I've been snapping like a maniac since I started this. While my copious files yield few keepers I still find it hard to decide which image to post each day.
I'd love to hear about other members' methods, struggles, etc.
I always struggle with which images to post - I am very into post processing and quite often get lost in the fun of processing or get side tracked when I am going through photos I have taken - over the years I have become more selective - well somewhat hahaha - in what I do photograph so have less to choose from - I go with what strikes a chord with me not necessarily what I think is the perfect image
If you're stuck choosing between two good choices, pick either, they're both good choices. :D
I do like to have "variety", so if I've taken 20 shots of insects that month i'll pick something not an insect, or something different in style (so they're not all low key or the same colors or whatever). Then if there's a photo I liked taking the most or had some story behind it i'll usually pick that one.
Then of course there's a bunch of challenges on this site. These can push you towards something more specific if that helps!
oh yeah, my harddrive has thousands of photos, the first year was horrendous, sometimes taking hundreds of photos of one thing to try and get 'the best one' i think my skills have improved a lot by this process and i have calmed down now after 5 years, this years folder is very slim. i choose something that most conveys the vision i had when taking it, or something that surprised me when i processed it. being an ace member of course you can have three albums, so go for it if there are others you like!
also i have a flickr page where i have saved what i think of as my best work and also series when it was hard to choose just one, these days its my film work i keep there
If doing a challenge or shots just for 365, i edit on the best I upload it and then delete those i didnt like! I am very happy to delete duffs ( and upload them sometimes!!)
If I'm struggling it goes to the family vote I offer them 3 shots and see whichone they like best. Sometimes I still post one of the others if I don't agree!
Thank folks for the replies. It is fascinating to see how other people work.
@kali66 A flickr (or some such) page for the also-rans sounds like a good idea. I've also signed up for an "ace" account, so maybe make an album for that purpose. I'll have to think about that.
@miseria Variety... that's a good criterion. I've started looking into the challenges, too.
@rjb71 Family vote! Great idea. But what if they choose none-of-the-above? :-)
@annied Yes, maybe I'll become more selective as I go along. I think I'm just in that early explosion of enthusiasm.
@30pics4jackiesdiamond Do you mean you upload more than one at first and then weed them out from your album?
In my humble opinion, choices mean that you are 'making' all sorts of art, which is good. For me, the best part of this supportive photographic community is that I now really see so much more around me and I am learning so much about my art.
@steggiesaurus no i upload one and ditch the rest. Tonight i took 30ish and chose one to use,ditched the rest, all gone, never see light of day again!!!
I run a second folder (called stuff) and use it to post my daily second choice shot which makes the job easier. I also have a third folder for challenges, film, odds and bobs..... So some days I post 3 shots.
However I am constantly amazed that the shots I think are really good often generate little interest and the ones I think are "throw away" shots end up on the popular page. :)
Some days it is easier to choose than others. I have three external hard drives pretty much full. Each one of them holds two or three terabytes. There are days one will really stand out and I post that one. A few days later as I look at them again I'll ask myself, why did I chose that one? When I am really stuck in choosing one I will ask my wife for her opinion.
When I load my photos of the day into Lightroom I grade them from between 0 to 5 stars. The ones that I grade zero or one star I usually delete right away. No use clogging up disk space. These are usually not sharp in focus or just plain bad. I rarely give a photo 5 stars. After I grade them I start to edit the ones I grade 3 or 4 stars. After editing I might change how I graded them. Make a 3 into a 4 or a 4 into a 3.Then I chose from the best of those.
Sometimes I upload multiples ..then choose one or sometimes none and go back to the editing...because they look different in the 365 display size than they did in my PS editing window.
(And you can save some also-rans for fillers for when you start to miss days.)
I use my camera everyday, sometimes taking 100 or more shots. I'm now getting much better at deleting shots that I don't like and will often only the keep the photo that I post and delete the rest. I look for interest, clarity and variety. Once I've narrowed the field, if I still can't decide which shot to post, I ask my husband for his opinion, but if I don't agree with his choice I ignore it. I also use Picasa to compare photos, because you can view 2 shots side by side and zoom in to check clarity .
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I do like to have "variety", so if I've taken 20 shots of insects that month i'll pick something not an insect, or something different in style (so they're not all low key or the same colors or whatever). Then if there's a photo I liked taking the most or had some story behind it i'll usually pick that one.
Then of course there's a bunch of challenges on this site. These can push you towards something more specific if that helps!
@kali66 A flickr (or some such) page for the also-rans sounds like a good idea. I've also signed up for an "ace" account, so maybe make an album for that purpose. I'll have to think about that.
@miseria Variety... that's a good criterion. I've started looking into the challenges, too.
@rjb71 Family vote! Great idea. But what if they choose none-of-the-above? :-)
@annied Yes, maybe I'll become more selective as I go along. I think I'm just in that early explosion of enthusiasm.
@30pics4jackiesdiamond Do you mean you upload more than one at first and then weed them out from your album?
@steggiesaurus it took me a good while to restrain myself haha
However I am constantly amazed that the shots I think are really good often generate little interest and the ones I think are "throw away" shots end up on the popular page. :)
When I load my photos of the day into Lightroom I grade them from between 0 to 5 stars. The ones that I grade zero or one star I usually delete right away. No use clogging up disk space. These are usually not sharp in focus or just plain bad. I rarely give a photo 5 stars. After I grade them I start to edit the ones I grade 3 or 4 stars. After editing I might change how I graded them. Make a 3 into a 4 or a 4 into a 3.Then I chose from the best of those.
(And you can save some also-rans for fillers for when you start to miss days.)