I'm noted as a shutter-hog and always, in in the slightest doubt, take extra shots, but even so, I don't think I've ever taken more than 2000 in a day. More typically, on a good day, I'll take maybe 500 to 1000. That's if I'm doing fast-moving birds where you can't predict what the bird is going to be doing in advance, so you just concentrate on getting the lighting and framing right and hold that button down. Of course, it means a very tedious time spent afterwards ruthlessly deleting all bar the very best shots, but that's OK. If I wear the camera out, I don't care - at least not if I've had good pictures in the meantime.
Oh, and then there are the variations. Was f/5.6 really ideal for that sequence? Am I going to have enough depth of field? Maybe I better find that bird again and do another set at f/8. Hmmm ... shutter speeds are getting a bit low, let's bump up the ISO and repeat, just in case.
I guess that there are 3 ways to get the perfect shot:
- Shoot, chimp, shoot again till you get it right.
- Shoot lots, pick the bet one when you get home.
- Know your gear so well that you can shoot once and know it's right.
I hate chimping, so scratch the first one. Besides, I defy anyone to really know what the shot looks like on that tiny screen. Hell, I only get rid of maybe 2/3rds of my shots when I'm out in the field because despite havinbg the best laptop screen I can afford, I find it very difficult to be sure until I see things on the big screen at home
Second method is my choice.
Third method is what we all aspire to. When I'm good enough to get A1 results that way, I'll let you know. Don't hold your breath waiting!
Now, all of the above applies to birds and only birds. (Probably the same for sport and various other things I don't do, but birds for me.) If I'm doing landscapes for the day, it's completely different. You can take as long as you need to get the shot the way you want it, and though I might take up to half-a-dozen of one scene if the light is tricky, mostly it's just one plus maybe one extra to be sure and a full-on day's worth of photography fits on a single small flash card.