Hi Julia,
I've heard you speak many times (on YouTube and Fstoppers) about how people often have a great shoot and then choose what you feel are the wrong selects.
In preparation for your Bahamas workshop, I just produced my first full day beauty shoot at my studio. I took over 1600 photos with 4 models and honestly the hardest part of this process has been choosing the "right" ones.
What are some of your guidelines for culling your images down and ending up with the best selects?
Hi Josh, it's never easy, and I often change my mind over time, here are a few things that come to mind:
1. I never get down to choosing my "hero" images on the same day, I download them and leave them alone until the next day or a couple of days later - that way I will have a refreshed vision and my brain will sort of forget the surroundings of the shoot. Chances are the way I will see the images then will be closer to the way the viewers will see them later.
2. Look at thumbnails assessing their visual balance and composition first and only if I like the pose and the composition I look at the details to make sure everything is in focus and so on.
3. Your choices really depend on your taste, which is not something that I can share (not because I don't want to, but because it is something everyone needs to develop for themselves). Looking at great photographers' and painters' work and analyzing poses, composition, lighting and colors is what make you better understand what looks good. And when time comes to choose your selects you have that "vision" in mind. The same vision helps you to actually pose and frame better as you shoot too.
So as in retouching, in photography, I believe, everything starts with one's artistic vision rather than technical skills. And it can be developed. That's my personal opinion, hope this helps :)