10 Techniques of Photo Analysis
If you are determined to start selling your photos to earn money from photography, you will need first to compose a PORTFOLIO of your photos which will give your clients the idea about you and your professional level. If you are a famous photographer with a number of publications in big magazines, you can easily go without a portfolio, but for a beginner it is absolutely a must! A good portfolio will help you a lot in your business, while a non-professional one may spoil your career.
If you are not a professional photographer and just need to choose 10 best photos from 100 of good ones, read How To Choose The Best Photo.
HOW TO CHOOSE PHOTOS FOR YOUR PORTFOLIO?
1. THREE-STEP TECHNIQUE FOR PHOTO ANALYSIS
- First step. Look through the whole collection. Do not concentrate on any particular image.
- Second step. Take a closer look at the photos and get rid of those ones which don’t fit the topic, or which are duplicated.
- Third step. Time to make your mind. Take your time and thoroughly examine each photo. Compare similar images, if you still doubt which one to choose, do not lose your time and take both variants. That is not a final step!
2. THAT IS NOT QUANTITY BUT QUALITY THAT MATTERS
If you are at the beginning of your career as a photographer, you may not have a lot of good photos. In this case it is better to have A FEW FIRST-CLASS photos in your portfolio than a hundred of mediocre ones. Professional photographers do not hesitate to throw away images which do not fit their professional level.
3. DO NOT HURRY
If you have any doubts, you’d better make a pause and delay a final decision. Sometimes you need a few days to be able to come back and make your mind.
4. DO NOT BE RULED BY EMOTIONS
Some beginning photographers are often ruled by their emotions when choosing photos for their portfolios, which is a vital mistake! There are photos which have a particular value to the author, but have no or very little artistic value! If you have such a photo, look at it again and try to realize what is the reason for your affection It can be connected with the reminiscences of your childhood, good weather or special event in your life. You may like a photo because it reminds you of special moments, but it doesn’t mean that it is a first-class one.
5. PHOTOS OF YOUR CHILDREN
All parents passionately love their children, but this love does not help us when we choose photos for portfolio. Remember that our passion for our children, wives, husbands and beloved ones shouldn’t interfere with work.
6. MUCH EFFORTS – ZERO RESULT
Unfortunately sometimes it happens. You spend hours on planning, arranging and taking a photo or a few photos of the same kind, but fail to get worthy results. Do not be ruled by your emotion in this situation. A photo that took much time and effort eventually can be only mediocre. Remember that these are not proper criteria to judge about the photo’s artistic merit.
7. SYMBOLS DO NOT ALWAYS WORK
If you want to include some symbols or signs in your photo, make sure that this hidden meaning will be comprehensible to your view. Think twice before you decide to use this technique, you shouldn’t be the only one to understand the message.
8. TAKE A FRESH LOOK AT YOUR PHOTOS
There is an easy and effective way to evaluate an artistic merit of the photo. What you need is a good imagination only! Look at your image, then close your eyes or turn away from it. In your mind create a visual image of your photo and imagine that it is on the cover of any big magazine. Look at this image as if you see it for the first time and do not know who is the author. This easy technique helps take a fresh look at the photo and be objective.
9. BODY LANGUAGE AND PORTRAITS
When it comes to portraits, the model’s job is as important as the photographer’s. Smiling lips and expressionless eyes will spoil any portrait. A photo is interesting to the viewer only if it tells the truth. The photographer and the model should be sincere and honest to their viewers. Also remember, that there are other parts of body except the face. Pay attention at the pose of hands, legs, body of the model. Read more about body language here.
10. KEY QUESTION TO ASK YOURSELF
Before you make up your mind, ask yourself the following questions:
- What is the purpose of this image?
- What is my message?
- Is this message understandable?
- Did I use the right technique to render the idea?
- Does the composition lead the viewer’s eye in the right direction?
After you’ve answered these questions, you will have a decision whether it is a valuable and outstanding image, or an average one.
Success!
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