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How To Choose Photos For Professional Portfolio Case (part 1)
1. What does the best shot mean for you?
There are no common rules the shot can be judged by. Besides various aesthetic
schools a photo is assessed by the personal view that is often
conditioned by the individual taste. However, it doesn't mean that
there are no aesthetic standards, characterizing all good photo works,
which one has to understand and follow. But our aim today is to try to
help you choose the best photos for your portfolio by telling you about
some criteria and methods of photo selection.
2. How to develop a good critical eye?
Look at the best world photos.
The more you will do it the more your taste level will rise. It matters
a lot to visit exhibitions in museums and art galleries, to examine the
famous photographers' catalogs profoundly. A good habit of yours could
be also watching over the latest shots in prestigious photo magazines.
3. Don't concentrate your attention on technique
If you look at a good photo and pay attention only on technical performance, you are making a mistake. It's better to think over the hidden idea
and if the author chose the right way to represent it. Ask yourself
what optical elements make it more expressive. It's also useful to
compare the author's way of interpreting the idea with the way you
would have chosen to illustrate this idea.
4. Examine artworks
Try to develop your understanding of the aesthetics in different kinds of art - painting, sculpture, music, literature. We can find the same rules, the unity of form and content. A good photograph should follow the aesthetic rules.
5. How to define the quality of photographs?
Analyze every detail. It's important to check every inch because a good photography is done with the nuance. Cartier-Bresson
once said: "The difference between a good artwork and mediocrity is a
matter of millimeter." Without a profound examination you can miss a
small detail, which may spoil all your work.
6. How to make a profound analysis of the shot?
First
of all examine the image in a shallow manner to feel it and estimate
its visual influence. Then repeat the examination but at greater
length. Select the starting point - it can be the center, at the left/right, no matter. One may start examination from the upper left corner and lead his eye with
concentric circles or ovals. But there is no common rule for everyone.
You can also start with the part of photo you are interested in mostly.
Anyway, your eye will help you to choose the starting point.
7. Check the edges of the photo
Is
it easy to notice a hand, which accidentally happened to be in the
shot, or a branch of a tree, not fitting the entire composition, or a
window frame, being caught by the lens? If you've found something that disturbs the viewer's attention in the shot, feel free to cut it.
8. Check the facial expression
Study
carefully the smiling face in the shot. Do you think it's a natural
smile, or just a grimace? Does the look seem to be gloomy on that
cheerful face? You may try to compare it with the next variant of this very shot and decide, which one was more true to life.
9. Check the half-tones
A light shadow can add more truthfulness to the shot. But sometimes it doesn't look good and even spoils your picture. Do you think the shot idea can be understood well enough? Every shot should be clear and understandable,
otherwise, if it needs clarification, you'd better take it away from
the list of your series, which you wish to be made public. Try to hide
the details, which cause doubt. Sometimes it helps to hide such a spot with your hand
- it might be a shadow, a lighting effect, foreground or a part of the
background. You will see, whether that detail spoils your image or,
vice versa, makes it better.
10. The main idea of the analysis
Try to study your images in three steps:
1. First view. Do not take your time to analyze every shot. Simply choose everything, that looks to be essential for you.
2. Second view.
Check these works slowly and more thoroughly. Put aside those pictures,
which might be unnecessary, repeated or of the mid-quality.
3. Third view.
It is high time to take your decision. Do not hurry and study every
shot. Try to compare similar images. And now, even if you cannot decide
between the two shots, do not waste your time struggling with yourself,
and save both of the variants. And remember, you haven't still reached
the final selection.
Read more (part 2)
Read more:
Photographer Interview: Nehaseth28
10 Tips How To Shoot Architecture
Photographer Interview: skittle11
Now You Can Forget About Flame Effects In Photoshop
Tips You Are Looking For Studio Lighting Techniques
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