Welcome to Photo.net: A Community of Photographers
a guide by photo.net wedding photographers; created November 2007
Jeff Ascough • Mary Ball • Bob Bernardo • Conrad Erb • Nadine Ohara • Josh Root • David Wegwart • Marc Williams
The Business of Wedding Photography is an extensive subject, best answered by a team of professional wedding photographers, who also happen to be star photo.net members. In this article, these professional photographers have contributed advice and personal experience gained from running wedding businesses. Not only have they shared their digital workflow and post-production process, but they've also included example images of unique bridal portraits and wedding reception photos. Whether you are just entering the field of wedding photography, or are a seasoned professional, the tips and insights shared here should be helpful with your own business.
We asked our panel of experts the following questions:
How do you manage your digital workflow?
Jeff Ascough: I photograph in RAW and process using Capture One. I then export the files as TIFFs and bring into Photoshop to tweak. Editing is done with iView in thumbnail mode.
Bob Bernardo: After a wedding gig, I can't sleep until all of the cards are uploaded to two hard drives. The cards are not reformatted until the job is converted to JPEGs and saved onto two hard drives and two DVDs - the first DVD is unedited RAW, the second is the converted JPEG images. After that we usually use printroom.com and upload the photos to that site. This happens to be the site we usually use, although there are several other good sites out there. Then I can sleep!
Conrad Erb: I use Photomechanic to review images, then Canon DPP for tweaks. Around 90% of the files are ready to go at that point. I use Photoshop for the remaining 10% of the images.
Nadine Ohara: I photograph in RAW and convert using Adobe Lightroom, to full-size JPEGs. If an image needs to be worked on after that, I use Photoshop and save once so as not to degrade the JPEG. Editing is done during the conversion process. I may photograph about 700 images and edit down to about 500.
Josh Root: I spent a few years photographing in JPEG because that was my process when I was photographing extreme sports. The cameras couldn't buffer enough images to be able to capture a 20-image sequence in RAW. I realize now that I made a lot more work for myself trying to do weddings in JPEG. RAW gives you so many more options in terms of post-processing. I convert using Photoshop CS3 or Bibble to full-size JPEGs.
David Wegwart: I start by using two cameras during all parts of the event. I like to use large enough cards to negate changing cards during the event, having tested all cards to be sure they are stable for a while before use. I photograph the event and then download all images to Lightroom and simultaneously to a separate physical drive. Following that, I create a backup copy of the drive to a second physical drive. I remove memory cards and store in a fireproof safe until processing is done. Processing of images is usually completed within one week. I then upload lower resolution images (<1200 pixels wide/high) to an online gallery. I burn verified DVDs of images on high-quality disks, one set for me and two for the client. I store my copy off site and send the clients theirs. Done.
Marc Williams: I primarily photograph in RAW and edit in Lightroom. I then transfer the images to TIFF and/or JPEG and then tweak in Photoshop CS3.
Can you recommend resources/books/programs for digital workflow?
Jeff Ascough: Anything by Martin Evening is good. Scott Kelby has some great books out too. Kevin Kubota's Digital Photography Boot Camp is one of the better books for digital. I also like Paul Gero's book Digital Wedding Photography, which is a very good read.
Bob Bernardo: For Photoshop, I always liked Julieanne Kost. If you want to learn Photoshop and know all of the secret tricks, get her CDs. She has to be the best instructor for learning from the beginning to the very advanced.
Conrad Erb: Not really. I never had much trouble with my workflow other than understanding color management.
Nadine Ohara: I also recommend Kevin Kubota's Digital Photography Boot Camp. I started out using this book. Then I refined as I went, learning from online resources, such as the forums on photo.net.
Josh Root: You should try and find what other people are doing as a starting point. Everyone's digital workflow is different. You shouldn't feel like you need to copy them. However, starting with someone else's system will be a lot faster than trying to learn everything yourself.
David Wegwart: I like Lightroom for most RAW processing and also use Photoshop CS3 for further adjustments. Things like actions, filters and cloning work are done in CS3. For resources, the Photo.net forums are about the best overall resource with other local pros being wonderful too. I like Scott Kelby's books on Lightroom and CS3, though there are many great books on the subject available. Nikon's proprietary software is also great for Nikon RAW.
Marc Williams: The best is one-on-one instruction.
What is your process for backing up your images?
Jeff Ascough: Original files are copied to an external hard drive and burned to DVDs. Finished files are also burned to DVD and copied to an external hard drive. We don't keep any other files. If I need the cards before the wedding is processed, I'll copy the original files to two other computers. Thus I would have four copies of my originals in four different places.
Bob Bernardo: I back everything up to two hard drives and two DVDs.
Conrad Erb: All images are backed up to two external hard drives immediately after I download them from my cards. Images are backed up again when the gallery is finished and online. After backing up, I always run through the images and make sure that the images come up in Photomechanic and also confirm the total number of gigabytes in each folder.
I learned about backing up the hard way. Very early in my career after doing a non-repeatable assignment, I downloaded the cards to my hard drive. I formatted the cards before I backed up and the hard drive flipped out shortly thereafter. I took the hard drive to a computer shop, and they reassured me that what happened was normal and could get my data rescued for no problem. A few days later, I received a call. "Conrad, your hard drive is toast." I felt ill. After I recovered from this shock, I sent the drive to a hard drive recovery company, OnTrack. A few days later, a new drive came in the mail with all my photos recovered. The bill was 10x what I was paid for the wedding but the expense was well worth it. Nothing can sink your reputation faster than losing images due to hard drive failure.
Nadine Ohara: I have a redundant external drive of all my current work. Eventually I archive the jobs on external drives, which I retire as they become "inactive". I will be installing a RAID system soon, but will still archive jobs on external drives.
Josh Root: I backup all original RAW files and then the smaller number of edited JPEGs. I have two external hard drives that I swap out. One stays attached to the computer and another stays in the firesafe or my bank's safe deposit box. I also make a backup of the final DVD that I give the clients.
David Wegwart: As described in question one, I will be using the D3s for weddings in the near future. The D3 allows for two cards per body and I place a 16 GB card in each of the camera's two slots. Once full, I will place one card in the fireproof safe and the other will sit in the card reader until processing is complete.
Marc Williams: I simultaneously download all CF cards to one desktop folder via multiple firewire readers. I set the CF cards aside until the job is completed. When using Lightroom, the images are backed up to a separate hard drive.
What is your philosophy on supplying digital files to clients?
Jeff Ascough: Files are charged as extras. I supply JPEGs. They are taken from the files that are used in the album, resized to 12x8 at 300 dpi.
Bob Bernardo: There is no right or wrong answer here. Our studios do not give out digital files. This is the reason for using printroom.com. Within 24 hours people can see all of the images there. Orders increase due to the fact that everyone at the wedding can view them. These images are all fixed, retouched, and ready for print.
Conrad Erb: I provide high resolution JPEGs to my clients. I structure my pricing in order to earn my income during the shoot and don't rely on reprints as part of the income. My clients appreciate having a copy of their files so they don't have to worry about what might happen in the future. Everyone wins.
Nadine Ohara: My philosophy is the same as it always was regarding clients and their images. During my film years, I gave my clients the negatives during a time when that was against the industry norm. With digital files, I give my clients the files. I want to be paid for my time and talent and don't want to hold the files hostage to make my profit.
Josh Root: In my opinion, selling prints and albums is a pain. I am a photographer and I like to take photos. If I wanted to sell prints I would have opened up an art gallery. I prefer to price myself so that I do not have to make up my profit on the backend. I give the couple the images and do not have a problem with it. If they want to buy prints, that's fine. If not, I'd rather be out fishing than trying to sell them something they don't want. Photographers in other markets have different business models and they all work just as well or better than mine. I choose to do what makes me happy. Otherwise, why bother?
David Wegwart: I believe the files are best disseminated to as many places as possible and therefore charge for the files upfront as part of the rate for the event. This follows for all levels of photography work I embark upon.
Marc Williams: I provide high resolution TIFF files on archival DVDs and produce a CD-ROM with JPEG reductions for more casual use. I keep RAW files and never provide them to any client.
Next Topic: #10 Wedding albums, shopping carts, and other products
Text contributed by: Jeff Ascough, Bob Bernardo, Conrad Erb, Nadine Ohara, Josh Root, David Wegwart, Marc Williams, ©2007. Edited by Hannah Thiem. All photos are copyright the photographer, and may not be used without written permission.
