Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Queens, New York

It’s a topic that has been discussed a million times, but just for my own sake I’ll say it again: editing is hard. It might be the most difficult thing we, as photographers, have to do. It’s a long process that starts before we even take our first picture and continues right up until we finally decide that the work is complete. And then, more than likely, you shuffle things around one more time for good measure.

I am constantly editing and re-editing my own work. If you’ve ever taken a look at my current work page, you might notice that it changes on a regular basis. That is something that I want to do less of, and so I’ve been holding back a bit on posting new work. My feelings about a particular image change over time—some images get stronger and some get weaker. Behind the scenes I am constantly shuffling things around, adding this one, dropping that one, checking to see what works together and what doesn’t.

There are usually at least a couple of photos from every shoot that are an obvious fit for the series I am working on. Most of the rest don’t work, for some reason or another. But then there are those images that occupy the middle ground—the not-so-obvious-ones—and this is where it gets tricky. Some of them might be good, but they don’t fit the storyline I have been working on. Do I change the story to fit the images? Do I put them away for another day? Some images might not grab me right away, but I know there is something in there that keeps me coming back. There are the photos that I love even though I know most people will hate them. And there are the images that I’m not crazy about, but I know other people will like them (my least favorite kind!).

The common knowledge is that you should only include your strongest photos in a portfolio. Strength is a relative term, though. How do I strike a balance between pleasing myself and pleasing others? How do I build a series that is accessible enough to get people interested, but deep enough to be worth a second look?

The photo above was taken at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel. It is one of the most beautiful and well kept secrets in New York City. I’ve been there before, but this time around everything feels fresh and new, and I have some new photos that I am very excited about.

Funny, littering isn’t on the list.

I’m feeling a strong pull toward color these days. Never one to do something the easy way, I developed this 4×5 negative at home in C-41.

I’ve uploaded a large version of this one, although it’s still only 1/4 of the size I scanned. I continue to be amazed by the amount of detail in 4×5 film.

By the way, if you’ve never been to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Preserve, you really do need to go. It’s the most peaceful and beautiful bit of New York City I’ve ever seen. It feels like a million miles away.