I sometimes forget that as a professional photographer my images are not guaranteed. What I mean by that is not that I can not guarantee great quality images but that professional photographers are human and mess up. That even the best among us can take absolutely terrible images sometimes.
Every professional photographer I know has said at least once that they can take and do take bad images. That bad images are just a part of being a photographer. That we will miss shots, or mess up shots and what we do with that experience is what makes us professionals.
The professional photographer will use missed shots and bad images to learn and grow from. They will not accept defeat and think that a bad image makes them a bad photographer. The simple truth is a bad photograph makes us human.
I have been a professional photographer for twelve years now and I am no stranger to missing a shot or taking a bad photograph. I hold myself to incredibly high standards and sometimes even I can not attain them.
In March, I photographed a school theater production of Grease— more on that in another post— the live images turned out spectacular and I was very pleased with them. There was one shot that I just didn’t make the way I wanted that well triggered me.
A group cast photo, it was well staged, everyones faces were visible, the stupid spotlights were still on—they were not flattering and overpowering the students in the image, I didn’t notice that until I was home— and I was in a precarious shooting position balanced on the front of flipping theater seats. I was wobbly, shaking, and my body was already tired from fighting a cold and holding the camera up for an entire show performance already.
My cold meds were wearing off and I was fatigued, this opened the door for slower thinking and easier mistakes. I thought the image of the group turned out but in climbing onto the seats, almost falling, righting myself and making the shots I nudged my settings.
That nudge opened my lens wider letting in even more lighting whiting out more students than anticipated, softening their features and making it hard to make the entire image sharp and up to my usual standards. I discovered this when editing and every group photo was the same. I tried to save them and the above image is the one I delivered because I wanted them to have at least one even if everyone wasn’t sharp and in focus.
I was mad at myself but after ruminating I knew that I had made so many great images that night that it would be a disappointment but would not overshadow the real gems which was their live performance photos. I had to forgive myself for being human and missing a shot. I had to accept that even after all these years I am still prone to making bad images on occasion.