This is more of an overall workflow post, but it does involve Lightroom. I first tried Lightroom while it was in beta, and I hated it. I tried it again a little while later, and I hated it again. Finally, I tried it again, and I loved it. I guess 3 times is a charm.
My workflow these days works like so:
1. sych all cameras
2. shoot wedding, and download all cards to main hd
3. back up all images to 2 ext hd’s
4. open images in photomechanic and edit in
5. create a folder called ‘delete’ and all those not edited in go into this folder
6. import the selections into lightroom
7. when importing, create a recipe to be applied to the images, i use a auto exp with a high contrast bump
8. go through the images very quickly making minor adjustments, and some bw’s as i go
9. export the images
10. blog, slideshows, and upload to the online galleries
11. back up the entire working folder to the ext hd’s
This process takes me about a day, actually, it’s only about 4 or 5 hours of actual working hours. But, there is a lot of time wasted during importing, exporting, and wating for the gallery uploads.
Workflow should be efficient and quick, and in my opinion, proofs are proofs. Over and over, I hear too many photographers spending 80 hours or something doing work on their images. Ridiculous. There is no need to be a perfectionist. Good enough is good enough. You can perfect the images on the prints and albums that are ordered.
Spend your time where it counts most.
Cheers,
Jerry Frazier
Los Angeles Wedding Photographer
http://www.jerryfrazierphotography.com
Tags: Digital Darkroom, Editing, Jerry Frazier Photography, Lightroom, Los Angeles Wedding Photography, Orange County Wedding Photography, Photomechanic, Photoshop, Workflow
