#1 WAY TO SIMPLIFY YOUR WORKFLOW - SHOOT LESS

The more you shoot, the more you edit.  The more you edit, the less money you make.

Many of the photographers I know have a love/hate relationship with editing their work.  The truth is, for many photographers, editing and processing images is one of the most burdensome aspects of their photography.  It's not uncommon for photographers to take 2-3 months, or more, to finish processing an average wedding.  In fact, a while back (when this blog first started), I posted some stats about how photographers spend their time.

I posted the following chart, and the results are pretty interesting to me:

On average, photographers are spending more than 15 hours a week on editing images.  That's 50% more time than they even spend shooting.  Who wants to spend an hour and a half editing for every hour you shoot?!

Now, I realize that for some photographers, what happens in the digital darkroom is as important to their finished product as what happens in the camera.  This isn't an argument about that, although some of my feelings below will still apply.  This is about how do you create a simple workflow that works for you.

1. Shoot Less.  Seriously.  If you're shooting 1,500, 2,000 or more images at a wedding, you're shooting too much.  I know I just made enemies with half the photography community, but hear me out.  If you're shooting too much, you're spending too much time editing through images.  And your time is valuable.  Your time COSTS you.  Time you spend in your workflow is time you can't spend doing things that help you build your business - like meeting with new clients, or shooting other events.  

I know that digital SLR cameras made it easy to machine-gun it at weddings.  I also know that often, we are afraid that if we're not constantly shooting, we might not "get the shot." If you're afraid you might miss something - slow down.  The camera can only see what you see.  What ever happened to composition, lighting, and shooting the RIGHT shots.  More does not equal better.

Spend your time shooting the right things, and move on.  You don't need 20 exposures of every group formal.  You don't need 50 shots of every detail.  Shoot them right, and move on.

2. Know your craft.  Get it right in the camera.  Seriously.  You're a photographer.  Basic exposure, white balance and composition are a given.  You shouldn't need LightRoom or Aperture or Photoshop to fix your images.  I'm fine if you want to spruce them up - whatever fits your style - but you have to at least have the basics down.  If not, you really have no business calling yourself a professional right?

3. Develop a workflow system.  Write it down so you can do it the same every time.  Often, the act of writing down what we're doing helps us realize inefficiencies in what we're doing.  Additionally, by doing it the same every time, you'll start to increase your productivity as your workflow becomes second nature.  Keep it simple and repeatable.  

4. Consider outsourcing.  Remember, your time is valuable.  Often, a wedding can be edited by someone else for much less than it really costs you to do it yourself.  There are several great companies that offer editing and post-processing services.  A few that are either run by people I know and trust, or used by people I know and trust, include:

ShootDotEdit

Photographer's Edit

Colorati

There are certainly others, but I list these here because I either know the people behind them, or know people who use - and LOVE them.

The bottom line is, your post-processing can kill you if you don't take the time to develop a simple, efficient workflow that works for you.

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Let me add this: this post is sure to generate some strong feelings.  That's great!  I'd love to hear them.  Only rules are - you have to use you real name and web address in your comments.  Also, keep in mind that this post is about how to improve your workflow - NOT your photography.  It's most definitely true that the more you shoot - the better photographer you become.  I suggest that there are better ways to practice your photography than by shooting 3-5K shots at a wedding.  That's all :)

AN INSIDE LOOK: ONE DAY INTENSIVE CHICAGO

2 Weeks ago, I had the privilege of teaching the third ONE DAY INTENSIVE, in Chicago.  The gracious Amanda Hein hosted the workshop in her beautiful studio downtown.  I wanted to give you a feel for what we do at the ONE DAY INTENSIVE, so I thought I'd share with you some of the photos take by attendee Otto Rascon. 

I think that the thing I am most excited about with each of these Intensives, is that they are limited to such an intimate group of photographers.  This isn't a mass workshop, and the size really lends itself to incredible conversations.  In every city, I find that I walk away completely blown away by the amazing group of photographers that I get to spend a day with.  I find that I walk away better because I had a chance to rub shoulders with people who are committed to making both their photography - AND their business - better.

The whole idea behind the intensives has been to get 8-12 photographers together and spend a day digging deep into the business side of photography.  Being a professional photographer is about a lot more than cameras and photographs.  For a lot of us, the business side can be really overwhelming, so I wanted to create an experience where photographers could come and not just hear about best practices - but process them together.  

We really focus in on the nitty gritty, and  the idea is to develop a plan.  Sometimes that requires difficult conversations, but I think that we all come out stronger on the other side. One of the things that I think really helps is that we only focus on 5 key areas.  We spend our entire day unpacking best practices in 5 areas that can really help us grow and manage our business.  I'm not very good when it comes to trying to focus on too many things, and I think it can just be even more overwhelming.  So we limit the scope to 5 things that you can do something about right away.  Again, the goal is to talk away with a plan that you can put in action immediately.

So, who should really be attending these INTENSIVES?  Truthfully, I've had people who have been in business less than 6 months, and photographers that have been in business for 20 years.  I think that both ends of the spectrum can find huge value in investing a day in making their business better.   

The bottom line is this: The ONE DAY INTENSIVE is designed to help you get focused, help you be intentional, and help you be inspired to build a business that fits your life.  If you want to learn more, I'd love for you to jump over to the workshop page.  There are still spots available in San Francisco, Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Phoenix.  There are a few other cities that we're working on as well, and I'd love to see you there!

WHAT'S NEXT? [WPPI FOLLOW-UP]

If you were at WPPI this week, you're probably pretty tired right now.  You're probably just finding your way back in to the real world.  I know this is true, because I still see the tweets about the experience.  I know this is true because I'm right there.

After wandering the trade-show, attending incredible platform sessions, and partying far too long into the morning, coming home can be both a relief - and even a let down in some ways. 

As you process and de-compress, here are a few things I try to keep in mind.  Hopefully they'll be helpful to you too!

1. STAY FOCUSED

"Sensory Overload," is probably the term that most describes the experience photographers share at WPPI.  Whether it's your first time or not, there are more things to take in, than any human can possibly absorb.  It's likely that you left exhausted and feeling a little like your head might explode.  That's normal. 

The key is, now that you're home, you have to stay focused.  As you flip through the hundreds of flyers, and brochures, and promos, and notes you took - remember the point of it all: to be better.  Hopefully, you went to WPPI with a goal.  You went with something in mind that you needed to be better at.  You went with something your business needed.  You went with something in mind that would help you grow.  

Whatever that one thing was - focus in on that.  Maybe it was a goal of being better at lighting.  Maybe it was to get help in better marketing your business in your area.  Maybe you wanted to expand your business.  Whatever it was, don't let the overload of information you brought home, keep you from focusing on the things that will actually help you move forward. 

In fact, I recommend you throw everything else away.  Seriously.  It seems worthwhile to hold on to all the pretty booklets, and catalogues, etc.  It's not.  I promise.  I literally came home with ONE thing.  I came home with one brochure about one type of product.  It was the only thing I really needed for our business, and I didn't even bring anything else home with me. 

If you're going to do anything right - you have to stay focused.

2. STAY INTENTIONAL

Now that we've established that we're going to focus on just a few things that we really need to work on, it's important to set yourself up for success by being intentional about the decisions you make.  If your goal was to develop new lighting skills, practice!  If your goal was to create new marketing pieces, hire a designer.  

Once you've narrowed your focus, it's important to start putting things into place to help you move forward - AND to stay accountable.  Just saying you have a goal isn't enough - goals don't happen by accident. 

Make wise decisions about the information you collected, and develop a plan that helps you move forward.  Do things ON PURPOSE.  Get a Goal, Get a Plan, Get Busy.

3. STAY CONNECTED

Finally, you probably met a few people at WPPI.  These are your peers, and they can be one of your greatest assets in this industry.  Most of us work alone, or with a very small group of people around us.  Most of us are photographers AND the business owner/boss.  Some people are fortunate to do this with a team - but the vast majority are in it alone.  Alone can be a lonely place, so take advantage of the relationships you formed. 

Keep in touch with the people you rubbed shoulders with, and reach out to the people that inspired you.  The shared experiences we all have can make us stronger - but only when we stick together.  

Since it's impossible to really connect with all 14,000 people at WPPI, I encourage you to reach out to a few of the people you most resonated with.  I especially encourage you to reach out to people from your own area - because relationships only work when there is proximity.  Sure, the virtual world is great - but nothing beats face to face time with people you can build a connection with.

You probably have a stack of business cards from people you met.  Take 10 minutes and shoot everyone of them a nice note by email.  You'll be surprised what that connection can mean.  Even better - take 20 minutes and write a few handwritten notes.  You'll make someone's day.

What would you add to the list?