When I was in art school (mot sure if it was my art high school or art college years) but someone told me that for every roll of film you shot, you should be happy to get one awesome image from it. That stuck with me and I still hold to the idea that for every 24-36 shots I take I am hoping to get one really good one.

When I photograph children at my studio, I take anywhere between 100-200 shots on average. I may take more if the child is having a blast and doing really well or we do a lot of different set ups. I may take less, especially if the child is slow to warm up or a baby is fussy. Either way, I aim to cull that group down to 40 or less.

To give you a visual example of how I choose favorites, I have included three images from a studio session that I shot last year. We photographed him in normal clothing but, at the end, tried on his costume just for fun. Of the 15 or so shots of the costume, these 3 are my picks. This first one is the best looking at the camera shot of the group and I love his hands and the way he has them together.

Even though he is looking at us in the first picture and not in the next one, I actually like this next one a little better. I love the big puffy costume and his turned face. It has just a little bit more personality. I like how the costume looks puffier, the antennae are dropping and it's giving him a little belly. He's also looking over at his Mom, which is super sweet.

This next one is my favorite. There's just something a little bit more interesting about his expression than in the first one. I like the way the hood is around his face in an asymmetrical way. He never gave me the huge smile while he was dressed up, which would have been awesome of course, but I still love what we did get.

So, here are some thinks I consider in general when culling and editing for a client session:

1. An overall variety of poses and expressions.

2. Including all the outfits if that is a request (I usually try and limit changes to 2 or maybe 3).

3. I try to include close-ups, full body shots and 3/4.

4. If I am shooting for a particular product or item (for example: birth announcements), I make sure and include the things I might need for that.

5. Any special requests from the parents.

6. Images that really illustrate a milestone.

7. Images that really highlight the child's personality.

8. Technical issues: removing images that are not 100% sharp or not well exposed, etc.

9. I may take multiple images of a single set up trying to perfect the composition or the exposure. In that case, I would cull down to the best of the set.

If I am editing down a set of images for myself, I think most about:

1. Images that really show a sense of place (especially if I am traveling).

2. Images that show my children's personality.

3. Milestone images (quirky things specific to how old they are).

4. Anything that shows relationships.

5. Images that I know will help me remember what it felt like to be where I was or seeing what I was seeing.

6. Often when I am shooting, I will take several exposures of a given scenario- perfecting as I go. When I go back to edit down, I choose the best one from a series like that. The "best one" may be better technically (sharper, better exposure, better composition) or it may be better for the expression.

7. Images that tell a story either about the day or the people in the photograph.

I try to be pretty aggressive about my editing simply because I do shoot a lot and I have to be reasonable about disc space. I try and keep only the best. I can usually get my personal shots down from 100 to 40 no problem. Millions of images stored on my computer don't benefit any of us. I try to keep only the ones that really illustrate that moment in time.

I struggle a little bit more with client images because I want to make sure and give them them enough choices but use my own expertise in editing down to a reasonable number. With that in mind, if you are photographing for someone else, you need to make sure and include some for them to say no to. Allowing a viewer the freedom to pick their favorites without overwhelming them with far too many choices is a thin line to tread. That is something that comes with practice.

How about you? Any thoughts on editing down sets of images? Please share them in the comments section below!