Photographer Workflow Tips
This article helps wedding and event photographers maximize efficiencies and improve their workflow.
I’ve been a wedding photographer and event photographer since 2004 and over the years, I’ve worked nonstop maximizing efficiency in my business. And as part of that work, I’ve developed industrial-strength workflow processes.
Those processes help make sure that I’m incredibly organized and that the wedding photographs I create are safe from every real or imagined disaster. I hope this information can help you too.
Sharing is Caring
In recent years, I’ve seen many photographers share problems or horror stories related to memory cards, files, storage, and workflow.
Rather than repeatedly offer the same advice on social networks like Facebook or Twitter, I decided to share my thoughts and experiences in this detailed article on managing files and developing a solid wedding workflow. I hope you find this information helpful!
Size Matters
I always use high-capacity camera memory cards.
Based on anecdotal evidence and common sense, memory cards are in the most danger when they're removed during coverage. When the cards are removed from cameras during an event, there's a risk of lost or misplaced cards.
Photographers also risk bent pins in camera slots for CF card cameras. It's far less likely that a memory card will fail due to a technical error with the card or camera.
Some photographers argue that you're putting all of your eggs in one basket when you use large camera storage cards.
To help mitigate memory card or camera failure, make sure your camera is writing identical RAW copies to both memory cards simultaneously. This automatic insurance ensures that a backup is always available for every image.
This suggestion presumes that you're using a camera that can write to two cards simultaneously. Personally, I refuse to use any wedding camera that doesn’t offer dual card capability.
As a further step to prevent loss, I never remove the memory cards from cameras outside of my home studio. My memory cards are inserted in my cameras before I leave my office and they're only removed when I’m back in my office after the event.
My second photographer uses the cards I provide, removing them from an indestructible Pelican Memory Card Case when we arrive at the first event location. They then return those cards to that same memory card case at the end of the event.
Post-Wedding Workflow
After returning to my office, I remove one 128GB memory card from each of my two cameras and place them in my card reader. I also remove my additional photographer’s 64GB memory cards from the Pelican Memory Card Case. I then place those cards my Lexar Professional Workflow HR1 Four-Bay USB 3.0 Reader Hub.
After the backup is complete, I place those cards from each of my cameras and the second photographer cameras in a secure cabinet and don’t reuse them until at least a week after the finished job is delivered to the client. This step makes sure that I always have a full, untouched set of the original RAW files from the event.
I perform the import for up to four cards simultaneously. I use Photo Mechanic to perform this import because Adobe Lightroom doesn’t yet have a straightforward way to easily import multiple cards simultaneously.
During the import and to further reduce the risk of data loss, every RAW file is copied to both my local SSD hard drive and my separate RAID 6 QNAP Network Attached Storage (NAS) array simultaneously. After this point, all work on the files is continued on the SSD drive while the files on the NAS remain untouched for several months until I periodically purge import backups.
When the download is complete, I’ll take a quick look at the imported files, and make sure that the getting ready, ceremony, family photos, and reception traditions are all there. I’ll also sometimes remove black frames or obvious OOF images that I happen to notice.
RAID Explained
If you’re not familiar with network terminology, RAID (redundant array of independent disks) allows photographers to store the same information on multiple hard disks inside a single enclosure. This is useful because it this storage method can help protect your photographs if one of the hard drives in your enclosure fails.
There are many types of RAID but the most common are RAID5 and RAID6. Most people use RAID5 because that method typically offers more storage space. The benefit of RAID 5 is that one hard drive can fail in the enclosure and none of your data will be lost. RAID6 means that TWO hard drives can fail in your enclosure and no data is lost.
There are also extra software checks in a RAID6 configuration that aren’t present in a RAID5. Those extra checks can help prevent corrupted files.
For anyone risk averse, I recommend RAID6.
I've used RAID enclosures from several manufacturers, but I've settled on QNAP as my preferred hardware supplier. Their read/write performance and hardware typically beat all similarly priced hardware. As an additional benefit, the software they use to setup and manage the system is a breeze to use. Other people like Synology. Comparing QNAP to Synology is like comparing Nikon to Canon. They both do splendid work in the right hands.
As a final note, if you're looking at a NAS device where you supply your own hard drives, make sure you don't purchase cheap OEM hard drives. Make sure you use the one of the specific drives recommended by the NAS manufacturer. Otherwise you might be looking at a ton of headaches down the road.
Filename Recommendations
I’ve developed some well-considered filename suggestions that may work well for you. When I import images, I've configured my import software rename all of my files automatically. Those renaming settings are usually found in the Import dialog of whatever software you use. The structure I use is:
rob-greer-YYMMDD-HHMMSS
Files from additional photographers use the same conventions, but I append a letter to their filenames (e.g. rob-greer-YYMMDD-HHMMSSB). There are several great advantages to using these sequential filenames in your workflow.
First, because my name is in the filename, my name is more likely to stay with the image. Even if the copyright EXIF is stripped by other software, this highly visible reminder will remain with the image.
Second, because of the letter appended to the filename, I can easily tell which photos are mine and which photos were taken by additional photographers.
Third, because the filenames aren’t sequential (e.g. 001, 002, 003) if I need to remove one of the images from the delivered set, renaming the set to ensure a sequence without gaps isn’t necessary.
Fourth, because filenames are all time stamped, the default image sort always presents the images chronologically regardless of the photographer who captured the image. My additional photographers and I always use the same iPhone app (Emerald Time) to time synchronize our cameras before every event to ensure that the sequence is always perfect.
Fifth, the time stamp is sometimes useful for easily showing clients when certain things happened (or didn’t happen) at their event.
Long-Term Storage Folder Structure
The naming system I use for long-term file storage serves me well. I’ve been using this method for more than a decade and it works great. At the top level of my photography directory, I have folders named:
- Commercial
- Events
- Nature
- Other
- Personal
- Portfolio
- Portraits
- Weddings
Under the Weddings folder, I create folders named according to the year the wedding was photographed. For example:
- 2004
- 2005
- 2006
- …
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
- 2019
- 2020
Under each year, I have folders titled with the first and last name of each couple (e.g. Sally Smith & Dick Johnson). When couples aren't same-sex, female clients are listed first.
- Sally Smith & Dick Johnson
- Jane Doe & Karen Smith
- Bob Jones & Bill Jackson
In each of the named folders, I include subfolders titled Engagement and Wedding.
- Engagement
- Wedding
I store RAW and XMP files in the root of the Engagement and Wedding folders. I store the exported JPGs in a subfolder titled Large. If the client has selected their favorite photos, I include copies of those photos in a folder titled Client Favorites. If retouched JPG files exist, then those are stored in a folder titled Retouched. If the client is purchasing an album, then I also have a folder titled Album with all applicable album files.
- Album
- Client Favorites
- Large
- Retouched
I’ve always felt that storage space is inexpensive. And that’s one of the reasons why I’ve kept all the RAW and JPG files from every wedding I’ve photographed since 2004.
Outsourced Editing
Several years ago, I started outsourcing the culling and correction for all weddings to Lavalu. Some photographers claim that they could never allow someone else to cull their images. Or that nobody else is qualified to correct their photos. Or that they can do it more quickly than outsourcing. Or that it was too expensive.
And I used to say all those things too. Until I decided to remove the one thing from my business workflow that I liked least of all. And it also happened to be the one thing that was keeping me from doing other work that was far more profitable.
That decision not only made my life better, but it also gave me more time to grow my business. Today, the individual editor assigned to me does a better job culling and correcting my work that I ever did on my own. Lavalu has set me free.
As of this writing, their fees for culling are $0.07 per image, image corrections are $0.26 per image, cropping is $0.10 per image (when required), and retouching is also available for $55 per hour. If you’re a high-volume studio, reduced fees may apply.
One of the great differentiators for Lavalu is that you’re always assigned the same editor. And even better, that editor is based in the United States.
If you're considering moving to outsourced editing and you're new to Lavalu, just mention the code RobSentMe and they'll hook you up with a VIP onboarding experience. You'll receive a one-on-one workflow consultation with the owner of Lavalu, Mike Connell. You'll also receive a minimum of $50 in customized discounts on any of the services you might like to try.
The one last thing I should mention about working with any editing service is that you and your editor may need to work back and forth through several jobs before they're 100% dialed in to your preferred style. It was like that for me and Lavalu and it may be like that for you too. Have patience during that stage and you'll see amazing results.
Uploading Files
After I finish download the files to my local computer, I start uploading the RAW files to Lavalu. It can take me about a day to upload 3000 to 5000 RAW photos (my typical job).
Lavalu supports and recommends uploading DNGs or Smart Previews, but I prefer to upload RAWs because this method also allows me to have a short-term online backup of my entire RAW set from the wedding. This method also removes a few extra steps from my upload workflow.
Editor Instructions
After the upload is complete, I complete an online form and ask Lavalu to cull, crop, and correct approximately 100 photos per hour of coverage. But that number is just a guideline for my editor. Sometimes the number of selected files is lower than my request and sometimes they are higher than my request.
This is because the editor uses their best judgment to select the appropriate amount based on how many unique and important images were captured at the event. In other words, I leave it to the editor to decide how well I did on a job and then select accordingly.
Job Complete
For most clients, Lavalu usually finishes their culling and corrections in about 5 business days. If you're sending them files for corrections only, then it only takes 2 to 4 business days.
Once Lavalu sends me a notification that they’re done with my files, I download and copy the XMP files they provide to my working wedding folder. Once that’s done, I then import the entire job into Lightroom.
Once the files are imported, I filter the files to only show those images that have been selected by my Lavalu editor. I then I render 1:1 previews on those selected files. The 1:1 preview rendering can take several hours of computer time, so I find other work to do while that process takes place.
Once the previews are rendered, I check the entire job in the grid view, zooming into certain photos that I think need a careful look. For most weddings, I find anywhere from 3 to 5 files that were selected and included by my Lavalu editor, but that don’t meet my minimum standards.
During this review, I’ll also see one or two files that need a modification to the crop. Otherwise, it’s very rare that I’ll make any other adjustments to the photos.
As an aside, every few weddings I’ll think that Lavalu didn’t include a photo in the selection that they should have selected. With that in mind, I’ll review the uncorrected RAW files looking for those “missing” images.
Without fail, I’ll find that I was mistaken in my assumption and I’ll see that my editor had already picked the best example for that moment. And for that 10th time when the photo I wanted wasn’t selected, I’ll simply add it back to the main set. However, to be honest, I seriously doubt that my clients would miss the photo in question.
Exporting
I’ve spent countless hours resizing images, comparing file sizes, and evaluating image quality. I’ve settled on exporting JPGs from the corrected RAW files at 84% quality using Adobe Lightroom. From my testing, using a higher quality setting isn’t necessary on the export.
If you choose a higher quality setting, you won’t be able to tell a difference in image quality and you’ll be creating images with unnecessarily large file sizes. Those larger file sizes increase both your long-term storage needs and your upload/download times. For big results, make this change to your workflow today.
Online Proofing
Once the export is complete, I upload the JPG files to my online proofing system, ShootProof. In 2017, I switched to ShootProof after spending 10 years with SmugMug. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. If you’re thinking about switching too, you can save 25% on your first year by using the code GREER.
After the upload to ShootProof is complete, I send the client an email letting them know that their wedding photos are ready to view. The client can then download all the images from their wedding using the download code I provide. The photos then remain online indefinitely as a long-term off-site backup.
Long-Term Local Backup
As the last step, I copy the RAW and JPG files from my SSD local drive to a local QNAP NAS server for long-term archival backup. And to make sure there’s a backup of my backup, I have two identical QNAP NAS servers running RAID6. With that configuration, the primary QNAP NAS is periodically backed up to my backup QNAP NAS. I also periodically copy my data to external hard drives that I rotate and store those drives offsite using a
Final Thoughts
That's it. That's a whole wedding deliverable for me. Although this description may appear complex and lengthy, my computer is doing most of this work in the background while I’m doing other things—like working on my business.
To help put this workflow in perspective for you, my total active time invested in this workflow is about an hour for each wedding—and that’s from start to finish.
Would you like to spend less than an hour working on your wedding files? Yes, please!