We’ve all been there. One food, product, or recipe results in 100 + photos on the camera card.
Question. How many times have you put all or even 50% of those photos to use?
Right.
Listen, you don’t need those photos. If you are like me, I suspect what you really need is the time back that you spent taking them all and sorting through them in Lightroom to find one you like best.
The urge to take a 100+ photos of one food or product results from two things:
A lack of confidence that you nailed a good shot.
A lack of a clear vision for your photo.
In a professional photoshoot, the goal is to nail the hero shot. A few extra angles and orientations are only thrown in for good measure and to make sure you have some options.
Apply this approach to your shoots for your own business.
Gaining the confidence that you’ve nailed it comes with practice, but there are other things you can do to end the day with a handful of very usable photos versus 100+ you’ll never touch again.
Know the number of photos you need. (e.g. 1 for a product website, 3 for your blog, 5 for a client to review).
Focus on one hero shot. Style and shoot to that shot only. Nail that one shot. When you see it, it should evoke the words - yep, that’s it! You might even shout YEESSSS! if you are alone. I speak from experience.
Take a few variations (e.g. overhead, horizontal, tight, pulled out) based on photo needs and to have some extras for your portfolio in case you find other uses in the future (maybe a cookbook, submitting for a story request in a magazine or ad, even future prints). We’re talking 5 to 10 photos max.
There is no reason to have a portfolio of 100s of unused photos of a subject. Focusing on a hero shot:
Saves you time shooting - work more efficiently
Saves you time editing - more productive
Saves storage space on your hard drive - more organized
Focuses on building your skills and creating the shots you envision - become a better photographer for your business
Each time you create a photo the photo speaks to that moment in time. Some people refer to it as the photo telling a story. I prefer to say that the photo captures the moment and serves a purpose. One soup, smoothie, or bowl of berries can’t tell multiple stories and capture multiple moments at once.
Focus on the one thing.
Nail the hero shot.
~ Lori