My Photo Editor Mind - Words Can Hurt You

Sometimes a photographer’s headline, title or description of a project doesn’t match the photos I’m looking at. Make sure your words match your photos.

Let’s suppose you have shot a story or series of images and are ready to pitch it to a publication, submit it for a grant, or any other thing. You have the edit done and now begins the task of giving your story a headline and a synopsis of what the images are going to tell the viewer. Sounds easy enough. Well, this is the part that can actually hurt you.

Let’s say you shot a story about homeless people. You write your synopsis about the backstory, that an entire group of people has been harassed by the police and physically dragged from the streets in order to clear out the homeless population. You then title it, “Bruised and Abused by Police.” However, your pictures are about the present day population on the streets, how the homeless have come back and their numbers have grown. Hmmm, you gave me an idea of what I might see, people being harassed and dragged from the streets; you put these images in my head, but now when I look at your photos, I don’t see this. I’m disappointed, not happy, you didn’t deliver. The person you are pitching your story to isn’t happy either. Entice me with the photos you do have, the struggles of living on the street, the lack of food and water. Make me care about what you did shoot.

I think it’s really important to be careful what you say about your images; one false move and an editor might have expectations of what he or she is going to see, and if you don’t deliver…Yikes.

My Photo Editor Mind - Best Editing Advice

After I have completed a rather large edit for a project or story or even a website, there is one thing I always do – go through all the outtakes. Seriously, all of them. I recently edited a project and had decided on my final selection. The sequence was right, the flow of images was right, each photo building on each other, telling the story. I felt it was complete; I was done. Then as I always do, I went through the outtakes.

The process of editing is a process of elimination, so you finally have a set of photos that works, but through this process, you might have deleted an image that actually works with the final edit that may not have worked with your initial thoughts on the edit.

I always check my outtakes, and on this recent project I actually pulled images back into the edit that were initially discarded. Be patient with the process; you’ve spent an awful lot of time to get these images, now take as much care in editing them. And if you need help, you know I’m here to help.

My Photo Editor Mind - The Good, Bad and Ugly of Freelance Work

I’ve been a freelance picture editor for a couple of years now. Sometimes, I think this is the most brilliant idea I’ve ever had; other times, I think it is the stupidest idea. What was I thinking? Oh, and by the way, that’s usually in the same 5 minutes. I am pretty neurotic, never wanted to freelance because I always thought I would go crazy not having a steady paycheck, no knowing what would happen tomorrow. Well, here I am doing it, going crazy.

Anyone who does freelance work knows how this goes. Some days it’s so busy I can’t think straight. I’m getting two, three, four calls while I’m on a call (from all over the globe, hence several time zones), and my email is going crazy. Then, just when I think I can’t get all this work done…crickets. Nothing, nada, zilch. I have my husband call me to make sure my phone works. I send myself an email to make sure my computer works. Is it a holiday? Is everybody on vacation because the weather is finally nice? 

A while back, I had a fellow freelancer tell me that it’s always going to be like this; it will never change. Hot streaks. Cold streaks. So I’m trying to keep the crazy under control with regular, good old pep talks. Damn, I wish I was a better listener.  

My Photo Editor Mind – Let Me Translate That

When I am editing a photographer’s work, I try to get into the mindset of that photographer. What were they thinking? What were they trying to capture? What is the story? Always keeping in mind their vision, their way of seeing the world. It’s almost as if I become an interpreter of their work – a translator helping their photos speak, trying to bring out the best of what they are trying to say.

The photos I pick are not just photos I like. I never want to pick just the photos I want but try to figure out what a photographer wants or what they were trying for. I always want to bring out the best in a photographer, not confuse them with myself. It’s not me and not my vision but the photographer’s voice that is important.

On the other hand, I don’t always pick images just because the photographer wants or loves them either. My editing process involves finding the story the photographer was trying to tell, its essence, looking for themes, sub-stories, back-stories, in short, the thesis that he or she either intended to shoot, or sometimes, subconsciously shot.

And then when the edit is done, I always talk to the photographer to make sure that I translated his or her language (the photos) the way she or he envisioned it.

My Photo Editor Mind - Be Quiet Please

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 - Good Morning

My first task in the morning is to read my emails to see if there is any urgent work I need to tackle. However, the best emails are the ones where there is success. It’s a pretty amazing feeling helping someone reach a goal, or two. A great way to start any morning is hearing that a book publisher is interested, there is a gallery showing, or seeing a link to newly published work.

My Photo Editor Mind - Get out of your comfort zone

Are your photos becoming too similar? Try getting out of your comfort zone. Do you always shoot with the same lens? Same subject matter? Same angle? Well, it’s time to switch things up a bit. Try a different angle by standing on a ladder or lying on the ground. When you use the same lens over and over, you can start composing the same images; a longer (or wider) lens, however, will give you a different perspective and make you see your subjects in a new way to explore their message. Do you keep shooting the same type of stories? Think about what interests you. What’s your favorite hobby? Maybe give that a go. I know this sounds simple, but it will help you and get you out of your comfort zone – and help you continue to grow and flourish. 

My Photo Editor Mind - New Edit

I’ve recently been editing a lot of images for photographers who are submitting their work to various publications. The publication usually comes back and wants to see more images than what I picked and the photographer sent. Sometimes, the photographer is somewhat hesitant to tell me this, as if I would be offended or something. Don’t worry. Not offended at all. As a photo editor, I always think I can do a better edit. Maybe it’s ego or years of experience or a combination of both. But when a publication tells you they want to see more images because they want to edit them, I completely understand. The point of my initial edit was to get the publication interested. Now they are, so let them have at it. No offense taken, only happiness they are interested.

My Photo Editor Mind - I’m emotionally invested

Whenever I’m asked to edit clients’ images for a workshop, grant, or contest, I always get emotionally invested in that entry. I spend so much time watching POYi and following my clients’ entries to see if I was helpful. Ahhh, it was a good year. So many deserving winners. Recently, I’ve been editing portfolios for EAW, and again I emotionallyinvested again, and I’m feeling like I’m the one applying. I can’t help myself. Fingers crossed!

My Photo Editor Mind - Shoot with intent

I think that whenever you are starting a project, photo essay, or an assignment you will have better success if you shoot with intent. Sure it’s great to find a hidden gem, a surprise photo, but you’ll be more successful if you know what the message is before you start shooting. I’m not saying you should editorialize the shoot; rather, you need to know the story. Let me give you an example: Let’s say you are shooting homeless people; easy enough, right? Well, no. What’s the point? Why are you shooting them? What is the message? Are there more or less homeless people than before? Is the story people helping homeless people? Is it living conditions, etc., etc. If the story is that the number of homeless people has increased, well an image of a single homeless person doesn’t tell the story very well if that’s all you see. Always take a good look at what is around you before you even click the shutter. This way, you will get a true assessment of the situation and better insight into what it the best photo story to tell. If you shoot with intent, you will focus on the images that best tell the story.