looking for better way to select images

[fmiller]

I always tell people that photography is like a meal where you eat dessert first -  after the pictures are taken is where the real work begins.

I've been thinking a lot of how I'd prefer to edit my photos (not 'edit' in the sense of 'adjust/modify' but making selections) and I was hoping one of you might have an idea how to accomplish this... I know my way around LR and am getting started in Capture One, if that helps.

The gist of what I'm after is a way to see a given batch of photos in a new context each time I edit, as a way of ultimately figuring out which images hold up to repeated edits.

I'm probably not going to explain it very well, but here goes.

First, I want to be able to randomize the order I see them in. Pulling an image out its context makes me see it differently.
Second, I want to be able to add ratings that are cumulative, rather than hierarchical.
Third, I want my ratings to be something I can hide from myself. The idea being that this gets me out of liking a photo just because I liked it before.

So it would go like this:

Let's say I shot 25 photos. In the first pass I decide that 1,3,5, and 15 are winners. So they would each get one star.

In the second pass, I decide that I like 1,3,5, and 17. They each get a star. Now 1,3, and 5 each have TWO stars. 15 and 17 have one.

And so on... until I get to a point where I can tally up the scores to see which ones I 'voted' for the most.

My goal is to get away from spending hours getting a photo just right, only to find that a week later I don't know why I gave it so much energy...

Any ideas?

OR

Is there a better place to ask?

Thanks!

[Rob C]

Very simple:

Kodak Transparency Viewer Model 3 with a Schneider loup.

You can take your pictures, lay 'em out, shuffle 'em around and make them into sub-divisions without a single click on anything.

The very best, quickest image viewing/selecting system ever invented. All it took to destroy it was a single vandal with a mathematical mindset and a view to the main chance.

One bath, a zillion babies.

Rob C

[BrownBear]

I used to face hundreds of images at a sitting with a fairly short timeline to sort and meet with the client (often next day).  Maybe it's a trick of my own brain, but I got in the habit of viewing images in reverse order. Somehow that "randomized" them enough that I did a better job.

Key though, was NOT to open individual image files on my first couple of passes through folder(s). Work from the thumbnails only, selecting only those with strongest comps, exposure and lighting without regard for detail. Those that stood out as thumbnails were usually the best and consequently would require the least repairs.  If thumbnail culling left important gaps in coverage, THEN I'd go back and open files from the areas with gaps and decide which to devote my time to rescue.  My goal was the best possible ARRAY of photos for a client from an event, process or facility. In that realm your entire presentation was only as good as your weakest photo- much the same as a gallery display where one weak image will drag down the whole show.

I only bring the world of assignment shooting into this because the same habits and processes have served me well in artistic shooting when identifying which images are worth my time to process, and which will drag down my show without a whole lot of Rx.