edit
one of the most beneficial though least talked about skills that really shows a measure of a visually involved person is the ability to edit work. and by far the toughest part of that job is editing one’s own work.
this is not a skill that can easily be taught or absorbed but rather is refined over time. there are no hard and fast rules but you will notice guidelines and trends the more you do it. as your self editing skills are tied directly to the work you pursue you won’t see a rise in one without the other. and as you are the one producing and editing the work it is far too often a conflict of interests as your story, or more precisely, the story of the image is drawn into your conscience by merely seeing the work.
after i moved back to the states 10 years ago i had a bulk of slides to sort through but as much of my work was then unpublished my editing had no direction. it took me years to find a market that i felt passionate about and then learn what that field needed and didn’t have. the eye is a funny tool that definitely ages well with time.
this is another reason that i’m an advocate of keeping ALL your work around, personal and otherwise, as you never know when you’ll be reviewing old jobs and find that gem. i’ve done this numerous times and only miss the thousands of slides i jettisoned during that cross pacific move a decade ago.
in case you’re wondering what brought this thought about, i was reflecting on an image (below) that i have in the exposure section of outside magazine this month. though i truly am attracted to that moment in time it leaves me wondering about another ski image that is similar but has remained unlicensed. they both are winter shots, both feature at least one person skinning uphill, both are in stunning landscapes + both are even in canada. why is it that one is more marketable than the other? i have always considered the ‘lesser valued’ image (above) one of all time favorites. is it the work involved, the backstory that creates that personal bond? does that bond affect your editing? does photography require us to remain uninvolved with our subjects to portray them fairly?
if you ever get a chance to sit down with an accomplished pe let me know what they say.
Ok, well, my thoughts/feeling. It’s the lonely drama and contrast, it’s the story. A brave lone figure and the fierce mountain vs friends on lovely blue snow. I know which is the Blockbuster. Both are, however, wonderful shots. Bravo!
Heath. Very cool images (literally). I personally like the top image, I asked my daughter (5 years old) which she liked best and she said the bottom image. I asked her why and she told me “it has trees”. Not sure the answer is as simple as that, but they do add depth. Thought you would appreciate her comment.
Editing is incredibly difficult. I do my best to separate myself from every image I make, and the moments in which I made them in hopes of an objective understanding, yet my choices are always, every single time, with out a doubt, (Ok, 98% of the time) different from everyone else that sees the entire out take. So with that in mind, editing, (in other words what we choose to show to the world) defines one’s photographic style, aesthetic, voice – whatever you want to call it, right? I’ve also been thinking and journaling about our “personal bonds” with specific images as I finished reading Barthes’s Camera Lucida last week.
Life is Grand!
have to agree with the comments everyone – i think there’s more than we’ll ever know that goes into our attachment to images we create. definitely a story (+ backstory) narrative. as well as a childlike wonder – the longer i do this i remember more and more fondly the trips, adventures, projects + people of the images. and as birddog brings up an intensely personal experience (commend the 98% difference in opinion compared to what others see. i think that’s what draws us all into this visual media – the differences we can express).
the image i posted above wasn’t my selection at all but rather something that the pe at outside found and contact my office about. as much as i enjoy that image and respect her ability as a pe, i’m wouldn’t have selected that image. of course, i bring that baggage we’ve mentioned to the table. i also have the insight into what i’m doing now and how my vision has changed or sharpened and that may or may not be completely opposite what a pe has selected from my work for the world to see.
in the end, editing’s one of those skills that has very few rules and is absolutely different with everyone you talk with. use the opportunities you come across with other visual people to get their take on your work and the world around us. it all only opens eyes.
wow that photo is amaaaaazing. The colors – wow – the sky – wow
I hope all is well with you, your lady and your baby.
I might be up your way in March, until then Cuba!!! ya, how about that.
see you soon.
Athena