Work flow question... Well sort of anyway

[shefjr]

As you may know I recently purchased a new Mac computer and along with that I have LR4 and PS6. I love the programs. I have this urge to go back and edit many of my old photos to see what kind of improvement I could possibly do. For another day perhaps though, I'm going to move forward as though I have a clean slate.

Anyway, to get to my questions.

1. If you are using LR when you first load your files (step 1 in your work flow), how do you go about rating them? More specifically, delete vs. keep. Is it a quick thing, or a ponderous thing?
~just as a side note, I have never used LR and so I'm taking baby steps learning the process. Additionally, this is my first Mac so, I'm really learning everything all at once. It's a little overwhelming.

So I have been going through my photos with a more ponderous attitude (looking at each one critically) and have realized that I take maybe too many photos and need to give the shutter button a break. Just to be clear though, I did just get myself a new D800 and two of the three "holy trinity" lenses, so I was excited! lol! Anyway, that lead me to wonder question number 2.

2. How many photos will you take of a given scenario?
~Here is what I was dealing with yesterday. A 12 month old baby at a family party. So for example at one point my niece had on her little sun glasses and she was sitting and eating crackers looking as cool and cute as ever. So for that series I have 16 photos of her. My thinking was babies are unpredictable and the more I took of her the better my chances of capturing that cute moment. Which, I have found after looking though my photos is much more difficult than I thought.

Thank you for any insight you may have. If there is something you have that may help additionally that is welcome. I enjoy the dialogue.
Have a great day!
John

 

[Robin_Usagani]

I used to rate them but I found it a waste of time. It is either a keeper or reject. Press P for keeper and X for rejects. This will only flag them. It wont delete anything.

 

[shefjr]

Thanks Robin. Do you have any opinions of how many photos are too many for a given subject? I have the feeling that is a hard question to answer because there are too many different scenarios.

Maybe to rephrase the question, generally how many photos do you take for a given scenario? (Everyone, not just Robin) lol


Update: Using P and X are great! It allows me to hammer through the photos so much quicker. I like it or I don't.
Thank you Robin!!! Great Tip!!!

 

[Robin_Usagani]

I sometimes just delete them (right click, delete) if I am 100% sure i want to delete it. For wedding, I usually hold on to the rejects for a few months and then I delete them.

As far as how many photos, I can't tell you. Really work on your shooting. There is no need to be on burst mode when shooting a baby. Really think about your framing, wait for a good moment, shoot. When I shoot a big group, I do take more snaps than I usually do to make sure everyone's eyes are open. That way I may have one good one OR I may be able to copy one head to another.

 

[480sparky]

The only time I delete images is when they're far too over- or under exposed, or so far out of focus. Even if they're not a keeper, I keep it. I've scrounged through old images for non-keepers looking for an element that's in them I incorporate into other images.

Non-keepers are kinda like pocket change. You pay with folding stuff for a while, then you buy something for $xx.57 and you know you can get exactly 57¢ from your pocket. So you dig it out and give the cashier $xx.57.

I've also sold images that I never edited nor considered a keeper. If I had deleted it, I never would have sold it.

 

[shefjr]

Great advice Robin! Thank you!:hail:
I have actually copied a head from one photo and put it on another before. I do tend to focus on my framing quite a bit. Occasionally I do still cut off parts but, for the most part I have been trying to leave myself room so that I can crop in later in post.
I don't use burst mode and in fact cherish my shutter and the number of actuations I perform. Babies can really be soooo fast. LOL! So what I was doing yesterday was holding the camera up to my eye and not taking a photo sometimes for a minute plus until I thought a moment might occur. Then go figure but, I would put the camera down and miss a fun shot. haha It was a little frustrating but, I'll practice and eventually get it.

 

[shefjr]

Non-keepers are kinda like pocket change. You pay with folding stuff for a while, then you buy something for $xx.57 and you know you can get exactly 57¢ from your pocket. So you dig it out and give the cashier $xx.57.

Ken, that's an interesting analogy. Makes sense. I don't plan on deleting anything yet. I was planning on processing the keepers and then reviewing the rejects one last time before I destroy them. I don't produce anything for money and don't have any plans on starting a venture like that. So for me it won't be any skin off my nose to eventually delete the images.

Thanks you for the words of advice!:thumbup:

 

[480sparky]

........... I don't produce anything for money and don't have any plans on starting a venture like that. So for me it won't be any skin off my nose to eventually delete the images.
........

But you never know.....

Memory is cheap, and the price goes down every day.

 

[KmH]

I bet what you have is actually PS 13 (CS 6).
PS 6 is really old (released Sept. 2000).

If you don't keyword and rate images when you upload using Lightroom, you're not taking advantage of it's most powerful feature - database management.
Or you can rate and keyword with CS 6's Bridge,.

However, if you want to be better informed I recommend getting - The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers

For most non-professional photographers the Bridge - Camera Raw - Photoshop workflow is more than sufficient.

As far as learning how to use LR or Photoshop, you can access Adobe Community Help up on the Applications bar by clicking on Help > Photoshop (or Lightroom) Help or by just pressing the key on your keyboard.

Some very handy additional references are :
Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers: A professional image editor's guide to the creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers

Laptop computers have issues when it comes to image editing. Mainly because they are portable and the display angle can be varied the display has to re-calibrated very often.
The solution is to use the laptop with a good external display that stays in one place with the same ambient light falling on it whenever it is used for image editing.

 

[shefjr]

I bet what you have is actually PS 13 (CS 6).
PS 6 is really old (released Sept. 2000).

If you don't key word and rate images when you upload using Lightroom, you're not taking advantage of it's most powerful feature - database management.
Of you're only going to rate images, you can do that with CS 6's Bridge.

However, if you want to be better informed I recommend getting - The DAM Book: Digital Asset Management for Photographers

For most non-professional photographers the Bridge - Camera Raw - Photoshop workflow is more than sufficient.

As far as learning how to use LR or Photoshop, you can access Adobe Community Help up on the Applications bar by clicking on Help > Photoshop (or Lightroom) Help or by just pressing the key on your keyboard.

Some very handy additional references are :
Adobe Photoshop CS6 for Photographers: A professional image editor's guide to the creative use of Photoshop for the Macintosh and PC
The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5 Book: The Complete Guide for Photographers

Good catch Keith! You are correct it is CS6. lol I'm a dolt! Thank you for the great resources!