Workflow

Apr 28, 2011 · In Photo Tips · By Allison Carenza

I'm kinda a right brain person.  I go with the flow.  I throw things together at the last minute.  I use kitchen utensils for repairing the car when we don't have the right tool.  Ok I've never repaired the car, but you get the point.  I just like to think outside the box.  Scratch that, I like to live outside the box.  Which is why I probably love my job so much.  Having said that, there is a big part of a photography business that is so not right brain friendly.  The books, the taxes, the workflow.  Out of those 3, workflow is the least miserable, so I'll start there.

I am random, but I like to work fast, and be efficient.  This is probably not the best, but right now it's the best for me.  My pics go from camera to client in about a week to 2 weeks.  Today I'll just cover the computer part.

Step 1:  I take the pictures.

Step 2:  I download the pics to my computer in adobe bridge.  I have an AC2011 file that has each month in it.  I'm supposed to burn a CD each month at the end of the month and delete it from my computer, but yah I'm way behind.  In the month file, I have each shoot labeled with a date and family name.  So a shoot done today would be labeled like this.   AC2011/April/4-28-11 Moore

Step 3:  Once they are on the computer I import them into Lightroom where I process the RAW files.  Once I'm done I export  them back to the same file under edited.

AC2011/April/4-28-11 Moore/edited

Step 4:  I back up those edited files on my external hard drive which is set up in a similar way.  I then delete the RAW files.  Notice I have not cleared my card until they are backed up in a second place.

Step 5:  I do a quick run through the images in Bridge to see if any need photoshopping.  This step can add a lot of time if the images need a lot of work.

Step 6:  I upload a small preview to facebook and then the rest to my site for the clients to view.  Sometimes I do a blog, and sometimes I don't have time.

Step 7:  I email the clients the link and yay I'm done!

7 steps that take about 2 hours give or take from start to finish.  Slower sometimes because I daydream.  Being right brained can be so frustrating.

I hope some other random right brained peeps out there find this useful, please share with your photog friends.  If you have any questions don't hesitate to post them.

Much Love and Happy Shooting my friends!

No blog is complete without a pic.  My Papa on his 90th with my aunt Martha, and cousin Courtney.