Regardless of the type of assignment or the style of photography, every professional photographer will capture significantly more images than they'll submit. Selecting the very best images taken is an extremely important part of the process. Here I outline why this task, in the vast majority of cases, is best done by the photographer.
WHY YOU SHOULD ALLOW YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER TO SELECT THE IMAGES
You'll receive the best images (in terms of both technical quality and composition)
Analysing the photographs in their dedicated editing software, your photographer can accurately assess both image quality and what each image can become through post-production.
If you've requested to make the selection yourself, even if you possess such software, bear in mind that your photographer will have only sent you low-res preview files from which to make your selection therefore the above wouldn't be possible in any case.
You’ll receive the final images significantly faster
Selecting the images themselves, the photographers quoted turnaround time (TAT) will apply, meaning you'll receive the images by a specific date. On the other hand, the photographer will have to wait until you've communicated your selection to them before they can get started on the retouch, in which case specifying a deadline beforehand is impossible.
You will save yourself a great deal of time as the selection process can be incredibly time consuming.
Photographers take significantly more images than they submit, and this is especially the case for any assignment involving live spontaneous movement (events, sport, lifestyle etc). Whether your images are for personal or professional use, do you really want to dedicate so much time to doing a task that you have already paid a dedicated professional to to? This leads me to my next point…
You've paid for the service
The photographer's selection skills are a significant part of what you’re paying for, so take advantage of that!
IN WHAT SITUATION COULD THE CLIENT SELECT THE IMAGES?
When the client is able to make the selection together with the photographer, in person. Typically, this would be in the case of studio photography when, in addition, the client is looking for an extremely specific look from only several images and the amount of overall images taken is relatively low.
