I think most photographers in the digital age are struggling with the same problem I have been…editing the photo shoot afterwards. With the capability of digital technology, an abundance of images can be shot quickly before you realize it. I am very guilty of this. Why? Because I love to take photos. I get myself so excited and my adrenaline going so fast, that by the time I get to a shoot…I’m like the Tasmanian devil spinning around on red bull. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE…LOVE to take photos and I tend to take a lot. However, in my defense…my clients are all beautiful people with amazing personalities. I simply want to share their beauty and their connections through the photos I capture. I’ve been trying to get better and make myself STOP before all my memory cards are full. Seriously, if not I will just keep snapping away, even after the shoot is done. LOL…I just looooooove to take pictures.

It has become obvious to me that this high quantity of images has also been my downfall. When it comes to editing a shoot, simply put…I am a “perfectionist”. This is not the most sensible characteristic when you download 200, 300 or 400 images from one shoot. Yikes! LOL again. I have found myself spending more time in front of the computer than behind the camera….Errrrr, not where I want to be. Hence the change from my original career path of Computer 3D Artist & Animator to lifestyle photographer. This past year, I’ve done some research and talked to some other photographers to get an idea of how to better process my workflow. I got some great info and it is changing the way I am approaching my shoots. Recently on a video chat, I asked the uber fabulous Jasmine Star exactly how she was able to knock out repeated shoots without skipping a beat. She is a photography guru and has been an amazing inspiration to me, although we’ve never met. Her blog is constantly being updated with new weddings and a variety of other amazing shoots. It’s like she is 3 people in one. She gave me some great advice and I hope that it will help me build my business faster (thanks jaz). She gave me the name of Nathan Holritz, an awesome photographer who started an editing company for other photographers. He helps photographer’s spend less time editing and more time shooting. Yes…now that is what I am talking about…woo-hoo! I recently contacted him and spoke with him briefly. He is one of the nicest people I’ve ever talked to on the phone. His concept is brilliant and I look forward to building a business relationship with him & his wife. Their company is called Photographer’s Edit.

Since Photographer’s Edit handles mostly large events for photographers…Nathan was nice enough to share his knowledge on how to edit smaller shoots, like portraits, families, seniors, babies, etc. For over an hour and a half, he guided photographer’s from all around the world through a step-by-step process for editing with Adobe Lightroom. This was done on a video webinar, so I kicked back with a green ice tea, a note pad & pen and let my brain soak in every word. He covered so much great information. I currently use Adobe Photoshop CS2 & Apple’s Aperture for editing. Now I love Aperture, but I have been debating on changing to Lightroom. Choosing the right software is always important for photo editing. Nathan made it very easy to get an idea of how great Lightroom is to work with when editing. During the webinar, I quickly made notes because it’s not everyday you get the 411 from an expert on the workflow process. It is people like, Nathan & Jasmine who share of themselves that inspires me. It makes me want to be a better photographer and colleague to others. I definitely wanted to share Nathan’s company and information with others. For any photographer feeling overwhelmed with a ton of wedding images…definitely check out Nathan & Amber’s company, Photographer’s Edit.

Here is a screen shot of my computer desktop…and no these guys did not have blue hair…ha.ha. Nathan was highlighting this area during his tutorial. It was so great how he walked us through all the steps on the webinar. Now if I can just apply his tips & techniques as quickly & efficiently as he does, I’ll be shooting more and editing less. yea!