Tips for Selecting Photos

So you just had a big event, and a friend who's into photography came and took some photos. A lot of photos. 10 disks worth of photos. Now you want to use some of those photos on your website, but how do you begin to go through them all and choose?

While I whole-heartedly advise hiring a professional photographer whenever possible, at the end of the day I'm also a realist. I know that budgets don't always allow for that, so I've compiled some tips on what to look for that will make going through a lot of photos a little less daunting. Once you know what to look for, the process goes quickly. You'll find that out of those 10 disks, you'll be lucky to get 10 really good photos that are worth using.

1. Before you begin selecting photos, make sure you have a signed photo release from anyone who's face is recognizable. You can see a sample release form at Digital PhotoCorner.
   
2. Look for good composition. It’s a bad idea to cut someone off at joints such as ankles, wrists, etc. Make sure all of someone is in the photo, or that the cropping is pleasing.
3. Be sure photo is in focus, not blurry. If an artistic effect is desired, be sure it looks intentional.
4. If faces are visible, expressions should match the desired emotion. Never use a photo that isn’t flattering to everyone in it. Look for eyes closed, tongues out, clothing bunched up, etc.
5. The exposure shouldn’t be too dark or too light. If you absolutely love the photo but it’s a bit dark, considering hiring someone who can digitally alter it for you.
6. There should be no ambiguity about what’s going on in the photo. If you were there, you might know what’s going on, but will someone who wasn’t? Arms in front of people’s faces, or caught in odd positions are things to look for. The viewer should know in an instant what’s going on.
7. If photos are going in a brochure or on a website, make sure the photos are of different people. The same people in several photos gives the impression of cliquishness, or that there are “star” players. You want your photography to be welcoming and inclusive, as much as possible.
8. Ask the photographer to weed out bad photos so you save yourself, and your vendors, the time and expense of having to going through them all.
9. Be sure you get the highest resolution photos possible from the photographer. Printing anything on a press requires high resolution photos, which means 300dpi at the finished size you want it. You can always down-res something for the web, but you cannot go the other direction and turn a 72dpi photo into a 300dpi photo.
10. If you dont understand item #9, you should hire a professional graphic designer to help you out.