To ‘curate’ means choosing the photos you care about. To build your strength as a photographer, you must curate your work to only display the photos you care about.
Curate your photos because you care.
![Tokyo, 2017 #blackandred](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/black-red-3-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/black-red-bull-1325x2000.jpg)
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If you showed ALL your photos that you ever took, it would be highly impractical.
I encourage you to only show photos you care about, because the photos you care about are authentic to you. And the more authentic you are as a photographer, the more loyal the following you will build.
Furthermore, if you are sharing photos you care about, most likely you are going to be more innovative as a photographer– because you are showing your own personal taste and vision as a photographer, instead of seeking to just please others.
Below are some practical tips and ideas on how to better curate your work:
Categorize your photos after you’ve shot them
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/eric-kim-photography-digital-medium-format18-1-1500x2000.jpg)
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![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/lips-model-1333x2000.jpg)
One basic idea:
To curate your photos, look back at your work and choose the photos that fit the similar series or set.
For example, you can have a random assortment of photos. Go swimming through your old photos, and categorize them afterwards.
For example, you can see above is a curated set of my current favorite street portraits.
Aesthetic consistency
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/water-lettuce-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/snow-steps-2000x1336.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/south-coast-plaza-1325x2000.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/smile-creep-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/saint-laurent-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/sears-closing-street-photography-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/rolex-2000x1333.jpg)
Another simple idea:
Categorize your photos based on a consistent aesthetic.
For example you can see above are a set of photos shot high-contrast black and white.
Let your photos marinate
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/black-and-whtie-baloons-2000x1325.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/black-and-white-2000x1325.jpg)
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To let your photos ‘marinate‘ means:
Before deciding whether you like the photos or not, wait at least 1 year before making a critical judgement.
This is the problem: when we judge a photo too quickly after we’ve shot it, we cannot be objective.
For myself, curating my photos involves time. The longer the time elapses from the moment when I initially shot the photo and when I’m reviewing/judging them afterwards, the more objective I become.
Keep making new photos
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/0-shell-2000x1333.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
With curation (determining which photos you care about), allow yourself to keep shooting new photos.
![black and yellow American flag](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/0-american-flag-black-2000x1333.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
Review your new photos often, because it will show you how your visual tastes are changing/evolving.
Keep or ditch?
![Downtown LA, 2019](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/airpod-1333x2000.jpg?resize=1200%2C1800)
A simple way to curate your work is this:
When reviewing your photos that you shot recently, figure out which photos to ‘keep’ and which photos to ‘ditch’.
But how do you know whether you should keep or ditch a photo?
My suggestion:
Follow your gut.
If you look at the photo and you like looking at it, it is a good photo. Then keep the photo. If you don’t like looking at your photo, ditch it.
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/white-singapore-texture-2000x1333.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
When you ‘keep’ a photo, store it in some hard drive, or in Dropbox. For ‘ditched’ photos, allow yourself to delete them. I don’t encourage you to save all your photos.
With curating your work, it takes more skill to ditch a photo than to keep a photo.
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/red-yellow-texture-2000x1333.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
And also:
When in doubt, ditch.
If you need assistance keeping/ditching your photos, upload them to arsbeta.com
The small thumbnail test
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/photo-thumbnails-2000x1117.png?resize=1200%2C670)
It is often difficult to ascertain whether a photo is good or not.
A simple trick:
Look at your photos as small thumbnails, and only keep photos which you think look as good small thumbnails.
This is my thought:
If a photo works well as a small thumbnail, it will most likely work well as a full-resolution (or full-screen) image.
The benefit of curating our photos by looking at them as small thumbnails is that:
- We can look through our photos quicker and more effectively
- We can quickly determine the composition of our photos
- We can think of fun ways to collage/combine our photos
For example below is just a quick selection of photos I chose from small thumbnails and created a ‘Tiled Gallery’ in WordPress, and I like it– because I can quickly see all my photos, and all of them look good to me:
![Downtown LA, 2019](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/E4CD62DA-ABDA-4170-9E1F-A1A9B2BCD7D6-1333x2000.jpeg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/xf10-selfie-eric-2000x1333.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/water-lily-water-drops-5-2000x1337.jpg)
![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/palm-tree-1333x2000.jpg)
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/singapore-yellow-rust-2000x1337.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/red-cushion-2000x1333.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/pizz-2000x1333.jpg)
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![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/golden-leaf-singapore-2000x1337.jpg)
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![](https://i1.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/gold-and-blue-2000x1333.jpg)
![](https://i2.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/gate-2000x1500.jpg)
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Printing a photo book
When Cindy suggested that I should print SUITS, I had to look at all my photos of suits, and I had to determine which photos I wanted to keep in the book.
Some tips on how I was able to choose photos for the book:
- Know that a photo book will last forever, so ask yourself: “Will I still like this photo 10 years from now?”
- Generally speaking, if your photo is older and you still like it– it is a strong photo.
- When sequencing your photos in the book, just follow your gut. Photo-sequencing is more like poetry than science.
- Work with a creative collaborator who can input feedback (someone you trust, and someone you can bounce ideas off of)
- Use Adobe InDesign to design your photo book (like Cindy recently did with HAPTIC MAGAZINE).
Lisbon
Conclusion
![San Francisco, 2018](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/red-green-night-2000x1333.jpg?resize=1200%2C800)
With curating your work, always ask yourself:
Do I care about this photo?
You can care for the photo based on:
- Whether you like the aesthetics (the color, the tones, the look of the photo)
- Whether the photo is a meaningful image (whether it is of your loved one, or someone close to you)
- You can shoot a bunch of random photos and categorize them afterwards, or you can figure out a general project-idea, and loosely shoot according to it. I generally recommend sticking with the same camera and lens for at least a year — to have a consistent look and aesthetic to your photos.
- Study photo books and projects you like, and try to emulate them.
- Don’t worry whether others will like the photo or not; only pick photos YOU like!
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/black-and-white-photos-curate-2000x567.png?resize=1200%2C340)
SHOOT ON!
ERIC
Discover Your Unique Voice in Photography at ERIC KIM WORKSHOP >