Keep doing what your doing! I still believe everyone should begin their journey as a photographer with film and a light meter. Having a limited # of shots gives one pause before releasing the shutter. This “pause” is the process which elevates one from a shooter to the ranks of a photographer.

Keep photographing!

Thanks for your comment.

Paul-while I see what you are saying, I don’t care if some judge or client or admirer loves my work. I really want to make MYSELF love my work. And unfortunately that’s not always the case. Being the worst critic you know. I still feel like I cheat using photoshop.

In your first paragraph, and actually throughout, your comments seems more like a Freudian Slip regarding past contests that you have entered than a response to my article that didn’t discuss, “cheating”, “particular equipment”, “software”, “competition” nor “judges” and alike.

In paragraph two once again you speak about one image being selected over an other, even though, as it seem to me, the photo you’re referencing may have been created using an all too common technique since the advent of digit photography called “Spray & Pray”. Sure, if you hold down the shutter long enough you “could” obtain a result that you may like, or as you indicated “Judges” may like, but at to what end? This forum is about learning & sharing techniques to help folks get better with their equipment and photography in general but in no way requires going “Church” for results.

In paragraph three, you admit that “good composition and technique play a huge part in producing quality material” which is fantastic! Likewise, my article discussed the value of composing first; filling the frame and then releasing the shutter to minimize the amount of cropping required during post production and suggests this technique would ultimately produce a “higher quality / greater megapixel” image. [Not A Better Photo] Some how your train once again came off it’s tracks as you went into a rant regarding “extra points”, “picture editor in the sky” and finally suggested that I was some how deluding myself? :/

Bringing this topic back to the station, no pun intend; I think you should take a few moments and re-read the article with a more level head in hopes that you may be able to better discuss the merits or lack there of too filling the frame within the camera prior to releasing the shutter as opposed to cropping a photo after the fact.

Thank you for your comment.

What you produce is what counts. Not how you produce it. If, heaven forbid, somebody sneaks past you, fires off 24 frames, throws away 95% of the shot pixels and still delivers a better 3000×2000 of content than you, then you have a problem. And you need to smarten up to that, or watch as time after time somebody else’s pictures are chosen over yours.

Yes, good composition and technique play a huge part in producing quality material, but if you think that somehow you’re going to get extra ‘points’ from some big picture editor in the sky for getting it all right in camera, you’re only deluding yourself.