We are on our way to the weekend, even though it is promising to be a rainy one in my neck of the woods, so I thought that I would take a few minutes to give you a peak at what my wedding work flow looks like.  This is just going to be an overview, not an exhaustive resource, but I thought that some of you might find it interesting.  I always like to see what other photographers are doing.

Create Lightroom Catalog

I like to name mine with a 2 digit code for the type of session (WD for wedding, FP for family, etc) followed by the date (yymmdd) and the couples last names (bride-groom).  My catalog name would look something like WD121026 Jones-Smith

Download and Backup

I would then use Lightroom to download the files from my memory cards to my external hard drive and use the built in backup feature to create a simultaneous backup copy on another drive.

Sync Capture Time

I shoot with two bodies, so it is important to make sure that they were synced to the same time when I was shooting.  This ensure that all of my images, regardless of which body was used, appear in my catalog sequentially.

Pick Selects

I will go through each of my images and flag the ones that I plan to present to the client with a pick flag.  I generally present between 75-100 images for every hour of shooting.  For family shots I will generally pick the best single image, or if I will need to do a head swap I will flag each image with a component that needs to be composited and make a note of the file numbers for later.

Rename Your Files

Once my files are sorted sequentially and I have chosen my selects I like to rename the files.  I use the format WDJS-001 (WD = wedding, J = bride’s last initial, S = groom’s last initial – three digit sequence)  This format makes it easy to search for the files if they get misplaced and also keeps brides from asking to see one of the image numbers that you did not flag as a pick.  If you present files named 010 and 013 they will know that there was an 011 and 012 that they are not seeing and some brides want to see everything, even when it was not worth viewing.  This is just an easy step to keep things neat and avoid any potential pitfalls later.  Lightroom makes renaming the files easy.

Post a Sneak Peak

I always try to edit and post 1-2 images to Facebook as soon after the wedding as possible to get the clients excited and sharing my images with their friends on social media.  I only post 1 or two though so I don’t hurt my chances of making a big sale at the ordering appointment.

Export

After I am happy with my selections I will use a Lightroom preset to export my files in their original file format to a temporary folder on my desktop.

Upload to FTP

I started out doing my own editing for every wedding, but I found that by the time I got through the initial color, contrast, and exposure adjustment I was burned out and I wasn’t as creative as I would like to be to finish my images.  Outsourcing lets me start my process after the initial corrections have been made which gives me more free time to do other important business tasks and keeps me fresh for the creative editing later.  I upload my selects to my post-processing company via FTP.  For large weddings this can take one or more days.  I recently discovered that even though your Internet service claims upload speeds of 10MB / second they will throttle your bandwidth which slows you speed considerably.  You can pay for more bandwidth, of course, but I boycott on principle.  Usually I will start my upload Saturday night before I go to bed and then let it upload Sunday while I relax and decompress.

Delete Temporary Folder

After my files have been uploaded and I receive confirmation from my post processor I delete the temporary folder and the raw files it contains from my desktop.

Create new Lightroom Folder

I use two catalogs for each wedding.  You could certainly achieve the same thing with one, but I just find it easier this way.  I will create a second Lightroom catalog named “WD121026 Jones-Smith Selects”

Download Edited Jpegs from FTP

After I receive confirmation that my order is ready, I will go to the FTP server and download my finished jpegs and load them into my new catalog.

Creative Edits and Retouching

I review the work that my post-processing service did and mark any images that I would like to do additional retouching or creative effects.  I will open these images in Photoshop using the “Edit In” command within Lightroom and then choose to stack the psd file with the original file in my catalog.  After editing the files I choose to “collapse all stacks” in Lightroom which leaves me with a catalog of finished images.

Submission Prep

After the images are edited I will choose my picks for submission, blogging, and the client slide show.  My ebook The Wedding Photographer’s Guide to Getting Published goes over this part of the process in detail.  You can sign up to receive updates about the ebook by entering your email below.

Export as High Resolution Jpegs and Backup

Next, I will export high resolution Jpegs to both my main hard drive and my backup drive.

Album Pre-design

I always pre-design albums for my clients.  I explain this to them at all stages of the process (booking, after the wedding, etc.) and all of my brides love not having the pressure of choosing the images themselves.  After all, I do this for a living, where they will probably only do it once.  I can use my experience to select the images that will best tell the story of their day.  I also design 10 more pages then they had included in their package.   This is a great upsell and they almost always choose to order the album as designed rather than cutting spreads.

Client Meeting

I try to do all of my wedding ordering appointments in person, but because I wok with brides from all over the coutry, sometimes I will also do the ordering session over the phone using email.  At the ordering appointment we will confirm the album design, select images for any products in their collection, and place additional orders.  After the session I immediately send my clients a email asking for feedback.  This is the best time to catch them when they are still on the high from seeing their images and reliving their magical day.

Release Blog Post and Place Orders

The day after the ordering session I do a blog post of around 50-75 of the images from their wedding and send then an email notifying them that they have been chosen for a blog feature.  The email also encourages them to share the link with their friends.

Delete Original Raw Files from Harddrive

After I have placed my orders I will go back onto my harddrive and delete the original raw files.  I keep the psd files and the final edited Jpegs.  This step is always hard for me, but it is necessary to keep my harddrives from running a muck.

Receive, Inspect, Package, and Deliver

The final step is to get the clients order ready to deliver.  After inspecting all products and photographing them for use in future marketing, I package each item.  I also include some goodies and a hand written note thanking the couple.  After that all that is left to do is arrange for delivery, pick up or shipping.

I hope that seeing my workflow was interesting for everyone.  What does your workflow look like?

 

Happy Friday!