Nature Photography Photo Workshop

9.4. EDITING A SHOOT

After you make your photographs and transfer them to your hard drives, the next thing to do is go through them, pick your favorites, and organize them into logical groups.

This process has traditionally been called photo editing. For example, a magazine photo editor's job is to select the photos that will be used in an issue and eliminate those that don't make the cut. (A photo editor rarely does any actual processing of the photos.)

NOTE

"Editing a photo" has also been used to describe the process of adjusting tone and color, retouching, and so on. In the sections that follow you edit photos based on the first definition.

9.4.1. EVALUATING PHOTOGRAPHS

You can use some common criteria to help decide whether a shot is worth processing and sharing. Use the following checklist to evaluate your photos as objectively as you can. (Refer to Chapter 4 if you need to review the fundamentals of composition and design.) Keep in mind that many flaws in these areas can be corrected with processing. What's important at this point in the workflow is that you get a clear idea of the strengths and weaknesses of each photo to determine if it's worth further attention. Evaluate your photos on both technical and artistic merits by asking the following questions:

• What's the immediate impact of the photo? Is it strong or subtle? Wow or ho-hum?

• What's the subject? Or, "What is this a picture of?"

• What and where are the main focal point(s) and center(s) of interest?

• How does the eye ...