Categorizing Photos
While looking through the selects from daily photos and travel, I find myself gravitating towards categorizing photos with an intention of forming them into separate portfolios. In looking through the volume of photos, I’ve boiled the subjects down into 3 primary buckets. First, I photograph the outdoors often. This has been a continued theme for over a decade so I think there is enough strong work to actually have something to say. Second, I take a high volume of photos related to my job at Kettl Tea so there is a nice story forming around Japanese tea. Third, I travel often so I have a large volume of photos that I think have a distinct style no matter where they’ve been taken. Why is categorization important? The categories help define the subject matter that I am passionate about and set expectations around what work I typically produce. I wish I did a better job of categorization when I was younger as this would have helped market myself as a photographer to the right potential clients.
“I wish I did a better job of categorization when I was younger”
Categorization is the basis of editing, organizing photos into a set or larger volume that tells a story. The challenge of categorization that trips me up is the overlap, which there often seems to be more than you think. For example, the above photo, one of my personal favorites, can fit into travel and the outdoors. I find the best way to decide is to place the photo in both categories and see how it fits with the rest of the photos. Does it amplify the story I’m trying to tell? Below is a set of photos that all relate to Kettl and Japanese tea. From the products, to the fields, to the partnerships, there is a large story that needs to be edited together but first everything needs to be categorized together.
As I start down this journey of categorizing everything, I plan to keep updating the learnings here. Sharing the process, highlighting the challenges, and showcasing the end result will be great reference for myself so I’ll share as I go.