How are you today? Are you looking forward to the weekend? Are you in the throws of soccer games and school projects? Fall is insane around here and so I really rely on things that help to make my job go smoother and shave off seconds here and there. If you are a photographer, I thought I’d share some of my tricks of the trade that might help you….and I’d love to hear any of yours that might help me 🙂
- BlogStomp: If you are a blogger (which you should be) I finally bit the bullet and entered the world of Blog Stomp and I am in love! It’s great for those of you who blog multiple images from a session. It automatically sizes your images, it arranges them in collages (you can choose) it borders them, and it only takes seconds! Blogging has always been a time sucker for me, but this helps tremendously!
- Connecting all my social media sites: I have everything connected. Instagram is connected to both Facebook and Twitter..saves loads of time!
- Naming Files: This sounds small, but I will say, it’s the one thing that i changed that made HUGE difference in saving time. When saving files, I became more dilegtant and specific with naming my files…for instance I do it like this now: smith ocean isle beach mary close up portrait I do it this way for 2 reasons.
- for SEO purposes, my images are always named and are searched.
- I market a lot …i’m always looking for images for marketing purposes and this way I can do a quick search and it comes up with the exact few images I need.
- Backblaze: This is an automatic back up system and it not only is quick and affordable, but it’s necessary. Take it from someone who has lost a ton of files due to a hard drive crash…this will give you peace of mind, it saves loads of time as it’s automatic.
- AutoLoader: It’s an awesome plugin that will automatically load multiple images into photoshop …saves a ton of time for those of you who do weddings or events this is a must!
- Learn How To Cull: I can’t tell you how important this is, I am amazed at the fact that so many portrait photographers think it its a benefit to present their clients with 50 images for a family session. Not only does this make it difficult for your clients, it devalues the REALLY awesome ones in your gallery! by presenting less images, you are saying, these are the BEST!!! (I know it’s hard to not present every good one) but this will save you a lot of time and be easier on your clients! In addition to this, I shoot far fewer images than I use to. At a session (family) I don’t take more than 125-135 images…that saves me a whole lot of time!
- Make sure your gear works for you: If you are struggling with a lens or lighting, then this will suck time, or if your computer is running slow…so make sure you tools are what you need. I can’t tell you how much time was saved once I bought my iMac, before I was always waiting on photoshop to catch up wtih me…but now I never have to do that and it make editing easier and quicker. The same is true for my studio lighting. I use to battle with just one softbox (it would cause me lighting issues and I would have to spend time editing) simple fix, get another soft box and I don’t have to fight with that anymore, saving me time!
- Use the custom menu in your camera: Most of you who have a pro camera or even a basic DSLR have a custom menu feature! I know, even me as a pro, hardly use all the functions of my fancy camera…I shoot auto and I change settings for exposure and white balance, but this summer, I used the custom menu for my beach sessions and it was AWESOME! You can search your specific camera and probably find a Youtube video online or at least a step by step manual. It’s really something that you should do…especially if you are like me and go from a studio setting to outdoor settings…it’s a no brainer!
So there are some of my top tricks of the trade! Next week I will do my photoshop and editing tips!
Fall Sessions are in full swing! (OH MY) and I’ll have information about Snow Sessions by Friday! (which already 2 are booked)
This summer I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph several weddings (I really do love a beach wedding) this wedding was rushed as we were chasing rainstorms, but boy did it provide the most amazing light, rainbows and a bride and groom who were open for anything (including getting wet) She was stunning with crystal blue eyes that sparkled in the light! The rainbow showed up at the perfect time (It was God) and the love shared was very evident! Congrats you two!
