06/09/2026
You’re a wildlife photographer and you come home with waaaay too many photos with today’s high frame rates.
How do you determine what to cull?
As a wildlife photographer and photography instructor, I’ve had some experience with too many shots. Here’s what works for me:
When one burst gives me dozens of identical images, I choose the three with the sharpest eyes. On my first pass, I tag anything that might be worth editing with a blue border (hit 9 in Lightroom), then go back through those for the best 3. I cull the rest.
If you were shooting for action, you don’t need the before or after shots, unless you might want to do a series at some point. Keep the 3 best before and afters, and all of the sharpest action shots.
Cull photos that you know you aren’t going to edit “someday,” especially if they’re boring, identical to an existing image, eyes aren’t crisp and clear, composition can’t be improved… there’s no sense in thinking that “someday,” you’ll turn a bad photo into a good one.
Storage devices have become ridiculously expensive. Don’t waste storage on photos you took that don’t thrill you. If you aren’t excited about showing someone, it’s not worth the space—with one exception—if it’s a sentimental shot, keep it. I still have my very first leopard shot. It’s truly awful, but it evokes the thrill and excitement I felt at that moment—and it was my FIRST. You can’t replace special moments.
I enjoy teaching people photography in the field, sharing tips, techniques and tricks that make your journey easier. I invite you to join me sometime!
