Make a contact sheet before you edit

Start with small pictures

Place the photographs from one walk in a simple grid. Small previews reduce the pull of fine detail and make repeated compositions easier to spot. A document, photo-library grid or printed page is enough.

Choose relationships

Mark one wide view, one closer observation and one connecting frame. Notice whether the set contains variety in scale and direction. Three very similar good pictures can tell less than a more varied sequence.

Edit only the shortlist

Correct exposure and colour on the selected pictures, then compare them together again. Avoid applying a strong treatment to rescue a weak composition. Keep an untouched original so the decisions remain reversible.

Write a modest caption

Describe what is visible or what the exercise explored. Avoid inventing a story the photograph cannot support. A clear caption gives the reader a place to begin without telling them exactly what to feel.