If you’ve been shooting photos for even a brief amount of time, you probably remember the joy of seeing your first shot. Maybe you got a new DSLR or new lens and you remember the joy of the first shot you took with that new bit of equipment. Maybe you met a new subject.
The first shot you ever take is always the best shot you’ve ever taken. Until you make a better one. When I first walked around the Denver Zoo with my camera, I probably came out with 20-30 keepers. Nowadays, I come out with one or two. Your standards get higher with every good shot you take. If you’ve taken the best shot you’ve ever taken of a certain subject, you’re never going to accept anything less for that subject ever again.
The shot above? It’s the first time I’ve had a decent enough subject/background combo to make this kind of silhouette photo. It’s okay. It’s not great. But it’s the best version of this photo that I’ve ever made. I’d like to make a better one in the future. I’ll probably make worse ones, and they’ll probably never see the light of day. But for now, this is the best and my standards just got higher.
The Zootographer 