Photo editing

I knew early on that I would be more successful as a photo editor than a photographer. My favorite part about making pictures has always been meeting new people and experiencing things that I would not have in my personal life. Seeing my byline was exciting until it wasn’t. I didn’t care. My stumbling block was that I didn’t have the drive to be an award winning photographer. Plain and simple, I just didn’t have the passion it takes for that. I do know an award winning photo though and I prefer to help other, more driven photographers get them.

This isn’t going to be a comprehensive “how to edit photos” but three of the many things that I have noticed on a regular basis over the past 25 years. More will follow in future posts.

1. Photographers have a hard time editing themselves. Me included! It can be a struggle to choose the perfect image. “Is the shadow better in this frame, or the one after?” “The expression in this one is perfect but the person in the back is staring at me.” “If only I’d been a little to the right, I would have captured this moment.” When editing, I like to think of it this way. The viewer was not at the scene. There is no way for the viewer to know what you missed or how it could have been shot better. Take your ego out of it and look for the image that tells the story the best. That tight portrait you got of the angry father at the Little League game is wonderful but does it tell the whole story of the moment or event? What made the father angry? You need to record decisive moment of the batter getting hit by the pitch and then the reaction to it. Together they tell the story. This is especially important if there is no story with the images in question.
2. As a viewer or consumer of the visual information you have provided, I don’t care what you went through to get an image if it does not tell me the story. You are sent to a SWAT situation and they have the media penned in on a corner two blocks away. Yes, you may have knocked on a door and talked the homeowner into letting you on their roof to get a photo, through the trees, of a SWAT standoff down the street. After you climb down and start to leave, you notice a commotion. The police run by you and tackle the suspect in plain view. You get that shot. Back at the office you want to use the photo of the standoff because you argue that it shows the tension of the moment, it has a different perspective and besides…..you went through hell to get that shot. Don’t care. I want the other because it actually is THE DECISIVE MOMENT.
3. Arrive early and stay late, no that is not bad party guest advice but photo advice. So often more interesting things happen before a schedule event or after. The people involved are more relaxed and not apt to feel like they are on camera being scrutinized. Be patient and observant. Sometimes shooting an assignment can be like shooting a baseball game. You know the action is going to be on the field but you need to anticipate where. As a shooter, you need to be ready for several different scenarios. If nothing happens then you need to be creative and shoot an artistic CYA photo. The same holds true for many news assignments (think press conferences or city council meetings).

What is hardest for you when editing? Was there a situation where you and your editor went head to head? As an editor, what advise do you give to photographers?