--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm pretty selective. I generally edit…" description: "\"I'm pretty selective. I generally edit the contact sheets and then do work prints. Because I have my own lab and printers, I can afford the luxury of g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/herb-ritts-20522_bigs_i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-th_2400628.jpg" --- # I'm pretty selective. I generally edit the contact sheets… ![“I'm pretty selective. I generally edit the contact sheets and then do work prints. Because I have my own lab and printers, I can afford the luxury of going through the contact sheets for black-and-white, making up work prints, seeing them big, and honing them down.” quote by Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/herb-ritts-20522_bigs_i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-th_2400628.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/herb-ritts-20522_bigs_i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-th_2400628.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/herb-ritts-20522_bigs_i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-th_2400628.jpg) > “I'm pretty selective. I generally edit the contact sheets and then do work prints. Because I have my own lab and printers, I can afford the luxury of going through the contact sheets for black-and-white, making up work prints, seeing them big, and honing them down.” [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He carefully selects images, using contact sheets to choose black‑and‑white work prints, then refines them in his own lab. **In simple terms:** He picks and refines photos using his own lab. Key Takeaway Use contact sheets to choose and polish images. Themes photography selection process Mood focused analytical Type practical instructional When to use this quote - studio workflow - portrait shoots - exhibition prep Key Concepts curation printing lab work Questions to Reflect On - How does having a private lab change your creative decisions? - What criteria do you use when selecting contact sheets? A Different Perspective Requires time and resources; not all photographers have a personal lab. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black and white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) [Contact](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contact/) [Contact Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contact-sheets-1986677/) [I can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-can/) [Lab Printers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lab-printers-6011131/) [Labs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labs/) [Luxury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/luxury/) [Making up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-up/) [My own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-own/) [Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/print/) [Printer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/printer/) [Prints Lab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prints-lab-6011130/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Selective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/selective/) [Sheets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheets/) [Sheets Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sheets-work-6011132/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [Work Prints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-prints-6011129/) ## Related quotes > [Many photographers are consumed with the idea of making beautiful contact sheets. I am far more interested in making the best final print I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-sexton/many-photographers-are-consumed-with-the-idea-of-making-beautiful/) [John Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-sexton/) > [I like to be on my own when I look at my contact sheets, because I'm often disappointed... But as years go by we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-depardon/i-like-to-be-on-my-own-when-i-look-at-my-contact-sheets-because-i-m/) [Raymond Depardon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-depardon/) > [I have all my contact sheets filed, from the first photograph I took to the present day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccartney/i-have-all-my-contact-sheets-filed-from-the-first-photograph-i-took/) [Mary McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccartney/) > [“Having contact sheets for all sorts of episodes in your life seemed to me intriguing and desirable. So much of my own history is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beller/having-contact-sheets-for-all-sorts-of-episodes-in-your-life-seemed/) [Thomas Beller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beller/) > [Yes, we know more than ever before, and it's a wonder that we get to inhabit a world full of driverless cars and 3D…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pico-iyer/yes-we-know-more-than-ever-before-and-it-s-a-wonder-that-we-get-to/) [Pico Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pico-iyer/) > [Howbeit, though no scholar, I am not one of those who misuse the English speech, and, being foolishly led by the hasty custom of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/howbeit-though-no-scholar-i-am-not-one-of-those-who-misuse-the/) [Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/) > [It's called a pen. It's like a printer, hooked straight to my brain..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-dauten/it-s-called-a-pen-it-s-like-a-printer-hooked-straight-to-my-brain/) [Dale Dauten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-dauten/) > [“A printer can do the same thing and much more. He can preserve the Law, but he can also preserve the words of madmen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marek-halter/a-printer-can-do-the-same-thing-and-much-more-he-can-preserve-the-law/) [Marek Halter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marek-halter/) > [The idea was that we would decide the order when we looked at the proofs. I remember Brion Gysin saying "Well, why change it?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/the-idea-was-that-we-would-decide-the-order-when-we-looked-at-the/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [I have a good friend who's a very good printer. And he does a certain amount of printing for me. I do all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garry-winogrand/i-have-a-good-friend-who-s-a-very-good-printer-and-he-does-a-certain/) [Garry Winogrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garry-winogrand/) > [ Your printers have made but one blunder,Correct it instanter, and then for the thunder!We'll see in a jiffy if this Mr S\[pencer\]Has the ghost… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-printers-have-made-but-one-blunder-correct-it-instanter-and-then/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I work closely with the printer to get the final print the way I want it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buffy-sainte-marie/i-work-closely-with-the-printer-to-get-the-final-print-the-way-i-want/) [Buffy Sainte-Marie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buffy-sainte-marie/) > [Printers shall be liable to legal prosecution for printing and publishing false facts injurious to the party prosecuting: but they shall be under no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/printers-shall-be-liable-to-legal-prosecution-for-printing-and/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Learn how a 3D printer works. Get inspired. Make your own stuff. It is a wonderful time to be innovative. Connect things together. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bre-pettis/learn-how-a-3d-printer-works-get-inspired-make-your-own-stuff-it-is-a/) [Bre Pettis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bre-pettis/) > [Plenty of white space and generous line spacing,and don't make the type size too miserly. Then you will be assured of a product fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giambattista-bodoni/plenty-of-white-space-and-generous-line-spacing-and-don-t-make-the/) [Giambattista Bodoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giambattista-bodoni/) ## More by Herb Ritts > [And what excites me most is the type of public, the fact that the Parisian people have a broader cultural understanding than many Americans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/and-what-excites-me-most-is-the-type-of-public-the-fact-that-the/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [Within two hours of where I live, you have mountains and desert as location. I like the natural elements that abstract into light, texture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/within-two-hours-of-where-i-live-you-have-mountains-and-desert-as/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [To me it's just going for the moment that counts. Sometimes, I'll have all the elements there, and I like to play and push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/to-me-it-s-just-going-for-the-moment-that-counts-sometimes-i-ll-have/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [I abstract it in my photographs: I like large planes and spaces, areas of texture and light, like deserts or oceans or monumental places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-abstract-it-in-my-photographs-i-like-large-planes-and-spaces-areas/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [Many people who excel are self-taught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/many-people-who-excel-are-self-taught/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [What I particularly liked was that, coming from California and not being involved in the New York scene, I developed my personal way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/what-i-particularly-liked-was-that-coming-from-california-and-not/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [For me, the most important thing I learned was just honing my eye. I think I had a good eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/for-me-the-most-important-thing-i-learned-was-just-honing-my-eye-i/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [The education, the cultural awareness, is different in Europe, especially in France, from that in the United States. So I think the public will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/the-education-the-cultural-awareness-is-different-in-europe/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [I think a lot of the time these days people are so concerned about having the right camera and the right film and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-think-a-lot-of-the-time-these-days-people-are-so-concerned-about/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [I did grow up next door to Steve McQueen, who was a very famous movie star at the time, but as a kid it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-did-grow-up-next-door-to-steve-mcqueen-who-was-a-very-famous-movie/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [It's important to let your subjects be themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/it-s-important-to-let-your-subjects-be-themselves/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [Actually, when I first started dabbling in photography, I was still working for my parents as a salesman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/actually-when-i-first-started-dabbling-in-photography-i-was-still/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [I like form and shape and strength in pictures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-like-form-and-shape-and-strength-in-pictures/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [Being an American is about having the right to be who you are. Sometimes that doesn't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/being-an-american-is-about-having-the-right-to-be-who-you-are/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [I was an economics major, which I enjoyed because I had a good business sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-was-an-economics-major-which-i-enjoyed-because-i-had-a-good/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) [Explore all 30 Herb Ritts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. The idea that evangelism is coercive is nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/people-forget-that-there-is-a-big-difference-between-coercion-and/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I turn a lot of stuff down - big, big movies, the kind I wouldn't want to go to the cinema to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-fox/i-turn-a-lot-of-stuff-down-big-big-movies-the-kind-i-wouldn-t-want-to/) [Matthew Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-fox/) > [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/) [Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/) [Browse all 15,539 Bigs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm pretty selective. I generally edit the contact sheets and then do work prints. Because I have my own lab and printers, I can afford the luxury of going through the contact sheets for black-and-white, making up work prints, seeing them big, and honing them down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Herb Ritts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-the-contact-sheets-and-then-do/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bigs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-the-contact-sheets-and-then-do/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/herb-ritts-20522_bigs_i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-th_2400628.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/herb-ritts-20522_bigs_i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-th_2400628.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0fc/herb-ritts-20522_bigs_i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-th_2400628.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I'm pretty selective. I generally edit the contact sheets and then do work prints. Because I have my own lab…” — Herb Ritts", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Herb Ritts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I'm pretty selective. I generally edit...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-the-contact-sheets-and-then-do/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/i-m-pretty-selective-i-generally-edit-the-contact-sheets-and-then-do/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```