FAQ: Workflow

Lovely morning to you!  I decided it was time for a second round of FAQ’s…your support and encouragement in doing them was felt when I posted the first, so thank you!  But what I said then,  I will say again – I know I’m still new at this too.   But that puts me in a position to relate better with those photographers who are still newer than I.  I’m here because of help from others so I would love to try and pass that along.  Plus, I simply can’t reply to every email that comes through my inbox…so I hope that these FAQ posts will suffice as I really do appreciate when someone takes the time to drop me a note.

 Do you shoot in RAW, JPEG, or both?

I shoot only in RAW.  I know there are photographers who shoot in both, but I find that for my purposes, I don’t need JPEGS.  RAW allows for much more in post-processing, like tweaking the white balance.   The files are much larger than JPEGS so therefore you have more to work with, and still maintain an image with the best possible quality.

What editing software do you use?

I first upload my images using Photo Mechanic, and then take the files into Lightroom.  I looove Lightroom!  It works with RAW files and has the ability to catalogue and organize your images, and then export as JPEGS once you’re done editing.  I find the editing processed is helped greatly by doing so in Lightroom, rather than taking each image into Photoshop, plus the editing tools are awesome and easy to use.  You can create presets to speed up your workflow even more – I’ll use one that contains basic adjustments and then check over the images individually for any other tweaks.  And I mean tweaks – I strive to get every image right while in camera, and then maintain an image that doesn’t look too processed.  That’s just the look and feel I like :)  I’ll occasionally take images into Photoshop for further editing, but Photoshop is mainly used for blog prep on this computer.

How do you get your photos edited and posted so fast?

I admittedly laughed when I read this question simply because I ask others the same question!  I guess we’re always hoping to improve in this area, as it can overtake our life if we’re not careful.  I suppose, in my case, the above answer has a big part to play.  Also, when I book a wedding for instance, I make sure I have time in the days following to work on the photos straight away.  I aim to blog the images within the first few days.  I know that the bride and groom are excited to see their wedding photos and I’m just as excited to share the photos with them.  It helps that I only edit the images I plan to blog, and then once that their photos are posted, I go back and finish the rest.

Where do you get the white tins shown in this post?

I found them through Effectuality Inc where you can find them round or rectangular, silver or white.

If you have any other questions, feel free to comment below and I’ll do my best to answer in a future FAQ post!  I’ll end this off with a photo from a recent engagement shoot that will hit the blog tomorrow!  Love this couple :)