Like most photographers if not all, creating a contact sheet(s) and then having to narrow down one’s collection of perhaps 300 photos to just 30 is not only challenging but can also be time consuming. This is because the first edit done today can totally change tomorrow as the artist can discover something new in a discarded photograph that they want to include, or remove a photograph in the second edit.
LaChapelle states his confidence when it comes to editing because he does not “overshoot much any more” (89) and basically knows which of his images he will use in his final edit as he is taking the photograph. In contrast to Stephen Shore who question and “wonder what kind of an editor” (51) is he as he looked back at previous contact sheets, and sees “stuff that never made the initial edit” (ibid). Dijkstra encourages the need of distance “for two weeks… to see properly” (144), like I mentioned earlier about discovering new aesthetics in the picture.
I like Mary Ellen Mark’s method of scanning her first general edit images and enlarging them, placing them side by side to be able to identify and “see which frames are the best” (63). Dijkstra also mentioned using that approach. Alec Soth on the other hand, edits down his hundreds of pictures “into a series [and] in the end it’s about creating a mood” (185).
Therefore, I think editing can also be seen as a very opinionated process, and based on what or how the artist want to present in their final edit selection, I think second opinions can be a beneficial/useful tool consider.
Source: Image Makers Image Takers
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