I'll warn you right now, this is geeky blog post. If this doesn't scare you, read on...
Workflow. The backbone of any professional photographer's day. Many moons ago life consisted of shooting film, processing it, editing selections and then filing - all these tasks involved physical contact with material things (chemicals, cabinets and that funny little place called the Post Office).
Today's darkroom is lean and mean. It's about processing power and efficiency. Apps, plug-ins and passwords - and a cloud! In 2013 your darkroom is your Mac. And good luck if can keep it down to just one.
Everybody is different. No two photographers work in the same way. But I am frequently asked by clients how I manage the process from creation and delivery. So here's a brief production overview, whether the commission is a three-day foreign trip or an hour of studio portraits…
On the job...
Regardless of the shoot content, all the photography originates in RAW format, recorded to several CF cards (compact flash). At the end of the shoot, but while still on-site, I download everything to a Macbook Air, still leaving the data on the CF cards. Two copies now exist of that day's work. For me, this is vital and it's the minimum I hold at all times.
A quick check of the material in Photo Mechanic (an extremely powerful software package for browsing large files), and then we're done.
At the office...
My workhorse back at base is a 2013 spec, RAM-tastic 27" iMac, with a well used and trusty Mac Pro as backup. The laptop is plugged in to the Thunderbolt port of the iMac and the files upload. Once the transfer is complete I immediately back-up the folder to an external 2TB G-Tech hard drive.
At this point I can erase the CF cards and also remove the files from the laptop, still leaving two copies; the copy on the main iMac and one on the external drive.
The RAWs are then loaded in Apple's Aperture editing software. This allows me to work on the set and as I progress, create 'versions' of the original, after I’ve completed tasks like colour correction and cropping, etc..
The great thing about Aperture is that regardless of the work I do on a file, the master always exists, so if I wish I have the security of going back to the original and starting over - or create a different type of version.
Any extra or significant work/changes can be exported to Photoshop CS6, with these changes then saved back into Aperture for archiving. Once the whole set is edited, I can prep the batch of files in any format the client demands (.jpg, .tiff, . psd) ready for the distribution.
Post edit...
There are still choices to be made. Some clients want their shoot on a USB flash drive some need the selection transferring via Dropbox. I also use WeTransfer, Box, and a variety of other digital media. Amusingly, almost nothing is posted. If the media needs handing over I'll do that during a catch-up drink or lunch.
My role is to fit in with people's preferences and solve the problem. I don’t believe it's for the client to adapt to me. I am constantly amazed how many photographers don't get this is a service industry. The tail absolutely does not wag the dog…
If you got this far and you're still awake - bravo. Welcome to my day...
