2014 Update on my DSLR workflow

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My DSLR Images Workflow

Introduction 

You’ve upgraded your camera and now it’s shooting massive file sizes.

Your iPhoto, Aperture or Lightroom applications are now 
slow and the databases are massive.
Should anything happen to the application database you could 
possibly lose all your images.

Professional digital photographers with large format and high end 
cameras would have already adapted a folder structure workflow 
and may not have even considered a Image database application.

If you already have a reliable backup of your current Image database 
and you want to stay with your favourite application you can manage the 
large database by creating a new database per year.

It’s easy to switch between databases should you need to look at older images.
Splitting your database up means you don’t have all your images in one basket.

You do run the risk of the application vendor updating the application and older databases 
not being able to be opened.

Should you be heading towards being serious about photography or shooting everything like a crazy possessed tourist armed with several camera’s on a sunny summers day, shooting RAW and producing large files then you will need to look at a more efficient work flow, similar to the one below that I’m proposing.

Hopefully you can make use of it to adapt these ideas for your personal workflow.

Lastly what happens to the existing Database application such as Lightroom, Aperture or iPhoto

I still use my Aperture for final jpeg albums. Keeps it fast and usable. Great for slide shows 
to projectors and tv’s, and publishing to 500px.

My Digital Image Work Flow
From camera to being published or burnt to disk.

Assuming you already have a computer and Adobe CS6 Photoshop which includes Adobe Bridge.

Firstly I try to keep all image media in the one place, splitting it up in different locations on your 
computer could mean you may miss one when you come to do backups.

Folder Structure
My existing iPhoto and Aperture databases are in my Pictures folder.
I then make a Nikon or Image transfer folder. Once I’ve made that I have a set of working 
folders zipped up that I uncompress and copy the contents into my next new shoot folder.

The Shoot folder contains a Finals folder, RAW folder and a Retouch folder.
The other new Folder I make in my pictures folder is called Live Capture to use
when I connect my camera and tether directly to my computer.

Once you have these folders sorted you need to configure Adobe CS6 Bridge.
In Bridge in the top menu is camera icon which launches Photo Downloader.
You need to set this as the default for connecting cameras.
Then you need to choose the destination which is your new folder in Pictures.
I choose create new folder with today’s date. Once the import is complete I add the name of the shoot after the date.

My super star Adobe Bridge
Editing in Adobe Bridge is fast as there are no original and edit folders created with duplicate images.
Previewing in different thumbnail modes, exporting to pdf contact sheets al run smooth and quick.
In the root folder of the images Adobe Bridge creates a xmp tiny text file. All the edit information is applied from this file. If you were to move the image on it’s own to another folder it would revert back to the original RAW file.

Adobe Bridge is a fast way to view images, grade edit and delete.
Once I have the images I want to keep I view in Filmstrip Mode, this lets me see the images in sequence and you can see grouped images that need the same corrections.
 
I select all the images with same cast or tone that I want to edi. I click on RAW edit and edit all at once, you can even crop and rotate them at the same time, one image or twenty images.

Images that need further retouching such as moving, cloning or adding out of focus effects etc I edit in Adobe Photoshop.
 


Note: When you work in Adobe Photoshop to do edits you must save them as a TIFF. Why you ask.?
I save them as TIFFs because I can then still grade and edit them with the RAW edit in Bridge to balance them with the rest of the images in that set.

 I rate in Adobe Bridge all my top images 5 star. Maybe images are 4 Star. The rest that are ok that are of interest I rate 3 star. This way you can Export all 5 star images for Albums in the Finals folder, I then view 3-5 star images and do a Export to a DVD folder in Finals folder.

Backup
Over the time you have been working on your project shoots, hopefully you have had backups running.
Alot of people sort out a backup after they have had a disaster. Don’t shoot unless you can dupe.

I have a external RAID for backup, I import and work off my local drive.
The backup drive needs to be big enough to sync your entire Pictures folder and have space to archive.
At the end of each edit session, even if I’m in Aperture making albums, I attach the RAID to sync all my changes.

Should your work be too big for your computer drive you will need to create the same workflow on a external RAID drive.
 With this solution you will then need a second drive to sync and back up all the changes made on your master RAID drive.

My last shoot was 36GB in size.
Once I have completed a shoot and done my Album export and my DVD export, I then make a new Album in Aperture and import the new shoot.
 
Archive
Once this is done I move the job off my local drive to the Archive folder on my RAID backup drive.
No problem running out of space on my local drive.

Lastly what do you backup to

Western Digital do a good dual drive, with only two drives, make sure it’s a mirrored RAID.
DROBO The Expandable cool King of all externals. You can add and expand as you need more space
highly recommended as your backup or your work drive for Photography or Video.
SD Cards why did I include these. Well DVD and CD are two small to store the 36GB of images.
If I’m shooting a job I include in the cost two SD cards, once I’ve completed the job I copy the job to the RAID archive folder
and also copy it to the SD card, Small to store and easy to have lots of jobs stored in a small fireproof safe or offsite somewhere.

Well that’s it, hopefully there’s some useful information you maybe able to work into your own workflow.

Any questions email me: jammernz@gmail.com

Optional hardware required: Monitor calibrator, 2nd External RAID drive.

Software used: Adobe CS6, Crashplan, Carbon Copy Cloner, OnOne, Dx0, Sofortbild

Favourite Image websites: www.Flckr.com, www.500px.com and www.f11magazine.com

Favorite Online books for photo albums: www.milkbooks.com

White Balance Tip

For Nikon users or others that have a live view setting on your camera for video.

You can also use this live preview to check out your white balance settings to view your colour of your shot with the lighting your using, moslty for indoor shooting or long night exposures.

Once your camera is ready instead of taking test shots on different WB settings.

Turn on your live view, hold down your WB button on the back of your camera.

Then use your adjustment dial, your camera will rotate through the WB setting changing colour

on your Live screen view.

Choose the best natural colour setting for the lighting you have or if your trying to force your colour to be a warm or cold choose that option then switch back to shoot.

Try your camera on fully manual exposure and white balance you can get some amazing effects.

Using iPad as Preview screen when tethering in Aperture

Challenge, You want to have a large preview screen of each shot as you shoot tethering in Aperture.
You may want your subject to see each shot as you take it, you have the thumbnails in Aperture which you can resize.

Tools you will need:
• iPad and Laptop connected to the same wireless network.
• DSLR that can connect via USB that Aperture can tether.
• Air Display software Mac or PC installed on laptop and iPad.

Steps:
Make sure both the Laptop and iPad are connected to wifi.
Purchase Air Display from Android, Amazon or Apple App store.
Install Air Display on your laptop and your ipad.
Actitvate it on your laptop then on the ipad, you can then go to display setup and arrange how you want them.

Once you have your screens setup the iPad can be anywhere to view the current image full screen.

Next step is to launch Aperture then plug your DSLR via USB and choose tether in the file menu

I set the shoot name then click viewer, it will set the current selected image to full screen on the iPad.
if your running Lion OSX set it to full screen.

Slide the zoom on the thumbnails to viewable size and shoot away.

Off the camera flash

I use a ittl ethernet cable option
Half the price of wireless triggers
There is a pixel product that supports three remote mounted flashes
I also use flash slave units to setup flash behind subjects or for bouncing

DSLR Camera Remote Control

Uses:
Able to remote fire your camera from your ipad or iphone
all images tether directly to your hard drive in the DSLR photos folder
For shooting still life or stationary portraits
If you need to be close to the subject and still be able to see and control
your settings on your camera from your ipad or iphone

 


Setup:
Both the computer and the IOS device must be on the same wifi
Install DSLR server software on your computer
Launch and set up Destination Folder
Install DSLR remote software on your iPhone or iPad
Connect your Nikon or Canon DSLR camera via USB to your computer
Launch Server software on computer and check that it finds your DSLR
Launch remote software choose DSLR server
Your camera rear LCD display should show up
You can now fire camera and if you have the professional version you can edit your camera settings.

My Additional Setup:
Using iPad for preview screen for models:
You can still use your camera handheld and shoot as you would all images still go to the hardrive. I use the iPad on a stand next to model so we can both see each shot and pose.


Creating your own Wifi on location:
I also make a new location setting on my laptop called NikonAir
With that location I have my wifi shared on my laptop so I can then connect my iPad or iPhone to my laptop shared Wifi when on location outside,or where there is no Wifi network to use.

Give it a try there's a free light version to test it on the App Store


Product that use: onOne Software
Software: DSLR Camera Remote

ISO on DSLR's

In the beginning for me anyway, I tended to use just 100 or 400 ISO film (or ASA as it was then) as I didn't really know any better. I used 100 ISO for normal, everyday use and kept the 400 for either indoors, black and white or colour "grainy" shots. 400 ISO was useful for indoor shots where flash couldn't be used, such as some shows, as with the extra sensitivity, I could still get some decent shots.

The major headache with film photography was that if you wanted to change the ISO settings, you had to change the film itself! Not good if you were in a hurry. There was a way to "push" the film by underexposing it to get faster shutter speeds, and sorting out the mess in the darkroom later, but you still had to "push" the entire film.

The beauty of digital, and I have found myself changing ISO settings so much more often now, is that you can alter the ISO for each individual shot. This means, should you come across a situation where you are in low light and cannot use flash, you can just up the ISO settings to 800, 1600 or even 3200 making the sensor a lot more sensitive to light, and fire away knowing the images will come out ok.