Hi. Im just curious. How do you guys segregate good shots from bad ones? What determines if your shot is a keeper or not? I mean for example you have a series of photos of a single subject with different perspective / exposure, how do you determine what stands out and what's worth post-processing? Do you immediately delete all those not-so-good-but-not-very-bad-either photos? Just a few questions from an inquisitive newbie like me.

I think i placed this question under the wrong category. Dapat ata under Snapshots to. Pa- move na lang po mga mods if mali..

hi aaron.

thats a real problem for digital photographers. a short answer then...

i dont keep out-of-focus versions of the same shot. ayun. delete...

not a pro or advanced photographer by any means, but I keep all my photos, good or bad (unless is absolutely crap)... DVD-Rs are cheap anyway hehe.

as for which goes to post-processing... Hmm, since I don't have an advanced camera per se, sharpness/focus will be a major issue for me, the rest will be the usual framing and composition and "initial impact" a photo gives me when I view it.

If it doesn't catch my eye the first time, it probably won't the second time around.

Of course, I'm only taking pics to satisfy myself, so for a pro (who gets paid for their pics), it may very well be a different criteria :P

I shoot sports and sometimes it is very difficult to follow all the rules since the subjects are moving fast and indoor lighting conditions are not optimal. In my case, "bad" shots are always part of a shoot.

I have the ff rules of thumb:

1) blurred? delete.
2) not so blurred but not so sharp either? keep for a second pass.
3) back-focused? delete.
4) too many shots of the same thing? choose best three for a second pass. (sometimes I keep all, case in point: dunk sequences)
5) colors are off? keep for color-correction.
6) bad composition? delete.
7) too much cropping needed? if for web keep; if for print delete
8) shot is boring? delete.

When doing second pass, I will see if the image can be made better in post. If yes, keep. If not, delete. Better judgement also comes into play in the second pass when selecting one from a series of shots.

HTH.

thank you all for sharing your methods. minsan kasi nakakapagod isa-isahin yung mga pictures lalo na kung pare-pareho yung shots but with different exposures lang. dun sa may mga iba pa pong methods jan, please keep em coming. i guess its also important to determine what you need the shots for like for memories or for portfolio

IMO... Try starting at the root of the problem... Even if you shoot digital; don't just go and fire away... So you'll end up with less bulk but with probably more keepers since you thought of each exposure separately before you even hit the shutter release... :)

I use Adobe Bridge to sort my photos. I rate (1 star to five stars) and label (color coding) them accordingly. It really simplifies my life when I have to select 600 images out of 2000 to edit and submit to a wedding client :D

That's good to keep in mind Sir Earl. Thank you very much for the idea. I guess a well thought-of shot is better than just clicking away. Saves you also the hassel of trying to decide what photo to choose since you only have a few.

Sir Jo, thank you for that advice. I never heard of that Adobe Bridge before. I only use Elements for photo organizing and it also has that 1-5 Star ratings in it. I'd also have to look in that software. I guess it's really good to know what the Master Pros are using huh. :)

Bridge is included in Adobe PS CS2. It replaced the File Browser of PS 7 and PS CS.

This is the reason why I have a low shutter count on my camera. Choosing stresses me out so I try to have less to choose from. Of course this probably doesnt apply to pros who are better off left with more options than none :)

Sometimes yes and sometimes no. I sometimes stop shooting after several frames to show a client what I have. There's usually a shot there that they approve. But I still shoot a few more frames just to give them additional options or just for the sake of having a safety shot.

This is the reason why I have a low shutter count on my camera. Choosing stresses me out so I try to have less to choose from. Of course this probably doesnt apply to pros who are better off left with more options than none :)