Capturing hundreds of images during a day of shooting out in the field is relatively easy. Taking those images and distilling them to just a single keeper is a much more convoluted process. In this video, Wired invited National Geographic wildlife photographer Steve Winter to guides us through his process for selecting the best image out of a batch of 112.
Steven Winter is know for his photography of big cats. However, for this particular educational video, he was tasked with photographing a domestic cat in a studio using mostly natural light and a single fill flash. To perfectly illustrate the task for the viewers, his images were printed and placed on a whiteboard for his consideration.
It is especially important to note that while we can certainly repair some of the raw image files in Lightroom or Photoshop, the real purpose of this exercise is to be brutally honest with ourselves. It is meant to teach us how to accept the errors we make in the field and, through careful analysis, improve upon our craft.
Steven’s first couple of passes culled for standard technical issues as well as framing and composition. Any image with soft focus, incorrect exposure or poor composition was eliminated without a second thought.
The third and fourth passes considered narrative and behavior of the subject, respectively. In other words, the photo had to tell a story. All of the elements in the photo had to fit and the behavior of the subject had to unify those elements into a complete package. However, even at this stage there were still a handful of photos that made the cut. The final step involved his “gut feeling”.
I choose to interpret “gut feeling” as our own individual style. As photographers we know the fundamental rules of photography and the psychological effect they have in creating a visually stimulating image for our audience. Our gut feeling is a combination of applying those rules while adding our own twist/interpretation to the image. In other words, the “magic” that lets us express ourselves through our art. However, when it comes to business, this is not always the easiest step either. We have all been at that crossroad. We know the image that will most likely do well and we know the image that we ourselves are truly inspired by. How often have you chosen to publish the image that you knew would do well over the one that truly resonated with you?
What are your thoughts on this topic? Let me know in the comments!