do you have an editor?

[Roger Hicks]

What happens to a picture after it's sold is seldom under the control of the photographer; but Joe wanted to know, it seems to me, how photographers decide which pictures to (in effect) discard.

Very true; but what MAY happen to it must also influence the choice. My point, really, is that 'professional' editors and layout artists vary so widely as to make generalizations of dubious value.

Cheers,

R.

 

[back alley]

What happens to a picture after it's sold is seldom under the control of the photographer; but Joe wanted to know, it seems to me, how photographers decide which pictures to (in effect) discard.

from a contact sheet or from a media card, yes, how do you choose which to work on?
is an editor involved?

 

[payasam]

I make the initial selection. There are some pictures which I know I shall keep, but there are others about which I am unsure. It's with the second kind that I need help. I send them all out as reduced size JPEGs.

 

[gb hill]

My wife has a good eye for editing photographs, but must of the time I'm too stubborn to include her in the process. It's a husband knows best kind of thingy I suppose!😉

 

[DavidH]

Depends on the context...if the shots are for own artistic pleasure then I rely totally on my own ideas. For work, I'll work with clients or some of my associates to choose the most suitable for the job at hand - might not be the best shots but those that are closest to what is needed for that particular application. For an exhibition I'll take input from trusted members of my company - all who have a good visual eye as needed for our business.

There's an expression in editing (for TV) "murder your babies" - applies to the edit where the director has a favorite shot/scene from the production that doesn't quite fit the storyline - no matter how good/how hard it was to get...if it doesn't fit with the story then it gets cut...can be tough but is good practice when putting together a selection of shots for a client.

Then there's always the 'WTF' factor - if someone looks at one of my shots and says "WTF is that supposed to be?" then chances are it won't work for general release... 😉

 

[35mmdelux]

W. Eugene Smith & Winogrand would set their undeveloped rolls aside a long time recognizing the emotionality of a recent shoot.

 

[swoop]

I have an editor. She signs my checks. Though I usually hate the images she chooses.

 

[easyrider]

Looking at some of the stuff on Flickr, more people should edit -- whether themselves or with the help of others.

I think the idea of setting the shoot aside for a few days and the picking the best is good.

However, I notice that news photographers now narrow down their shoots and send only a few to their desks. Sometimes they consult by phone and only send one or two.

A famous mystery writer was once asked why his books were so successful. "Because I leave out the stuff that people don't read," he said.

There is a lesson there.

 

[ampguy]

I once read an article about on-line editors, and one seemed pretty interesting in that they had packages where a human would review x hundred images of yours and select the best ones and optionally would do some post work on them. I think I read it in Rangefinder magazine about 1-2 years ago, but can't remember the company or site name.

 

[payasam]

Roger Hicks: "...what MAY happen to it must also influence the choice ... editors and layout artists vary so widely as to make generalizations of dubious value."

Then speculation about "what MAY happen" must also be of dubious value.

 

[35mmdelux]

Roger Hicks: "...what MAY happen to it must also influence the choice ... editors and layout artists vary so widely as to make generalizations of dubious value."

Then speculation about "what MAY happen" must also be of dubious value.

touche, payasam.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Roger Hicks: "...what MAY happen to it must also influence the choice ... editors and layout artists vary so widely as to make generalizations of dubious value."

Then speculation about "what MAY happen" must also be of dubious value.

Depends on your opinion of the editor...

Cheers,

R.