In the last “be known for something” post we talked about the fun part- taking pictures! Today we’re going to talk about the hard part- editing those pictures. Editing is probably the bane of most photographers’ existence. First of all, it’s just not as much fun as shooting. I mean let’s face it, if we wanted to edit we’d be, well, editors. But we’re not, we’re photographers. Secondly, it’s hard. For those of us that tend to be especially hard on ourselves it can be discouraging. For those that tend to become emotionally attached to their images, it can be like discarding an old friend. And third, it tends to be very, very overwhelming. You may have been working on this project for months or even years, and that may mean hundreds or thousands of images. But alas, editing is a necessary evil so let’s go at it, make the best of it and maybe, just maybe you’ll actually discover that it’s not so bad.

To prepare for editing keyword, tag, label or in some way mark all of the images you shoot for your project. That’s the first step, and really it’s the only step you should take immediately after shooting. Everything else comes later. When editing you own work, there are two absolutely essential rules. The first is don’t edit right after shooting and the second is edit slowly and gradually. Follow these rules and editing will be more painless, and less daunting than you may expect.

It is essential that when editing your own work that you have a break between shooting and editing. As photographers, we become emotionally attached to our own work, or to the process of shooting that work. Let’s say you have two shots, one was the first frame you took when stopping the car to shoot. The second image is the result of a two hour hike through dirt and mud to get a different angle on the same subject. Maybe, just maybe that first “oops” shot is better than the image you spent hours trying to get. I almost guarantee you that right after shooting you will have a very difficult time editing out that second shot. You need time to see your worn work as objectively as possible.

The second rule is to view editing as a gradual process. One of the biggest mistake photographers make is to edit all at once, and just start throwing out images. Don’t sit down with a two hour windiw and expect your hundreds of images down to twenty final shots. Not only will it be exhausting, and frustrating, you won’t do a great job. Instead sit down, go through your images and edit out anything that jumps out at you as a mistake, or a bad shot, or not fitting in with the vision of the project. If you’re unsure leave it for now. When you’re done walk away until tomorrow, sit down and do the same thing with the remaining images. Do this for a couple days, and you’ll have a much more manageable number of photos to work with. Just a couple of minutes, and no judgement calls, if you can’t decide leave it for later. You’ll be amazed at how walking away from an undecided image and returning tomorrow will give you an all new perspective.

Now, as for my personal preference, I prefer to edit off of prints. I like to make a smallish (4x6) print of all of my images and edit from there for awhile. I know there are a bunch of you who think I’m crazy to edit off of an image that small, but just hear me out for a minute. I do not use this method to judge print quality- only content. I will either pull all crappy images firs, before making prints, or once I have a manageable number I’ll jump onto the computer and check out the actual files.

 But working off of prints offer a number of advantages: I can carry them with me and edit while in line at the bank or the post office. There is something to be said for the tactile quality of a print, it feels closer to the final images, and I am working with a physical object. Once I’ve been editing for awhile I can hand my stack of remaining images to friends or fellow photographers and ask for their cuts. Because it’s my project, I don’t’ immediately discard other people’s rejects, instead I tic mark the back of the print, one mark for every person who rejected that image. If I find that an image is repeatedly thrown out by others it gives me something to think about. And finally, when I get down to the last few prints, I can hang them up, somewhere I’ll see them regularly and live with them for awhile. That tends to help narrow down those last few stubborn cuts. Anyway, that’s my method, you’ll find your own, and please feel free to comment if you have found a method of editing that works for you.

Next time we’re going to look at sequencing our long-term project. I don’t do my final edit until that point, so if my final goal is to have 20 prints, I may only edit down to about 30-40 prints using the above process, and I let the sequence decide the final selection.

Here are two great resources for editing your own work:

Also check out the first three posts in this series: