Do others shoot less? Succeed more?
 

It was fourteen months ago that I got my first DSLR and decided to learn how to use it. The computer indicates that I have uploaded about 5,700 images since then. That's a bit misleading because I bracket more often than not. Still, that's a lot of photographs.

Out of all that, my "keeper" file has 20 shots in it, and some of those may not really belong there. There are only about four that I'm completely satisfied with.

I'm curious: Do others shoot less? Succeed more?

I suppose we all shoot for different reasons. When home based, it tends to be photography for it's own challenging sake. Whilst away (which fortunately is pretty frequently) it's a trade-off shooting for memories and shooting for a 'good' result.

JAN/FEB/MAR/APR this year we (wife and I) did a 3 month driving tour of SE Oz and came back with 20,000 shots to pick and edit. Of these, I estimate 20 or so are worthy of public viewing. And looks as if we work to roughly the same proportions.

I've had my dSLR for around 2years and taken just over 22 000 shots and as I always bracket unless using flash, that probably comes to about 7k. Out of that lot I have around 50-70 'keepers', so slightly more than you James, but enough to worry about. Makes me bloody glad I don't shoot film anymore though :o.

It all makes me very embarrased. I have had my current camera 2 years and only taken 1900 shots.
I do need to get out more

As has been said already, it depends on the purpose of the photography. I use a lot of my images as a sort of visual diary, so when out with the family, there are a lot of 'memory' shots. When I'm out on a 'photography' trip, I may shoot 100-150 frames, including bracketing, over a week, and have 20-30 keepers. Of these I would probably print 10. (This does depend on the subject - if I'm after birds in flight, it's probably 400 a day, with maybe 5 keepers and 1 print!)
This still seems hugely profligate compared to my film days, when 2 36-shot rolls would last me a week's holiday. When I sold my 1V body after 4 years to go digital, it had done about 200 36-shot rolls of 35mm film.
One of the best things about digital is that freedom to experiment, but I think it also breeds a scattergun approach to image-making as well ('There'll be a good one in that lot somewhere' is something I actually heard someone say - apparently in all seriousness - after they had machine-gunned the view with their canon at a Peak District viewpoint)

Interesting, I started digital in 1996, just prior to retirement. All my images are stored via Aperture, and I have just under 7000 in 13 years. My D3 is twelve months old and has 1100 actuations - LESSON ??? MUST get out more :) :)

That should of course read NOT enough to worry about :o

Get to know others and get help by way of critiques.

Don't worry about who said what, find if what is said helps to keep a lot more images.