How I Choose a Photo to Sell

Written by Audrey Cramer Photography
Our mission is to provide you with professional quality landscape photos and prints (matted and framed for your convenience) which keep memories of your travels alive or which enhance your marketing and feature your products/services at their best for your customers.
  • 3 mins read
  1. How I Choose a Landscape Photo Location
  2. How I Choose a Photo to Sell
  3. My Mental Process Before Clicking the Shutter
  4. My Entire Photo Process From Start to Finish
PinLinkedInPrint

It’s time to pull back the curtain.  Have you ever wondered how I choose which photos go up for sale?  Well, wonder no more!  I’m about to break it down for you in 3 steps!  So, here’s how I choose a photo to sell.

1. Culling

First, I come back from a photo shoot with lots of photos.  Not all the photos I have are worth using.  I must cull out the best ones.  Culling takes time and effort.  I must look at every photo I took.  Then, I must evaluate its potential as a final processed image.  Many times, I can do this almost immediately.  I make a list of the photos worth examining closer and bring them into Lightroom for further examination and work.

Raw unprocessed photograph of Bryce Canyon National Park Utah
Accept
Photograph of pretty landscape scenery in autumn which was not photogenic
Reject

2. Processing

Next, after pulling out the photos which hold the most promise, I process them up.  I make them look their best given what I have to work with.  Other photos get culled during this process.  Sometimes a photo looks promising in raw but, for one reason or another, doesn’t work out when processed.  So, I remove these photos from consideration.  They often remain behind.  However, occasionally, I can bring one of them out for show once I figure out how to process it up to my satisfaction.  I cannot emphasize enough just how rare this is.  I believe I’ve only recovered a handful of previously rejected photos.

Fine art landscape photograph of the Idaho Falls waterfall with logs, rocks, and autumn leaves by Cramer Imaging
Accept
Photograph of a pretty rural scene in autumn which was not photogenic
Reject

3. Selecting

Lastly, once I’ve figured out which photos are worth showing off, I might take extra notice of a photo (or even more than 1 photo) which really stand(s) out to me.  It surprises me and makes me glad I decided to stick with landscape photography.  I feel like I’m looking at something another professional landscape photographer created.  That’s when I know I will put a photo up for sale.  Please keep in mind that each photo I choose to sell is exceptional to me.  You may not agree.  That’s the nature of art.  Still, I make a point of only selling the best of the best.

Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of fiery clouds over the Tropic Reservoir in Utah
Sell
Cramer Imaging's fine art landscape photograph of an evening view down into a forested valley at sunset
Don’t Sell

Conclusion

So, in conclusion, I make some snap judgements about which photo(s) I choose to sell.  It it works for me, then I consider it.  If not, it stays in the reject bin.  Thanks to art being so subjective in nature, I can only tell or show what appeals to me.  You might have different taste in landscape photography.  However, I only offer my very best landscape photos for sale.