me:
The ceramics teacher announced on opening day that he was dividing the class into two groups. All those on the left side of the studio, he said, would be graded solely on the quantity of work they produced, all those on the right solely on its quality.
His procedure was simple: on the final day of class he would bring in his bathroom scales and weigh the work of the “quantity” group: fifty pound of pots rated an “A”, forty pounds a “B”, and so on. Those being graded on “quality”, however, needed to produce only one pot – albeit a perfect one – to get an “A”.
Well, came grading time and a curious fact emerged: the works of highest quality were all produced by the group being graded for quantity. It seems that while the “quantity” group was busily churning out piles of work – and learning from their mistakes – the “quality” group had sat theorizing about perfection, and in the end had little more to show for their efforts than grandiose theories and a pile of dead clay.
I love this story, because it means that even if I get 4.9 million booger pictures in my life, that 5 millionth picture might be spectacular. It will definitely be way better than if I hadn’t bothered to take those first 4.9 million photos. My 5 millionth picture will be much more stunning having learned 4.9 million ways to screw up a photograph.
This story is wonderful motivation for me when I am feeling down about the results of my creative efforts. Every underexposed photo, every weak composition, and every out-of-focus subject gets me closer to that fabulous shot I am trying to achieve.
I hereby renew my resolution to take pictures every single day.
On that note, I have 365 project pictures to post. They will be up soon.