Keeper Rate for Wildlife Photographers… Does it matter ?

Comments · 57

• AD

  @Adriandancy-v5j · 8 days ago

  Thanks for all your thankyous, comments, faves and support🤪

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• BE

  @BeckyVanWey · 12 days ago

  I think the high frame rates of digital allow us to capture things we never would have with film cameras. I don't worry about my keeper rate at all, as long as I get that one really good one.

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• GI

  @gizmomimi · 12 days ago

  Thank you, very good advice. Greetings from Quebec.

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• JE

  @jereXIX · 12 days ago (edited)

  I come home with thousands of shots almost every time I go out (usually for 4-8 hrs.) I toss 95-98% of what I shoot. Of that 2-5% I keep, after two years of being in the craft, maybe I get a photo a month I’m proud of.<br><br>I can get discouraged if some shots I took that I expected to be amazing weren’t…but all it takes is one gem out of the whole day and I’m very happy.<br><br>My favorite is when something happened that I didn’t notice through the EVF. I stopped recently to photograph some sandhill cranes foraging in the grass near my home. I really didn’t think anything great came out of it. When I went through the files though, I found I had a shot of both cranes flipping fat grubs in their beaks at the same time.

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• DA

  @DaveCooper-k8v · 12 days ago

  I had a recent trip to Northern Territory, took 14,000 photos. my 3 stage culling brought that down to just under 3,000. &quot;Money shots&quot; finalised at 18. I consider that a really good return. Recent local trip, exclusively to shoot the Lyrebird, took 4753, culled down to 280, &quot;money shots&quot; finalised at 3. Still happy! As you say Scott just one money shot makes the trip worthwhile! Money shots are those I put to print and hang on my wall, I&apos;m pretty brutal when it comes to that selection. I never go out with an intended keeper rate in mind. It is what it is, just 1 will do.

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• RA

  @rakneuro · 11 days ago

  Scott, I agree with you that in the second scenario where the reviewer was critical of the ISO and shutter speed, that makes no sense. Maybe the Photographer had already taken shots at a higher iso and shutter speed to know that he had a “keeper.” After he had that keeper in the bag, he then tried to get the best exposure by lowering the ISO and shutter speed, and the image he submitted was ultimately the best image of that subject.

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• GO

  @gordonmcintosh3159 · 10 days ago

  Fully agree! I have a friend who always thought he had to shoot even perched birds at 1/2000 or faster and resulting ISO 12,000 up. I think I have finally convinced him to try to shoot slower especially for perched birds &amp; I think he is finally listening to me and getting better results.

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• PA

  @paulp4201 · 12 days ago

  I&apos;m still at the beginner stage of wildlife photography. &nbsp;My keeper rate is very low, but I am okay with that. &nbsp;I&apos;m still working on the basics of exposure and technique. &nbsp;I have gotten some images that I am proud of though.

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• GA

  @garyrobinette351 · 12 days ago

  Generally for the bird photography that I do I keep 10% or less from a session and if I get &nbsp;3 or 4 good ones that would be extraordinary.

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• AN

  @andrewjinks7546 · 12 days ago

  Very helpful, thoughtful approach, diolch (thank you),

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• LE

  @lesleyh2007 · 10 days ago

  Very interesting session on this video. &nbsp;I am a hobbyist and do my photography for my enjoyment plus to share with friends and family. &nbsp;When I am out shooting I don’t think I have ever had any real expectations on “keeper rates” even though I have heard this term used frequently on videos and I haven’t ever really kept track on how many shots hit the garbage can when I am reviewing my shots from the day but lots and lots of them do. &nbsp;I am just using my critical eye for focus, exposure and &nbsp;composition. Out of all my photos I take in a day if I end up with just 2 or 3 then I am ok with that. How many shots I get in a day varies so very much. &nbsp;I don’t use a mirrorless camera with crazy high frame rates. My D500 maxes out at 10 per second and I don’t often shoot that high. Anyway that is my experience but your video is very much “Food for Thought”. Thanks.

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• TO

  @TomReichner · 11 days ago

  Keeper rate means absolutely nothing to me. &nbsp;If I am going to get 6 unique &quot;keepers&quot; from a session with a subject, I don&apos;t care if I shot a total of 30 frames to get those 6 keepers, or if I shot 1,000 frames to get those 6 keepers. &nbsp;Why would this matter to anyone? &nbsp;All that matters are the few high quality images we end up with.

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