Leave Out the Good Stuff by Andy Scheer

That principle served me well on my latest book project.

I'm assembling a photo gift book for my father-in-law, based on the 10-day, 2,700-mile trip we took this fall in his 1930 Ford Model A. I served as navigator, co-driver, and photographer. Along the way we explored five antique car museums.

At the end of our trip, thanks to digital photography and a pair of cameras, I'd shot some 2,700 photos.

How could I make the decisions to assemble a photo book? Simple. First eliminate the bad stuff: photos with poor composition, focus, or exposure. But that still left more than 2,600 photos. So I had to eliminate the good stuff.

My book would have no room for images that are merely good. Or that overlap with better photos.

Today as I saved the final draft, my photo book has 56 pages and 203 photos. Each earned its place by telling an essential part of the story in a distinctive way.

I expect my target reader will keep turning pages, all the way to the end.