Standards Change: Your Best Today Doesn't Make The Grade Tomorrow

I had a revelation today.  What I thought was great yesterday, I wouldn't even show today.  Now, to put in perspective, I am never happy with my work.  I have two grades, passable, and complete failure.  I always have something I don't like about each shot, but I get better everyday.  You can judge for yourself, we all have different tastes and different standards, so you may think these are great, you might think they are garbage but I am giving what I thought was great yesterday and today.

This shot was a time exposure at Tempe Town Lake.  I was really bad at taking notes, so I couldn't tell you how long the exposure was, but I know that I was running around 16 minutes shooting water at night back then.  The light stream in the bottom is a boat that entered my shot, but I liked it.

Camera: Petri FT1000      

Lens: Petri 135mm f/3.5

Focal Length: 135mm

Shutter: N/A

Aperture: N/A

ISO: 50 (Fuji Velvia)

Flash: None

When I first took this shot I loved it, it was the pinnacle of my abilities at that time, and shot with my first eBay bought SLR.  Today I wouldn't show it (except here for instructional purposes).

Now, a Christmas card photo?

Camera: Petri FT1000      

Lens: Vivitar 28mm f/2.8

Focal Length: 28mm

Shutter: N/A

Aperture: N/A

ISO: 50 (Fuji Velvia)

Flash: None

This was one of my early attempts at close-up work (it isn't close enough to be considered macro).  I was thrilled when I got this shot.  Composition wise, this shot I still like.  But the image is soft.  It is just slightly out of focus.  No one to blame but me, the FT1000 is a manual focus SLR.  The other problem is that it really should have been shot on a tungsten film rather than daylight, so it is very warm even though I did correct it during the transparency scan.

It's all about color!

Camera: Petri FT1000      

Lens: Industar 50mm f/2.8

Focal Length: 50mm

Shutter: N/A

Aperture: f/22

ISO: 50 (Fuji Velvia)

Flash: None

Unfortunately that is all this shot is about.  I wish there was a little more to the composition.  When I first shot it I loved the color.  But composition ruins it.  What is it a picture of?  The power poles on the right?  Did I really leave those in the shot, what was I looking at.  The buildings on the left are too small to be a prominent feature, so when the viewer sees this, what do they see, pretty color.  Great, I just provided the same experience a box of crayons creates.  Oh well, I continue learning.

The point of all of this is to just show that as you continue to learn and grow, what you shot that you love today will lose it's luster tomorrow.  And you wont realize it until you have some reason to go back and look at all those "Great Shots".  That is what I just did the other night, I pulled out the file of transparencies that I had separated out as my best works.  I was disappointed when I found those "Great Works".  I take better photos today with my phone.  But then I realized, I shouldn't be brooding over the works from the past that I no longer like, I've grown beyond the talents I had then, and that is always a good thing.

So remember this, don't compare your works with that of other artists and get discouraged, they were once where you are now.  Keep refining your artistic vision with every shot and one day you'll be looking at that "Great Shot" you made 5 years ago asking yourself, "What was I thinking?".  My work from 5 years ago, yeah, it just doesn't make the grade.