Edit While Photographing

I start the editing process when I’m taking the photos. I’ll decide on-the-spot which photos will be most useful in helping the client promote their event. Rather than shooting like a lunatic, I’ll stop and think about the best angle, composition, and human reaction. If the situation requires me to work fast, I’ll adjust my approach.

Finding the Best Photo Opportunities

Good photos should have the following elements:

1. The main subject (e.g. the keynote speaker, a group of people networking, audience participation)
2. Pleasing aesthetics and good composition (e.g. symmetry, texture, depth)
3. Good lighting
4. Company branding visuals

You might not always get all these elements, but try to get as many of them as possible. These are essential components to ensure the client has quality photos for promotional use. 

Selection and Elimination Using Stars

I use a simple star system to filter out the good photos from the bad. 

Phase 1: 1 Star
The process starts with me going through all the photos and relying on my immediate instincts. I’ll look for the four elements highlighted above. If a photo feels right and I like it (even just a little), I’ll give it 1 star. You won’t believe how many photos you’ll cut this way. From 3000 photos, I end up with 1200. That’s over 50% of the photos filtered out.

Phase 2: 2 Stars
Repeating the process, I go through the 1200 photos and give 2 stars to the ones I like. That brings the filtered photos down to 500.

Phase 3: Final Selection
This is where I get rid of duplicate shots and those that don’t tell the full story of the event. This brings the final number down to 350 to 400 photos. If necessary, you can repeat the process until you have the number of photos you want. Based on personal experience, you should have about 150 to 250 usable photos for each day of a big event.