I’m sure most of you have seen the charts floating around, the ones which show a photographer’s job is maybe 15% shooting and 85% business and editing. As crazy as it is to think that a photographer doesn’t actually spend most of the time photographing, it really is true! I thought I would share a little behind-the-scenes of what goes on after your wedding, while you’re anxiously waiting to see your photos : )
I usually get home from weddings near or after midnight, so unless I have a wedding the next morning, I leave my memory cards tucked away until I wake up. I used to run straight to the computer and start uploading and sorting as soon as I got home, but I realized that my tired eyes were just making double work for myself. It feels so much better to start the process feeling fresh and rested!
If I haven’t already, I begin by making a folder for the couple. I find it easier to break up the parts of the day before I edit, so inside the folder, I add sub-folders, breaking down the parts of the day: Getting Ready, Ceremony, Formals, Reception.
Once I finish sorting the images into the correct categories, I begin to cull. I quickly click through each image, starring the images I will be editing. Don’t worry, clients don’t miss out on photos! I’m just removing any blinking, duplicates, etc.
I then begin to open images in sets into Camera Raw for a few quick adjustments . These images are then brought into photoshop for an extra touch of love.
As I cull through and edit, I select a few images to share on Facebook. It is so exciting to post these first images and see the couple’s reaction!
Next, I start to work on the blog post, showcasing even more photos from the wedding. I’ll admit, this part has always been so exhausting for me! A typical blog post would take 1-1.5 hours just to put the collages together! I eventually found Blogstomp and was blown away – I was able to put together an entire blog post in under 5 minutes! This is a huge time saver during the busy season!
Once I finish editing all of the photos, I import them all into Bridge to rename the files with the couple’s information.
All of the images are then uploaded to their private gallery, ready to view and order!