Tim Gruber and Jenn Ackerman use both photography and video to tell stories for editorial and commercial clients. 
I’ve been spending some time looking at new work the past couple days and find it interesting how different photographers edit and present their work. For example a lot of photographers doing the portrait thing for magazines seem to use generic titles for their portfolios such as Portfolio 1, Portfolio 2, etc.
I recall reading somewhere that when using generic titles you’re less likely to offend the visitors to your site if your photos don’t match watch their perception of the title is?
That’s a different post though. Back to editing.
If you’re like me you’re never truly satisfied with the edit of anything you do.
Change this. Try that.
Only to revert back to my first edit and question what I’m missing.
We all know how hard it can be to edit your work. Damn near impossible. Even worse is when you get an edit from a friend and they tell you to ditch your favorite image. That’s like asking a 7 year old to give all his Halloween candy to his little sister. It’s hard to cope with.
Editing is an intimidating and ruthless process and one I never look forward to. Much like my Grandma’s garden you need to hoe out those weeds and yes sometimes that weed might be disguised as your favorite image. Although if you expect to have a garden of roses rather than an oasis of weeds or in our case a collection of singles with no narrative it needs to happen.
Editing at its worse has the power to make people cry. At its best it can make you feel like a chef in the kitchen. Just the right ingredients and watch a masterpiece take form
As is often the case less is more. What is this image adding? Is every picture advancing the story? How’s the pacing? The visual variety and impact? Are all my images quiet? I struggle with that one a lot. Does it read like a musical score? Or is it on par with my cooking? Flat and lifeless.
Hemingway once wrote a story in just six words: “For sale: baby shoes, never worn.” and claimed that it was some of his best work.
Let Hemingway be your guide and edit tight.
