A Photographer's Indecision

For all you photographers out there…do you struggle with indecision when editing and posting your photos? I drive myself crazy with my terrible indecision. From deciding whether to process in color or black and white, and I often do both on the same image; then I sit here toggling between the two images agonizing over which is the better version.
That’s not my only editing/processing issue….I tend to shoot the same scene from ever so slightly different angles and locations to cover my bases so I don’t miss that perfect shot within each scene, because, sometimes the slightest adjustment can make or break an image. I know I’m not alone here, right?
Then some more agonizing…I sit down at the computer and, more often than should be the case, there isn’t that one killer image that jumps out as the best of the group, or I kind-of like a bunch of them. So, then I spend far too much time editing images that are probably just average.
And now how to decide what to post and what to let sit on my computer never to be seen. And which images to post to which social media sites or my blog or website.
What do you do in these situations? Scrap all the shots? Edit any that seem descent and post to see which get the most comments or likes? I know I’ve done both and neither is probably the best solution.
Do you ever feel like because you spent the time out shooting there HAS to be at least one good shot? I know I do, but that’s just not always the case. I’m trying to be better about only posting the best shots but I know I don’t always succeed.
I’ve read over and over that you, the photographer, are never the best critic of your work. You’re too emotionally attached to certain images that may not be great or the images you’re on the fence about seem to resonate with a larger number of people. And then, occasionally, you have that one image that both you and the viewers know is most definitely a keeper. So, my question to you is, do you only share those solid, guaranteed hits or do you share your b-side’s as well?
Here are some shots I took from the rooftop of Marina Towers recently. I would not consider these my best images, but again, because I was lucky enough to get a chance to shoot from the rooftop, even if it was with harsh mid-day light, I feel like something has to be worthwhile. These are the b&w versions and as stated before, you know I processed them in color too, so if you’d like to see all of them check out the whole set on Flickr.
AngieMcMonigalPhotography-5606-Edit-Edit AngieMcMonigalPhotography-5607-Edit-Edit AngieMcMonigalPhotography-5611-Edit-Edit AngieMcMonigalPhotography-5614-Edit-Edit AngieMcMonigalPhotography-5615-Edit-Edit AngieMcMonigalPhotography-5616-Edit-Edit AngieMcMonigalPhotography-5617-Edit-Edit AngieMcMonigalPhotography-5618-Edit-Edit

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0 Responses

  1. I guess it all depends on your expectations for the final destination of your images. If you are going selecting for a large print to be featured in a gallery, then I can understand agonizing over picking just the right image. On the opposite end of the scale posting to flickr or google+ you can post several versions and see which one gets the best feedback, and in this situation I don't see anything as lost for posting a "mediocre" image. My wife does portrait work and we have discovered that she needs to include shots for the customer she doesn't like very much because what she likes and what her customers like may not be the same thing. In fact a recent newborn shoot purchased a print of shot my wife almost didn't include.

  2. Just my opinion.
    This is one of the problems with digital we can have thousands to chose from instead of just 36.
    They say that when you first start shooting you love most of your shots, later you like less and less,
    It's not that you are getting worse at photography it is because you are developing your eye.
    I think you have to show what you want people to see, not what you think they will like.
    It is your work.
    Also the viewer does not care how much work it takes to get the shoot.
    Editing is hard. And being able to see our work instantly and to show our work on line instantly makes it harder. Having one trusted mentor or friend to give you input can be a great gift.
    Ruth Bernard often did not have money for film, so she would do a shot in her head for weeks, studying the light, and composition. Then when she was sure she took the photograph.

    1. Excellent points! And something I definitely need to be better about...showing what I think is the best work instead of what I think others may like and stop stressing about the reactions of others.
      Ruth Bernard's approach is one to live up to.

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