You’d be surprised by what your images are telling me. I can see what your passionate about, how you arrange the content, and what lengths you will go to get a great photo. It’s almost like peeking into your heart and soul. What lens you favor, your understanding of light and composition, your ability (and desire) to have an intimate relationship with your subject – All of this is revealed in your images. I bring this up because when you sit down with an editor, some photographers talk too much, trying to explain every nuance about an image, what they were trying to say with the image. I’m telling you your images are saying so much, so the next time you’re sitting down with an editor, let the pictures speak for themselves. All that talking actually detracts attention from your images.
My Photo Editor Mind - No Excuses Please
Either you got the shot or you didn’t. “It was too hot,” “it was too cold,” “it was far away,” “it was a long day,” “I was tired,”—all of this doesn’t matter. Sure I will lend a sympathetic ear, and some days I remember as a photographer working my butt off trying to make the perfect image and nada, nothing, it was just a bad day. What ultimately matters though is whether you got the shot or not. “I tried” won’t get the picture published, and “I worked really hard” is not going to sit well with an editor either.
If the shoot did not go well, learn from it and move on. A client, or editor, doesn’t want to hear what went wrong, so instead of making excuses, accentuate the positive. Play up the strengths and what went right instead.
My Photo Editor Mind - Captions, captions, captions
You’ve spent a lot of time (and possibly money) to capture the perfect images to tell a story. You have great pictures, and then what do you do? Rush through the captions so they’re incomplete and lack any relevant information. But those pesky little captions are just as important as the images. It’s all part of the game, and you get judged on everything you do. Incomplete or bad captions tell me you aren’t paying attention, you simply don’t care, you don’t have the information you should have gathered, etc. But you’re a professional photographer. You’ve done the work. You have the information, so slow down and give me those fabulous captions.
My Photo Editor Mind - Get out of your car
Okay, I have a lot of pet peeves when it comes to photography, and one I have no tolerance for is shooting from inside a car. Okay, I get it, you are in the car, and a moment happens in front of your eyes. Yes, you have to take the picture. If you got out of the car, it would be too late. However, it looks like it was shot from inside your car. There’s the window or door frame, generally the composition is off, etc. I’ve yet to see this work. Okay, when I’m editing a large batch of images, of course you can send me the car photo, but I will probably delete it. We’ll keep it a secret between the two of us. Never to be seen again.
My Photo Editor Mind - Autofocus can hurt you
One of the major drawbacks of autofocus is that photographers sometimes rely on it to compose their images. But there’s a problem. The focus is smack dab right in the middle of the image, and the image reflects that. You end up with either a poorly framed image or an image that seems off balance with too much sky or too much ground. If you go through a variety of your images and notice this pattern, try various focus settings to help solve this problem. Don’t let this technology get in the way of your vision.
My Photo Editor Mind - You know you know
Part of my job as a photo editor is to help and guide you to make your images better and tell you the truth if there is a problem. Lately is seems I’ve been telling a lot of truth. It’s actually really hard to do, and something I take quite seriously. The funny thing is, whenever I tell someone that maybe their project isn’t ready, or it’s not enough for a contest entry, the usual response is “I know.” Not one person recently argued with me. I guess you wanted me to tell you what you already knew deep down inside, I get that. That’s what I’m here for.
My Photo Editor Mind - Intimacy – Get closer
I get to look at a lot of images from a lot of photographers in varying stages of their careers – from beginners to experienced and seasoned photographers. And a common problem I see in many photographers’ work is a lack of intimacy. I actually think it’s one of the hardest aspects of photography to master. But if you want to be a great photographer, you have to be able to shine a light on the subject’s essence, their inner self. You are asking someone to become vulnerable in front of you and your camera. By achieving this intimacy, you are allowing me, the viewer, to connect with your subject, and that is when you take your photography to the next level.
How do you accomplish this? I’m a believer in spending time with someone, lots of time, letting them get to you know you and trust you. I also think revealing a part of yourself helps too, or it might just be taking the time to listen to what they have to say, letting them know they matter.
It’s tough, but this is when the magic happens. Just as composition and lighting are important aspects of photography, so is intimacy.
My Photo Editor Mind - Now is the time
Updating your website can be both overwhelming and intimidating, and just one of those things that can be easily set aside for another day, another month, or even a year. Well I’m here to help you, from just going over recent work that needs to be added to a full-blown overhaul. It might be just to talk over whether you actually need an update. I’m here to help, so let’s get started.
My Photo Editor Mind - KISS (keep it simple stupid)
OMG, just because you shot it, that doesn’t mean it has to go on your website. I’m seeing quite a bit of this this week. Less is more; keep it simple stupid; you’re only as good as your worse photo. Most editors, including myself, get a gut reaction about a photographer in seconds, not minutes, actual seconds, first impression and all. If you’re looking for work, you have a few frames, and I’ve made a decision about you – brutal, hell yes, but that’s the reality. So lighten up on the quantity of the photos. Show me who you are and what you want to do, and keep it to the best of the best! Oh, and if you need help, I’m here for you!