If you are attempting to be a photographer, well, you might want to start thinking about books. It’s been said by folks far more intelligent than I that photography is a story best told in book form. I would agree. And judging by the number of recent articles describing Instagram’s destructive impact on photography, I’m not alone in my thinking. (I have been talking about this for eleven years, but only now have the hipsters started to understand what IG did to the photography world.)
Did I need a Blurb 7×7 Layflat?
Yes and no. Although I am hardly doing any events these days, I do need new samples, and I do love making test books. This book took about half an hour to complete. As you can see, painfully simple, but that’s how I view layflat books. They are best used, in my opinion, for simple things like portfolios. You lose nothing in the gutter. I shot 16×9 in Morocco, so a perfect fit.
I stopped working as a photographer fifteen years ago, so I don’t need a portfolio, but the process of EDITING one is critical. From twelve hundred images to ten. That’s the kind of editing prowess you need if you are attempting to make books. And I just want to be straight with you. Many of you suck at editing. It’s true. I’ve seen it again and again. Most of you didn’t go to photography school or work in the newspaper world, so you never had the fear of God put in you by a picture editor like lucky little old me did. Editing was life or death. Every day. Multiple times. So, don’t be hard on yourself or give up. Just practice.
People come to me having shot one thousand images and say, “Okay, I cut it down to five hundred, will you take a look?” No. No, I will not. That’s not editing. Editing is asking what the top ten images are, then the top five, three, and one. And then asking, “What’s the best image for a cover?” “What should I lead with?” “End with?” You see where I’m going here. This is my site, so I don’t need to coddle you or sugarcoat. Editing takes as much practice as your photography does. And books take even more. (This is the fun part.) Don’t do it. Don’t finish this post, then retreat to YouTube!
Editing makes your work better, stronger, and more impactful. If you are designing a book with two hundred images, even one hundred, you have more work to do. Not many people will be willing to look at so much work, and the idea that someone would have two hundred images good enough for a book is mind-blowing. That would take a decade to produce, at least. Give them only the best, at least if you are designing a portfolio like this. Narrative books are another matter, but the same discipline applies.
Comments 12
If someone was to create a portfolio book, would 10 images be enough? And should that portfolio contain images only of the same genre or not?
Author
Anyone who knows what they are doing can assess you with ten images. However, if I was heading to a portfolio review, I would have more work in reserve. And the work could be both individual images or themes.
You’re my editing goeroe. Always gives me warranty on success.
Author
Good!
I know this is about editing, but are those margins off on the right side or is that the angle of the iPhone photo?
Author
It’s the angle. There might be a slight variance but it took me a back and forth, back and forth to see it. But the camera angle is making it look like more than it is.
The current book in progress is New Brunswick. 2100 photos. 750 edited in Lightroom. 15 I’d show someone that wanted to really look, and if I’d stop dithering about a couple sets of similar photos I’d have 9. But for a big layflat book just for me and my memories, or the blog, that’s a harder question. More, because we covered a lot of ground and there’s some good stories, but certainly not 750. I’m thinking this is one that I’ll noodle on for a while, have it ready to go, and wait for a big Blurb sale.
Author
Hmm, good spot to be in. You could also do something in the interim. MagCloud Digest, landscape, 8-pager. A great exercise and very inexpensive. (I just made one.)
I can’t remember if you have touched on this before or not, but how different is editing for something like this vs editing your rolls, groups et al that were captured for newspaper or magazine? I would think there’s a bit more latitude for a simple photobook since one may/may not be trying to enforce or enhance the text?
To Keith above: Do you need to set that work aside for a sleep cycle or two and revisit it with “fresh” eyes? It sounds like that is the path you’re on anyway, but maybe don’t even look at the overall body of work for a day or 2?
Author
Newspaper was about ONE image most of the time. That’s it. The journalism world is a baptism by fire for what it means to be a photographer. There is no better training ground. Editing was just one, cruel part of that.
Or a week or two. Or three. There is no rush for the book. The blog is a little more topical, every couple days or so as I’m moved.
Per your first para, my books so far are personal, so I include photos that interest me, or produce a memory, or are part of a story, even if the photos aren’t “the best”, or are “technically imperfect”, or “poorly composed”, or whatever other flaws they might have. Were I to be so foolish as to do a book of photos that were intended to be for sale to the general public, you can be sure I’d be a whole lot more rigorous in boiling the photos down to the very best.
Author
All good, whatever works. I would, however, advise you to determine which are the truly standout images. It’s a helpful method and one that helps us improve.