...OR HOW I LEARNED TO BECOME A MORE EFFICIENT PHOTOGRAPHER


When I first started snapping photos, I was enamored. A whole new world of artistic expression opened up in front of my eyes and I was immediately hooked. It didn't take long for me to start finding more and more ways to photograph. One thing I always wanted to do, but really cannot pinpoint exactly why, was to photograph weddings. I always found the idea fascinating, and that was my ultimate goal. To get good enough in order to photograph weddings.


As most photographers early in their career to the 'spray and pray' method, as did I. Some of the first weddings I shot, I came home with over 6,000 photos?! I began to realize that shooting that way was ineffective and really wasn't photography. It was almost videography with how many shots I was taking! Reviewing these photos on my computer and culling through them helped me quickly realize that spraying and praying is lazy up front and takes FOREVER in post.


Imagine scrolling through 6,000 photos of almost the same shot 10-20 times. What a mess!


Like most folks, I thought there could be a simpler way and started investigating culling software. AfterShoot, Adobe Bridge, and Photomechanic were some of the software I looked into. I gave them all a sporting chance as I really wanted to minimize my time spent in post production. What I soon discovered is that AI is just not that good, and moreso, doesn't know exactly what I am looking for in 'my' photos. I found a good half of the photos under each software that were culled were photos that I would have kept and visa versa.


It was becoming ever obvious that I was not getting out of the culling process no matter how hard I tried.

But, like everything in life, it taught me. This process taught me a whole lot about what photography is and is not. It taught me:

  • to be more mindful of what I'm shooting
  • cognizant of my camera's settings
  • that some photos, will be great and some will not, but to continue forward always
  • time spent in post is not where I want my efforts spent


So, I learned and learned some more. And, most importantly, I continue to learn. Every day I try and learn something new regarding photography. It is an obsession! But it is the best thing that has ever happened to me (of course, minus my daughter!!).


Many years now into this endeavor, I am (in my own opinion) a master of efficiency when it comes to my shooting and post production processes. It didn't come easy, but I'm glad for the bumpy journey that got me here. I wouldn't appreciate my current plight as much as I do if I didn't have to wade through tens of thousands of photos.