AOTD #1: Editing 101 - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon MF 180mm f/2.8 ED AIS

10/16/2002 09:11:09 AM · #1

An infrequent series of 'stuff I read that is quite good'

Article of the Day #1
Editing 101

Pro Quality

After having thought about the matter for two decades, here are the first principles of what actually, in my opinion, distinguishes pros from the the rest of us:

* They shoot a lot more.
* They edit a lot better.

* This message has been edited by the author on 10/16/2002 9:09:58 AM.

mcmurma

Canon EOS-300D Rebel

10/16/2002 09:32:28 AM · #2

Excellent article Gordon! My hard drive will thank you for it, as I am about to do some long overdue "editing."

lisae

Olympus C-720UZ

10/16/2002 09:34:53 AM · #3

Hmmm... it's an interesting article, but it's hard for me to apply that principle to my digital photos. Since I have such a basic camera nothing I ever take is much good :). My attitude to the photos I get out of it is kind of indulgent and forgiving, I look for photos that actually have something I like in them rather than having to make a tough choice about which ones I dislike enough to throw away.

Gracious

10/16/2002 09:48:40 AM · #4

Gordon, That is a good article. Thanks for the link.

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 E-mount

10/16/2002 09:49:18 AM · #5

Gordon, I think this is a great article... thanks for sharing it :) I believe that I sometimes fall into the category of not shooting enough. I have participated in challenges where I have taken one shot, and others where I have taken 150 shots.

This article definitely inspires me to find my subject, and then work it till i'm blue in the face.

Journey

Canon PowerShot G3

10/16/2002 10:59:53 AM · #6

Thanks for posting this, Gordon. It's one of the sites I bookmarked but then over time forget to visit.

Practice, practice, practice ...

Seeker

Canon EOS-30D

10/16/2002 12:55:44 PM · #7

Gordon (or anybody who got it),

What did Mike Johnston mean at the bottom of the article with:
And I'll let you in on a little secret: that's true for the majority of photographers. Yup, even pros.

Did I miss something or perhaps my browser settings left something out?

jmsetzler

Sony Alpha a6000

Sony 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 E-mount

10/16/2002 01:01:55 PM · #8

Seeker

Canon EOS-30D

10/16/2002 01:16:03 PM · #9

Oops <smacks forehead in disgust> the light turns on.

I need a vacation. . .

10/16/2002 01:16:33 PM · #10

Originally posted by Seeker:
Gordon (or anybody who got it),

What did Mike Johnston mean at the bottom of the article with:
[i]And I'll let you in on a little secret: that's true for the majority of photographers. Yup, even pros.

Did I miss something or perhaps my browser settings left something out?
[/i]

I had to read that a couple of times before I comprehended it too.

You aren't missing anything. It is just the next sentence after
chances are good that it's an area where your game could stand a bit of improvement

Seeker

Canon EOS-30D

10/16/2002 01:21:04 PM · #11

That's what I get for having a high resolution setting on a 21 inch screen generating teeny-tiney letters. I missed the colon and that simple oversight completely changes the sentence. I need a vacation and glasses. . .

Tamron SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD for Nikon

10/16/2002 01:27:21 PM · #12

Originally posted by Seeker:
That's what I get for having a high resolution setting on a 21 inch screen generating teeny-tiney letters. I missed the colon and that simple oversight completely changes the sentence. I need a vacation and glasses. . .

Don't beat yourself up so much - there isn't a colon, it is just
bad English, starting a sentence with a conjunction was what threw me
when I read it the first time.

timj351

Sony DSC-F707

10/16/2002 03:16:15 PM · #13

Yes, great article Gordon. When I first read about the editing I wasn't expecting it to mean that kind of editing. Sorting through my photos can be very time consuming and it's a big reason why I have started to be much more efficient and selective regarding what I shoot. I spend less time on the frivulous shots that I know I will probably only look at once and spend much more time on the shots that matter.

The one thing that I have been doing for a very long time and it stems from my traditional art background is study my images for a long time, at different times of the day with different light, and when I am in different moods. I usually make my best decisions at this stage. It's also one of the reasons I like fine art work best because it is work that will only be for sale when I am finished with it and not when some deadline says that I should be finished. That final evaluation period is so important but sometimes it gets neglected and the work can suffer from it.

T

jimmsp

Canon EOS-60D

10/16/2002 04:08:21 PM · #14

Gordon,
Thanks for the reference to a good article. It's a good reminder to all of us. It also reminds me of why I bought a digital camera - shoot lots of pictures, then shoot again. That in itself should force most of us to edit a lot.
But I also need to be more ruthless.

Originally posted by timj351:
....
The one thing that I have been doing for a very long time and it stems from my traditional art background is study my images for a long time, at different times of the day with different light, and when I am in different moods. I usually make my best decisions at this stage. ... That final evaluation period is so important but sometimes it gets neglected and the work can suffer from it.
T

I also think this is good advice. I try to take some time over the "final" selections. And I find getting input from a few folks helps my thought process.
Now, to actually clean up some of my galleries - a job I have put off. :-)

* This message has been edited by the author on 10/16/2002 4:07:06 PM.