This idea has been rolling around in my mind like a bag of marbles escaped into the bottom of a canoe.
Imagine opening the mail or a neatly wrapped gift and inside is a translucent vellum pouch or envelope. You pull out a set of four postcard-sized images. Perhaps you admire them, or post them on your bulletin board, or frame them, or pass them on as a gift to someone.
Technically, the first round of this process has already been done which was narrowing down my selections for serious consideration. I chose the theme to be equine; one set of four as headshots in colour; one set of four as powerful working farm horses. They had to fit the specific theme, have similar tones, and work well when placed with the others.
Now that I’m at round one, I printed out contact sheets that include my selections plus a few alternates. The contact sheets have been cut so I can ‘play around’ with the individual images, ensuring that each image does work with the others.
This is the editing stage of the process. Editing is not post processing or developing. So when we say we’re editing, it’s the stage that involves careful consideration, condensing, and coherence regarding selections. Even a 4-pack like the one I’m putting together requires deliberate analysis and scrutiny in selecting the most effective images, just as it is when putting together a book or zine.
Another important aspect of this stage of the process is seeing the image actually printed so I can determine whether any may need a tweak to the exposure or some other detail. The printed image always looks different than when we view it on our backlit screens.
So now I keep these sample prints on my desk and allow myself the opportunity to view them over and over, perhaps moving them around, seeing if any of the alternates may work better in a set, or if any don’t quite make the pick.
Now that I’ve actually begun the process, I’ll share the next round once this one has been fully considered and completed. So those loose marbles are beginning to be gathered into a pile.
Pull back the curtain on your process.
Ann Friedman
If you enjoyed this why not share it with a friend or post about it on social media. Thank you for reading and sharing your time with me. — Diane
terrific info supplied. my, what a powerful horse. you’ve captured it beautifully.
(btw, love the new design)
I see this similarly to when I am drafting a letter that may have a profound impact on someone. I always sleep on my draft and return to it the next day to see if I still want to say what has been said in the letter. I am the same way when editing photos that are part of a project.