Lately a few people have asked about how to do bits of processing or work on digital images and how I save and back-up files. I have also recently noticed people doing things a semi-random manner whereas I, as an ex-engineer with allegedly a touch of OCD, have a fairly rigorous workflow that I adhere to each time I process images from a shoot. I developed my system or way of working after a couple of occasions earlier in my photographic journey where I lost images or deleted images by mistake, only realising when it was too late. So, below I have shared ‘my’ work flow, now this works for me and I don’t expect that you replicate this particular process but maybe you should start thinking about your workflow. Be sure to create one that (1) works for you, (2) is easy to adhere to and importantly that it (3) protects your valuable photos from harm and this includes a robust backing up procedure. It is also worthwhile thinking about an intuitive naming protocol for files and folders so that you can find them quickly and easily.
Workflow Diagram