Exercise: Editing.

"For this exercise you need to start with a set of recently shot images. Try to work with a reasonably large set of images, at least 50, all covering the same theme or location."

 

I chose to use images I had recently taken for the National Trust. I had just started volunteering as a photographer for their Melford Hall property and they had asked that I try to provide them with images of the hall all in portrait to fit on their leaflets. I managed to shoot 95 photos which I then needed to edit down to provide them with a handful of images.

 

Step one - the technical edit.

 

I removed any images that had obvious faults to them. Four were over exposed, mainly as the day was very bright......not ideal for what I was trying to do, two were out of focus which left me with 89. I currently have Photoshop elements 9. I view each image as a thumbnail, removing any images with faults from my main screen. For the technical edit I deleted any image that was not up to scratch, particularly as I shoot in RAW so I do not want vital memory space taken up. Also having just had to buy a new laptop I am trying to keep it much more organised than my old one.

 

 

Step two - the selects.

 

Here I have gone through all of the images and have tried to be quite ruthless. I wanted to halve the number of suitable images and managed to select 42 in the end that I felt more strongly about. I did this by removing any image that may appear similar to others I had taken. I had several of the same angle of the hall, the only difference was the exposure as I was unsure at the time how the image would turn out due to the exceptionally bright day.

 

 

Step three - the first selects.

 

 

 

I then edited down to seven images which was easier than I thought it would be as I think that you immediately get a feel for whether an image is right or not.

Notes to explain why I preferred these images (from left).

1. Shows the majority of the hall including its distinctive roof, without showing the scaffolding they currently have up.

2. Nice symmetrical image of the hall through the hedge so your eye is drawn up the frame to the doorway.

3. View through the trees, focusing on the roof meeting the skyline.

4. View through the trees showing part of the hall and gardens.

5. Shows a building in the grounds and the gardens.

6. The hall from a distance, through the flowers.

7.  View of the hall also reflected in the pond.

 

 

Step four - group and review.

 

As instructed I took a break of several days and then when back to review the images. I put the first selects  together which was easy as I had saved them all in one folder and then reviewed my choices. I then reviewed the images I had left out to make sure that I had made the right decisions and I still felt the same about the shots I had rejected.

 

 

Step five - a final choice.

 

Here I was to imagine that I could only select two images for publication.

 

 

 

I chose these two images, not only because I particularly like them and they were my favourites at the time of shooting, but also because they fill the criteria that I was originally shooting for. This was to produce images that show the hall with its distinctive roof, in portrait as opposed to the usual landscape images. Ideally I would of shot the images on a slightly more overcast day, as there was very little cloud in the sky the bricks have lost some of their deep red colour.