Quality over quantity is bad advice
Repetitions get results
On the first day of his photography class at the University of Florida, Professor Jerry Uelsmann divided his students into two groups.
The first was the “quantity” group. Their grades depended only on the number of photos they submitted. Two hundred photos got you an A, one hundred a B, fifty a C and so on. It did not matter how good each photo was.
The second was the “quality” group. Their grades depended solely on the standard of their work. They would only have to submit one photo, but to get an A it would have to demonstrate artistic excellence.
At the end of the semester, Professor Uelsmann was surprised to find that the quantity group produced the highest quality photos. By taking lots of photos, they had experimented with colour, composition, lighting and editing. During this process, they developed their skills by learning from their mistakes.
Meanwhile, the quality group spent their time theorising about how to capture the perfect shot. In the end, they had little to show for their efforts apart from one mediocre photo.
It’s easy to get caught up in trying to develop the perfect process for something: getting fitter, learning an instrument or writing well. But often, by trying to figure out the best action…
