The freedom of digital with the ability to delete unwanted has made me wonder about my mindset. Having been a long time film user I have a habit of weighing up each shot before I press the shutter release. Now with good memory card storage I have the ability to take around 500 images at good quality settings.

Could those of you who have crossed the digital bridge tell me if you shoot more and pick the best or are you just as careful? I still spend time looking for the composition first !

Interesting question....Initially, I was still with the film mindset as you.  Think about the shot and make each shot count.  Now, I get as many as I can...and weed out the garbage later on the computer.

In my case, for my lightning and Aurora shots....I took as many as I could...because the opportunity does not come often...

It's a double edged sword though....the ability to get volume allows us a better chance to get "the just right" shot....but our haste in getting all those shots has, in some cases, taken us away from the mindset of thinking carefully about each shot.

I have found myself caught up in getting multiple shots without taking the care to look carefully at composition, lighting and in some cases, even camera settings.  
Perhaps the best thing is to take a deep breath and "think film" before pressing the shutter....and then take lots and lots of shots!!!! LOL!

I don’t know if this is representative of anybody else but I find that I shoot a lot more pictures not because I spend any less time trying to get the composition, exposure or focus  right, but that I am willing to be a lot more experimental. I am more willing to try and capture an idea that I know has a good chance of not working out and then trying to capture it in different ways until I get what I want. Or if something spontaneous and quick happens I’ll get a bit trigger happy. Usually this ends up with garbage but every once and a while you get a gem. Or I might take a while to set up a shot, say a landscape, and take a few with slightly different meter setting or even just because the clouds are moving and I might like a better pattern in one of the pictures. So I guess when it really comes down to it I spend as much or more time but I just get to be pickier after the fact. My best pictures are almost always the one’s I put time into. Hope this rambling response helps;)

I agree with neirbomit.I shot for years on 6 x 6 format and sometimes 35mm.
The cost of D & P was never cheap so every shot had to be made to count.
Then I went digital and the freedom was unbelievable.On a day out I will shoot 100s of images,knowing quite a lot will be deleted but it gives the freedom to try different angles and ideas on a single subject.It is suprising that in amongst the "alternative" angles on a subject you find a real winner and are thankful that you took those few extra frames.How many times in the "old" days did we take some images and then saw a maybe better viewpoint and then realised we were running out of film or considered the cost of processing.In my days using 6 x 6 I had my own business as a professional wedding on portrait photographer and every shot had to be a good one. 
Some people call it "machine gun photography" but I call it total freedom to try ideas and angles.I think many of us consider the shot we are taking and even taking more than one of the same subject from a different angle we still consider what we are doing first.
The answer to it all  - do what suits you best. 

I still try to be careful, when composing a photograph. That comes as a by-product from years of using film and those of us from that time will always have some of that I believe. I have to wonder now that about those that start off first with digital. I hope they are taught well to compose carefully. But yes, I shoot a heck of a lot more now. The results are immeadiate and I don't have to worry about the cost and time it takes to develop film. I can experiment more and be more creative. But I do find I print less, even though I take more photos. :)

Thanks for the thoughts folks, I have already started to grab some extra shots without the worry of using up the film. Hence some of the more abstract posts which are appearing. Look out for some unusual aerial views soon as well.

As for TomD'art, he shoots much less than when first had a digital in hand.  Still, I do shoot a fairly large number of images...if perhaps 4 is considered large.  I first shoot for  exosure with subject matter and then for compo. All are in my mind at the same time.  So, if the subject is there, I will try slightly different exposure(I spot read and will vary the spot choice or the Ev if time for that )  and try at the same time to get a decent compo.  Still, in the back of my mind is the thought that crop is available in software and it the image is close, I can crop to proportions and not loose much.

I generally shoot many fewer shots of a given subject now than when I first started with digital. With film, I did likely take more time gettng it right to start.   I cannot say this is backsliding, to go digital and take more shots...since some film shots really needed another shot not taken.

I cannot agree with purists who say get it all right in the first shot...it doesn't really happen. Not in my life.   Once in a while, I do get it right in one shot. That is a fine moment!  Reality check: Generally more than one shot is needed to get the best and not to depend too much on software to make the corrections.  Still, perhaps 4 is about my limit on a given subject, the exception being as neirbomit pointed out...trying for experimental results.  That is part of it, too. 
I would rather have the best I can from the originals than have to mess things in software...the result for me at least is better...junk in, junk out(sometimes but with many exceptions), fine in..fine out generally is true to the point.   

Just one guy's thoughts.  

I cannot agree with purists who say get it all right in the first shot...it doesn't really happen.

Completely agree - I kinda chuckle when I hear that.

Pretty much the same as everyone here - came from film (4x5 and multiple medium format sizes, as well as 35) and when I switched I shot more for the candid stuff because I could just delete it later. For the studio, I set everything up first and know what's gonna happen when I hit the shutter, but there's STILL gonna be a few, to several, exposures to get it (contrast ratio, exposure, slightly off-comp I didn't notice in the VF) right for me to further in PS - yes, I cheat with every shot!

Yeah, there's just more freedom to experiment knowing I can just hit "Delete".

If you wanna go back to the notion of film, take small cards with you, and no way to transfer to larger storage and refresh the card - say, maybe 256MB cards? that would creep you into being more careful about firing the shutter!

-Lew ;-)

Well when at National geo course in August. I had a habit of shooting like i still had film. But Joe McNalley said shoot as many as you can. So i do now. Click click click. And it was good advice. Just i also shoot in raw and it takes up alot of space on memory card.
Chris

Digital is a new format so there should naturally be a shift in practices. If you have the freedom to take more, do so. Keep in mind good design but make the most of the medium. I personally have to shoot many abstract blurs to get a few good ones.