What happens post session?
Good Morning!
I apologize for being behind a couple of weeks! Preparing for this second baby has got me all twisted! I have definitely been cleaning non stop and reorganizing just to turn around and do it all over again because I didn't like it the first time. The nesting instinct has taken full effect!
Any who, for this weeks blog post, I wanted to explain the latter side of a photo session. I know I had always wondered how a photographers' workflow took place after the session. I wanted to be able to provide that information for my clients.
After a photo session, I will go through the images on the camera before I even leave the location just to see what I've captured. I'm always so excited that I can't wait! Once I'm home, I will immediately download them and put them on my Lightroom catalog and hard drive so I don't loose them. I then clean my camera gear and put everything in its right place in the studio.
During the import process, all files will get renamed and placed into specific folders as to what type of session it is. Importing files onto the hard drive and Lightroom catalog can vary in length so I always like to catch up on some housework or run errands while I wait. After everything is imported onto the computer, I double check folder and file names to make sure they're correct and where they should be. I then shut down my computer and wait to go through the images for a couple of days. I do this to make sure the initial excitement from the session has disappeared. I've noticed that if I go through the gallery and edit right away, I always miss details or wish I would have edited differently. If I wait the couple of days, I have a clear mind to make sure I'm covering all basis when it comes to perfecting details from the session. This gives me the ability to be more objective when culling the gallery the first time.
After downloading and waiting the couple of days, I will sit down and go through the whole gallery and rate which images are potentials. In Lightroom, (a program from Adobe that I LOVE) lets you rate images from 1 to 5 and you are able to separate the images according to their rating. The first time I cull the gallery, I will rate images at a 2. To do this, I will apply what they call a preset to all of the images in the gallery. I use the same preset for every session. It is pre-set of edits to obtain a certain look and style. This is just to see where I'm starting. I then carefully go through each images and rate the ones I believe are compositionally appealing at a 2. I then wait another day and then I will go back through the gallery and re-cull the images and rate the next batch at a 3. Then the fun begins! I will go through those images and start making tweaks to the applied preset. If it needs further editing or an edit that I am not able to do in Lightroom, I will pop it in Photoshop and do it there and when finished, I save it and it applies the edit to the image in Lightroom. I will spend a couple of days editing all of the images. I like to make sure I have every little detail ironed out in my images! After I have finished editing the images, I will go through the gallery one more time to make sure I have edited everything to my liking and included some black and whites. If I don't have any more editing to do to the gallery, I will then export the images twice; once with my watermark on the images and once without. I then upload the images to a client gallery through my online platform according to the package my client choose.
Lately, from start to finish, it takes me around a week to get the full gallery to clients. If my turnaround times were longer then I would add an extra step to provide sneak peaks to my clients.
After the gallery has been delivered, I am still communicating with clients to see if they have any questions or concerns regarding the gallery or the chosen package. This time is the most crucial part. I want to make sure that my clients are getting everything they hoped for! We also discuss any add ons that didn't come with the package. I have been blessed with clients who have been extremely happy with their galleries. When everything is said and done and products have been delivered, I ALWAYS make it known that if any concerns came up, I am available and will do what I can do get them taken care of.
Photography is all about the clients and their visions. These are their memories. Of course, photographers run a business and have guidelines they follow, but we are providing a service. I have learned the more happy clients that walk away are not only clients who will return but will also refer you to their friends and so on.
