My final pick
One of the more common conversations I have with either the people that sign up for my online classes with the BPSOP, or the ones that take one of my “Stretching Your Frame of Mind” workshops I conduct around the planet, is the art of editing; and take my word for it, it is an art.
These photographers when submitting an image for me to critique, will invariably choose the wrong one…that is if they shot more than one variation…which they should have!!!
It all goes back to keeping the viewer around as long as possible, and that is all about two important factors: The psychology of Gestalt, and my ‘Artist Palette’ that has all the elements of visual design and composition on it.
I recently was asked to help edit three-hundred and eighty images down to sixty for his second book. When we were discussing an image, his reasons for keeping it in were sometimes to subjective. In other words it was a location that held certain emotions and memories to him.
Well, that’s all well and good, but the viewer won’t have those feelings. To him it’s an objective visual reaction, and the photo will have to stand on its own merit…unless he always around to explain his thought process or adds some text under the photo. Here’s a great post that will help. One of the lines in it goes like this:
“REMEMBER THAT BELOVED SUNSET OR SUNRISE YOU HAVE–SO EXCELLENTLY CAPTURED, SO EXPERTLY PRINTED AND FRAMED–MAY BE JUST ANOTHER SUNSET TO SOMEONE ELSE”.
Trust me I know how difficult it is to delete one of your very favorite ‘children’…after all, isn’t that what they are?
My second choice
When I edit, almost all the time I have several different photos of the same subject. I will usually put them up on my monitor and comapre them side by side. I’m looking for various things: Things that should have been in the composition, but weren’t. Things that were in my composition, but shouldn’t have been; I always use my fifteen point protection plan before clicking the shutter, but I will sometimes miss something. Did I remember my border patrol? Checking my four corners?
When looking at each image, was I successful in keeping the viewer interested for six to eight seconds? Did I move him successfully around the frame? Was my photo balanced as far as the negative and positive space?
The two photos you see were part of several I shot of the woman during my workshop in Cuba. I narrowed it down to these and finally decided on the one at the top. I’d love to have your comments.
So my fellow photographers as you can see there’s a lot of variables when trying to pick the right photo. Whether it be to print, a webside, or whatever suits your fancy, editing is not for the faint of heart!!!
Visit my website at: www.joebaraban.com, and check out my workshop schedule at the top of this blog. Come shoot with me sometime. I just announced my New York, New York Workshop beginning September 17th ,2019 and ending at noon on the 23rd. This will be my second workshop there and this time we’ll be shooting in all the five boroughs.
JoeB
