Old Dog, New Trick
I just finished attending a webinar from Photographer’s Edit. The goal of the webinar was to increase productivity and lower processing times for photographers using Lightroom 2. While nothing earth-shattering was learned, I did pick up a few tips that will lighten my workload and make more efficient use of my time at the editing desk. Considering this was a free webinar, I’m extremely pleased at the content and the value of the subject matter. There are a few more planned in the near future that I’m planning to attend. Hopefully, I’ll pick up a few more tips to make my edits even faster.
An interesting question was raised at the end of the webinar: Do you edit for yourself or the client? Very good question that doesn’t have an easy (or correct) answer. It’s actually pretty subjective from an artistic standpoint, but when looked at from a business perspective, the answer seems pretty clear to me (especially given the viewpoint of the host from the webinar, Nathan Horlitz). He basically said that you edit for the client. Playing around with different presets and giving a particular “look” to a photo is fun and all, but will the client really notice if a certain effect is not applied to a photo? Does the client even know that the effect exists? Or, do they just want to have a well developed image that they can have framed and hung on their wall to admire? From a business and productivity standpoint, I agree. Ultimately, the client will be satisfied, but will they be thrilled? Will they feel like they got their money’s worth? Perhaps.
On the other hand (the artistic hand, that is), I believe in having an artistic style or “look” to my images. Consider it a signature or defining look that distinguishes my images as MINE. Something that sets my images apart from everyone else. I think it actually starts with the photo shoot and the experience I create for the client. They are not just buying a photo, they’re buying ME – my shooting style, composition, the experience I create and yes, the final artistic piece that is the photograph. The end product is the culmination of hours of technical work involved with shooting and editing the photos and pouring my passion for the art into each composition. If I’m just editing for the client, then I’m being robotic and methodical in my edits. I’m not applying any passion, emotion or thought into the final photo. It may take me a little longer to do edits, but my clients can be assured that they will get one-of-a-kind photos that provide value for what they paid.
Oh well, definitely a food for thought kind of a question…What do you think? Post your thoughts on this one!
