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THE ANSWER MAN:
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I've
been shooting digital for the past eight years, which has definitely
made my photography more successful and profitable. Traveling with
camera gear, though, can be an anxious experience at best, and this
has been amplified with the introduction of digital to the photographer's
shooting arsenal. To take advantage of digital's tremendous learnng
potential when on the road, you need a road-warrior workflow!
Workflow Starts In The Camera
Digital workflow starts when you depress the shutter release. The better the job you do when you depress the shutter release, the less you'll have to do when it comes to filing your images. Another huge variable that can ease or complicate your workflow is the file format you've selected to capture your images.
The basic framework of good light, exposure and sharpness is key
to any photograph. With digital, you have to understand the qualities
of light--contrast, direction and the like-- as well as its color
temperature. Setting your camera to the correct white balance for
the color temperature makes your workflow just that much easier.
If you are like me and shoot both RAW and JPEG files, setting the correct white balance is essential. When shooting JPEGS, your camera does a lot of the work for you as it writes the file you've captured to the memory card. The white balance you've selected is used in processing that image. Getting it right when you depress the shutter release saves you lots of time later on.
Many opt for capturing RAW files. This type of file records all
the sensor information exactly and writes it to the memory card without
any in-camera processing. These RAW files require you to post-process
them in the computer before creating the final file. If you've captured
1,000 or more images in a day, that's a lot of work. That's just
part of the reason why on occasion, depending on the subject or assignment,
I capture files using the highest-quality JPEG as all this work
is done for me in-camera per my instructions.
The decision you make at the camera will directly affect your workflow. You need to do some homework and experimentation to determine what works best for you. That's what I consider the fun of digital photography.
At The End Of The Day
It's been another excellent day of shooting, and I've returned with a number of cards filled with images. It's great to be back in the room after a long day out. Dinner was good, but now it's time to get to work, and the night is always too short. The first thing I do is get the laptop out, powered up and ready to work. I call up my favorite program and load the first memory card from the day's shoot.
Digital has greatly impoved my photography for one specific reason: I instantly can see what I've done right or wrong. Looking at the day's images that night is vitally important to me for that reason. No matter how tired I am, I go through my images from the day (which is why I always bring my laptop, even if I'm camping). If for no other reason, I always look at the last images taken that day to make sure I haven't picked up some dust on my sensor.
With the first card now uploaded, the second one is inserted. I have several
cards in a wallet and those cards that are full from the day's shooting are
turned around in the wallet pockets, so I can see the back label and know they're
the ones to be uploaded. This makes it easier when shooting as I know which
cards are full or empty.
While the photos are being copied from my cards to the computer, I clean my gear and recharge my batteries. Shortly later, all the images are uploaded in the laptop, the camera gear is cleaned. Now for the fun.
Working The Files
There's nothing more enjoyable or rewarding than seeing the great images you just captured! Of course, that's if you captured any. Learning from and improving on your images requires you to objectively look at them for both technical and aesthetic qualities. You've got to recognize the great ones when you capture them. This is the most important aspect of digital editing that many photographers don't incorporate into their workflow.
No matter what software program you use to edit your images, thoroughly knowing
your program makes a big difference in making short order of editing your day's
shooting. I edit my images sequentially, starting with the first image captured.
For this reason, I make sure I have the date and time properly set and current
in my cameras. I prefer editing this way (again, looking for the good and
bad) because I can see the progression of my images, which often translates
to my progression of improving on a subject. It's all about learning for me.
Using a laptop with an excellent monitor is a must in this process. I need the confidence to delete an image based on what I'm seeing. I don't delete images on the fly in the camera because the camera's monitor is unreliable when it comes to judging sharpness, color and exposure. This can't be the case with your laptop monitor.
As fast as I can click, I advance through the images. If an image isn't sharp,
then I delete it right then (if I make a mistake, I can reclaim the file from
the computer's trash can). I have the image filling 90% of my monitor, so
it's obvious if an image is sharp. If I question an image's sharpness, I magnify
the photo to double-check my possibly tired eyes. I click as fast as I can
because the sharp images "pop" compared to those that aren't sharp,
making it even esaier to see the out-of-focus images.
Those images that I really like, those that are one-of-a-kind, I proirity-tag. This is important because when I get back to the office and a year goes by, I can easily find the few special images with a click rather than having to scan the whole file. Once I've gone through all of the day's images, I file them into the appropriate folders.
Taking It Home
The last part of field workflow is getting all those great images back home.
There are a number of options; the most common is burning CD's. Instead, I
like to use what I have at hand, my laptop, tagged images and Compact Flash
cards. I have three options to make sure I get my images home safely. Obviously,
the first is the laptop hard drive. Knock on wood, my Dell has never let me
down, so getting my images home has been easy. But you shouldn't count on
that. Another excellent option for me has been portable external hard drives
by Western Digital. They're plug and play using USB ports. You can drop these
hard drives from six feet and they keep on working. I connect it to my computer
via the USB port and copy my files onto it.
It's easy to copy images from your hard drive to memory cards too. There are times, though, when I come back from a project, and I have more images on my hard drive than I have room for on my Compact Flash cards--not a problem as my special images were tagged. I can copy just my tagged images to my cards.
Digital workflow can seem like an overwhelming process when first starting out. It can get complicated and worrisome when you're traveling and you have great images to get home safely. You can make it as simple or complicated as you want while still returning with the same images--it's up to you.
Remember to be a photographer and capture those great images just like you've
always done. Follow through at the camera to get it right from the start,
and capture images using the file format that works best for your needs. Finally,
find the software program that best fits your personality and learn it so you
can edit quickly and surely. By following this simple workflow formula, you
can come home with great images and continue the process of learning and improving
your photography.
As always, you can contact me at ijschneller@msn.com.
Your comments and questions are always welcome.
