[zzeitg]

It's your PP routine I'm asking about:


Where do you store your photos?


How do you sort them?


EDIT: Do you add lens information into Exif (in case of manual lenses)?


How do you process them?


Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG?


How do you backup?


Do you arrange prints?


(I have to say that the amount of photos (especially unprocessed photos) in my computer is growing (and chaos is growing in direct proportion ) and so far I did not find any proper system. That's why I'm asking for your tips and hints.)

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Last edited by zzeitg; 03-07-2016 at 12:02 PM.

[ffking]

Where do you store your photos? - on two separate external hard-drives


How do you sort them? copy each folder (if possible) on the day it's made. File under year, month, day. Because I upload to Flickr quite a bit, I can use that to find the date pictures were taken


How do you process them? Lightroom


Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG? Yes - because it's Lightroom, it leaves the RAW's untouched - so I save JPEGs in a different folder.


How do you backup? At the start, as mentioned - I transfer images to two external hard drives. JPEGs I transfer leass frequently, but the best ones are backed up by uplaoding to Flickr


Do you arrange prints? not usually

[drypenn]

It's your PP routine I'm asking about:


Where do you store your photos? Computer's HD automatically backed up by Apple's Time Capsule to an NAS


How do you sort them? I just dump them into a dated folder. Once inside the Lightroom, I tagged them with keywords for sorting.


How do you process them? Lightroom


Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG? RAW shooter, until recently with GR. GR's processing is quite good.

How do you backup? Apple backs up everything in my hard disk per hour automatically.


Do you arrange prints? Sometimes.


The key in my sorting is the use of keywords. I anticipated that my collection will grow, and sorting them with keywords may allow me in the future to easily seek a picture. I can forget how I sorted them, but I don't think I'll ever forget the keywords, e.g. <name of my daughter>, <stage play>

[forensicscientist]

It's your PP routine I'm asking about:


Where do you store your photos?


How do you sort them?


How do you process them?


Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG?


How do you backup?


Do you arrange prints?


(I have to say that the amount of photos (especially unprocessed photos) in my computer is growing (and chaos is growing in direct proportion ) and so far I did not find any proper system. That's why I'm asking for your tips and hints.)

Storage: I store all photo's on my primary data drive E. Then back up to F immediately...finally back up to a portable USB drive that I store off site...just in case tragedy or theft of the PC happens. This way I have all my files elsewhere....

Sort: I create a folder for the year. All photos for 2016 are stored in 2016....and then by sub-folders with the name of the event: Christmas, Easter, Vacation to....., you get the idea.

Raw and Jpeg: YES...always keep the original file...I consider that my 'negative'. all processed images are renamed...

Backup: see storage....they go hand in hand for me...

Prints: I send prints to the local place..right now that is walmart for quick photos...and for larger prints I've used a variety of different places. So far so good....

[aurele]

Where do you store your photos?

on a computer with a RAID system to have some redundancy.

How do you sort them?

Folder with "Year - month - day - what is inside, say a climbing day, portrait session with whom ..."

How do you process them?

First run : choose what to keep, what to delete. like all the blury ones, test shots, impossible to recover.

Second run : process the easy ones

Third run : process the rest

two days later : check again the whole folder to see if you still like what you did about the PP.

Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG?

Shoot Raw only. No jpeg.

After PP i keep both usualy.

How do you backup?

I do use a RAID system (never know if it's 1 or 0) with 2 hard drive.

Do you arrange prints?

I often do prints, every 3 month max i do spend like 200€☺ for prints, no mater the size.

[The Squirrel Mafia]

Where do you store your photos?
In Windows I place them into the "Pictures" folder.


How do you sort them?
I make a new folder in the "Pictures" folder with a date (Y-M-D) & title of it. Like "2016-03-07 Random Photos". I place all the jpegs inside the folder & also make another folder in there called "DNG" & place the RAW files in there.


How do you process them?
Once I go through the jpegs & figure out which photos I want to process, I go to the "DNG" folder & open up the RAW files in RawTherapee & start messing with them. I can do this from either Windows or Linux.


Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG?
Yes. I shoot RAW+. This way I have a jpeg & RAW file to compare.


How do you backup?
I basically use my machine for everything, but I have a RAID 1 Debian server with 2TB of storage that I backup to once a week. I only use it as an immediate backup just in case my PC fails. Then I "tarball" the server to an external drive once a month & I take that external hard drive to my parents house & swap it out for another external hard drive that I leave there. That's a mirrored server & 2 external hard drives. One can never have enough!


Do you arrange prints?
Yes. Sometimes from Adorama or other places that I use online. I also have access to large format printers, but the prints that I get are not as good as the ones that I get online.

[jatrax]

Where do you store your photos? How do you sort them? How do you process them? Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG? How do you backup? Do you arrange prints?
Import into Lightroom
-Lightroom:
- Copies the files to disk into directories by date
- Renames the files to "yyyy.mm.dd@hh.mm.ss"
- Adds basic keywords
- Adds copyright info
- Applies a basic develop preset
- Makes a second copy on external drive

Photos are stored on the NAS server.

Sorting consists of going through and picking the keeper from each group, then adding it to a collection indicating what it will be used for. Anything not kept gets an 'x'.
- Collections: RF stock, RM stock, Fine Art, Personal
Go through the collections:
- Develop and mark with 'green'
- Keyword add title and mark with 'blue'
- Upload to agency and mark with 'purple'
- This way I can tell at a glance the exact state of any image: not developed, developed, keyworded, uploaded, accepted

Processing is done in Lightroom for everything except those intended for fine art. Initial preset is applied upon import and additional processing to taste. If shot correctly, this amounts to very little extra over the import preset. Fine art images get far more processing in Lightroom, then into Photoshop, then into Nik filters for final details.

Stock photos get uploaded to an agency. Fine art gets uploaded to my web site, FAA, and Red Bubble.

I shoot RAW and only keep the RAWs, processed jpegs are considered to be the same as prints, disposable and reproducible.

Backup consists of primary storage on a RAID volume on the NAS server plus the initial copy to external drive on input. The NAS server is backed up to a external drive nightly and an offsite copy is made weekly.

I only make prints upon request or sale.

[crewl1]

This is my approach, I am not a pro that has to answer to paying clients so this may not work in your situation.

Where do you store your photos? SD card files are initially offloaded to second internal drive (for data only) on PC, into folders organized by date.

How do you sort them? I import the files into Lightroom and do a quick pass through marking them as Reject (will be deleted immediately) Keep (will want to hold on for possible future use) and Rated 5 Star (stuff I want to PP right away.)
After this pass I completely delete all the rejected files to cut down on storage requirements significantly. Empty the trash.

How do you process them? I process in Lightroom only the ones I tagged as 5 star and create an output version depending on target that gets output to a common output folder. Im usually only working on one photo session at a time so a single output folder is fine but can be sent to multiple folders when needed.

Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG? I save the original camera file and do not save the processed JPG past using it to regenerate the Web or print form. Lightroom allows me to generate a processed JPG again from the original file any time I want so saving the processed file is not necessary.

How do you backup? My data drive gets synced to external hard drives on a periodic basis under manual control. I need to get an automatic backup process in place using NAS.

Do you arrange prints? No

[mattb123]

I put the card into the slot in my PC and fire up lightroom.
I try to add a few keywords on import to ID the batch, at least in a basic way.
I import (RAW only) to a dedicated 4TB drive and have LR set up to also make basic and Smart Previews for quick navigation later.
I go through pretty quickly marking the definite keepers and definite duds. I delete the duds.
I go through the keepers and edit to my liking, sometimes using Nik plugins after basic adjustments in LR.

Backup happens automatically at night via my network with a Windows Server 2012 Essentials (formerly Home Server).
Every now and then I take a hard drive backup of my images to my offsite office in case the house floods or burns and I lose the daily backups.

I get prints, usually from cgproprints.com if I want them or have sold one or want to put on in the gallery that shows my work.

[frogoutofwater]

Where do you store your photos?
- I open Lightroom and copy them to an external hard drive. Every week, I back that hard drive up to another hard drive.

How do you sort them?
- In Lightroom, I put them in a folder labelled with the day's date and short description e.g., 2016-03-05 Mighty Mutts [dog rescue group] or 2016-05-18 Galapagos-Genovesa
- Prior to upload, I add keywords that are common to all of the images on the card (e.g., animal, rescue and sanctuary, dog)
- I don't change file names at this sage

How do you process them?
- RAW processing in Lightroom, generally to get them into shape for some tweaking in Photoshop
- In Lightroom, I add image specific key words (e.g., animal name) and I also change the file name, using a standard format that includes the image name (often an animal's name or species), a date and the file name from the card - e.g., Charley-160305-7805. This makes it easier for me (and for people to whom I give images) to identify the image and when it was taken. For example, the rescue group can say they need a clean copy of "Charley-160305-7805 and I know it's from the March 5/2016 photo shoot.
- I use just a couple of presets in Lightroom, but have a wider range of simple actions that I use in Photoshop - mainly to prepare files for the rescue groups I work with (e.g., convert to sRGB, resize image, add copyright).

Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG?
- RAW file stays as is
- I work on a PSD in Photoshop and save the key changes as my main PSD file. I may have a couple of additional PSDs saved with processing that is specific for a particular purpose (e.g., a print file for a particular kind of paper).
- I generally only save a JPG if I've created a lower-res image-marked file that I've given to a rescue group etc. In that case, I also add a suffix, e.g., Charley-160305-7805-W (which means it's saved in sRGB low-resolution suitable for web). Whereas my print PSDs (or occasionally JPEGs) will be something like Charley-160305-7805-P-EF (for Print-Exhibition Fiber paper).

How do you backup?
- See above

Do you arrange prints?
- I make my own prints (or at least I did until my Epson P600 went on the fritz). I sometimes print at the lab at International Center of Photography (where I'm a student). For really high quality prints (for example, the print I recently sold for $2000 for a fund-raising auction), I outsource to fine art printer in NYC, where I can inspect the proof.
- Currently, I'm experimenting with a few online labs like Bay Photo and Whitehouse.

[dadipentak]

WARNING: Serious photographers--especially those with OCD tendencies--as well as newbies trying to learn the right way to do it should read no further!

I review shots on the card using FastStone and PP using PS Elements w/Topaz plug-ins. I typically save (as tiffs with slightly modified file names) at several points in pp so I can go back to an earlier stage in processing to make changes if need be. [Yeah, "if I used LR..etc..." I told you this wouldn't be pretty!] Then, I delete the non-keepers (always saving the original RAW of the keepers) and move the folder (ID'ed by date and--sometimes--with a cryptic extension indicating subject) to my hard-drive. I intermittently--as opposed to regularly--copy the folders to an external hard-drive which is otherwise disconnected.

Processed keepers which I think have some merit get posted to my SmugMug portfolio. I almost always down-size them before up-loading them because my Verizon DSL connection is so slow.

I rareIy print but arrange those those prints I do have randomly about the house.

Now that I've confessed, I'll go back and read other responses in search of ways I might make my approach a bit less half-assed.

[savoche]

It's your PP routine I'm asking about:


Where do you store your photos?

On my local harddrive with occasional backup to a NAS. Automatic backup off-site of all photos as they are copied in. And I never delete a card until I have confirmed that I have a good copy off-site.

How do you sort them?

I don't, really. I chuck them into Lightroom. Although I do have a loosely organised folder structure as well.

How do you process them?

Lightroom only for 90% of them. I have basic automatic import settings for each ISO value for each camera. This greatly cuts down on the time spent processing.

Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG?

RAW only for the most part. I export JPEGs when needed.

Edit: I suppose the relatively low-rez images I export to Flickr are JPEGs as well. And a sort of backup of bad quality.

How do you backup?

Two local copies, one off-site (or "in the cloud" if you wish).

Do you arrange prints?

I don't print anywhere near as much as I should The prints I have are all from labs, though.

I should probably invest in a proper printer at home just to get more printed at all, sod the price...

[Zafar Iqbal]

Where do you store your photos?
- When first importing, they are copied to a dated folder on Drive A.
- When importing to Lightroom, the photos are automatically copied to Drive B.

How do you sort them?
- Before importing to Lighroom, all photos are proofed using Photo Mechanic. All obvious mistakes and a tad more are deleted during this process and then imported to Lightroom.
- LR takes care of the folders - I never look at folders again (where the RAW files are)
- In Lightroom, I have a system with Collection Sets containing other Collection Sets and Collections that I use on per shoot/job basis. It covers further proofing, final selects, selects for prints, portfolio and for web.

How do you process them?
- Lightroom and Photoshop, but mostly Lightroom.
- I do all critical reviewing outside of Lightroom. 1: because LR is too slow for my needs. 2: because scaling in LR can't be relied upon.

Do you save both RAW and the processed JPG?
- Yes

How do you backup?
- My backup software is set to run close to real-time and copies from Drive B to Drive C.
- Every 2nd day a full check is made on the entire Drive B, in case the real-time backup couldn't copy because of a file being locked/in use.
- I keep 20 versions of a file before the old ones gets deleted.
- All this is automated.

Do you arrange prints?
- Only if the client asks for them

Do you add lens information into Exif
- I try but forget it too often :P

[zzeitg]

I just edited the original set of questions. One question I forgot to place: Do you add lens information into Exif (in case of manual lenses)?


Thanks for interesting inputs everybody!

[LaurenOE]

Me?

While on vacation/location - back up the SD cards each night on an external 1T HD and on local laptop.
When get home, duplicate the external 1T HD directories on the home machine/server.
Back up the home machine/server image directory on master external 4T HD, and when done, disconnect and put in a safe place.

Import new files into lightroom from their location(s).

When the files are safe on the external 1T HD, the backup 4T HD, and the main computer, then reformat the SD cards right before the next shoot - so that they are still there in case anything goes wrong with the above.

Delete files from the laptop as needed.