Workflow
With goals of traveling more, possibly going back school, and someday getting married and starting a family [those last 2 are a loooong ways off :)] I’m really passionate about having a business that is easy to manage and run regardless of what stage of life I’m in. When I started out in photography I felt like I was swimming in an endless sea of products, software, and PS actions that would all magically improve my workflow and business. I was overwhelmed and honestly didn’t know where to start. The ones below are what I still use today — I love them because they’re easy to use and in the end have really saved me time.
Photo Mechanic … #mycullingmachine!
I used to cull through my images in Lightroom but waiting a few seconds to load each image became frustrating and time consuming. #firstworldproblems, I know. In PM all the images load instantly so I can easily color select the ones I want and move onto the next image without having to wait for it to come into focus. I can easily cull through an entire wedding in a little over an hour. Its also really easy to rename and sort images. I promise it will be the best $150 you spend to improve your workflow.
Lightroom 4.0 + Visco Film … #myeditingbesties!
I’ve used Lightroom from the beginning and have always been happy with it. The ability to batch edit all my weddings/shoots instead of editing each individual image has alone been well worth the investment. Honestly, I was skeptical of VSCO film when it first came out — everyone seemed to be using it and I hate going along with the latest industry trends but I got it anyways. Once I installed the presets and started using them it didn’t take long to realize why everyone was singing their praises. Their presets are super easy to use and very customizable to ensure you’re getting the look that you want. My favorite is Fuji 800z - … I don’t do much processing to my images but it always gives me the little pop I want.
Crash Plan … #onlinestorageFTW!
Finding a good online back-up system was really important to me. I narrowed it down to Crash Plan and Back-up Blaze but the thing that sold me on CP was that once it sees the files they stay backed-up even if they’re deleted from you desktop or drives. Back-up Blaze on the other hand has a 30 day retention so if it hasn’t seen files in 30 days it will take them off of your online back-up. For a girl who doesn’t work from her hard drives that often but still wants them backed-up online this was a no brainer for me. I’m a newbie with CP but love it so far!
Once I’m done editing my images I load them into PASS for client viewing. I started using this a few weeks ago and LOVE it so far.
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By no means am I an expert in workflows, editing software, or online back-up. I simply want to share a few things that have helped me along the way. Have questions or something that has immensely helped you in your business? Please share, I’d love to hear!
I don’t know what stirs your inner creativity but whenever I see photos with movement something inside me jumps. Whether its hair blowing in the wind, people walking, a dance floor with moving lights, a couple holding hands running through a field — it stirs something in me, every single time. Last week as I was browsing through Pinterest I came upon 
