Photography: Not Taking Photos
Before I started photography, I thought it was just going to a location and taking photos and then editing a bit. After a few years of doing photography, my entire mindset has changed. The amount of time actually taking photos is very little compared to everything else.
So what's involved in photography besides going out and clicking the shutter?
Preparation:
Cleaning all the gear: I love my Rocket Air Blower, MagicFiber Clothes (The gray one can be used for adjusting white balance), and Lenspens. It's relaxing too.
Prepping gear: Charging batteries, replacing and formatting CFExpress/SD cards, replacing lens filters when needed, packing all equipment needed (and double-checking everything). For carrying, I use a Peak Design Backpack (I have the first version) and a Pelican case (which I’m looking to replace).
Location Scouting: It could be months before the shoot and planning to be at a specific location at a certain time of the year. Some of the best tools for scouting, Google Maps and TPE.
Subject Scouting/Research: Finding subjects to photograph can be difficult. For people, it’s important to do as much research to be prepared (particularly for events).
Prepping mindset: Depending if it's a new type of photography, you may take more time to get mentally prepared. Even if you've photographed similar things in the past, you still want to review and think about how you can improve this time around.
Taking photos
Post:
Upload/Backup Photos: You must ensure your photos are safe and ready to edit.
Culling/Editing: As someone who doesn’t do photography full-time, I try to cull and edit my photos within 24 hours of shooting. This usually means I'm editing when most people are sleeping, but it forces me to get it done (or else it may not get done at all). This can be tolling. This is probably the most time-consuming of the entire process. (For this, I use Photo Mechanic and Lightroom)
Organizing/Curating: I need to work on organizing photos better by spending time filling out keywords and creating titles. Curating the photos and where photos will be used can be consuming too. Creating my two annual photo albums would be much less effort if I organized throughout the year.
Exporting: The edited RAW photos have to be exported into more convenient formats like JPEGs. Luckily, Lightroom makes it easy along with SmugMug's Lightroom plugin. This can take a while, but I don't have to be actively watching my computer during exports.
For sports photography, this process is much quicker when I’m photographing for a wire or team. I caption photos and upload them between periods and immediately after the game. Sometimes, I edit and upload within seconds of a play. Learning this has greatly sped up my workflow in other types of photography as well.
Sharing: This includes sharing on social media. I love going through photos with Dr. Viv; it continues to be one of my favorite pastimes.
Every year I create two photobooks of my favorite photos (one of people and one of places). This allows me to see my photos printed and share it with people in ways that digital screens cannot.
Learning:
Learning about new tools and gear can be fun, but I'm constantly looking at photos to see how to improve. Sometimes, I’m critiquing my photos, and other times, I look at other photographers' work on Instagram/YouTube/Getty/Flickr/etc.
Photobooks: I combine two passions by visiting libraries to look at photobooks. Magazines tend to provide more modern photography.
Connecting with other photographers: I need to get better at this
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