Today I’m devoting a special blog for clients. I think one of the neatest parts about photography is that there are so many aspects to it. Lighting, exposure, composition, relating with your clients, post-processing, handling the “business” side, etc. It really keeps the job passion interesting. I seriously LOVE what I do. All of it. Some more than others, but you get the point.

What many people don’t know about photography is that there is a lot that goes on behind the scenes after we do a session together. Let me explain my post-processing work flow.

1.) Upload the pictures to my computer (30 min - 1 hour)

2.) Back up the pictures (15-30 minutes)

3.) Rate the pictures (1 is trash, 2 is a keeper, 3 is a major keeper, which I’ll probably blog) (30 min - 1 hour)

4.) Open all the keepers in Camera Raw and fix the exposure, temperature, etc. (1 hour)

5.) Edit the major keepers and blog a sneak peek (1 - 2 hours)

6.) Upload the proofs onto my online photo gallery (30 minutes - 1 hour)

7.) Edit the images my clients choose (varies depending on how many images are ordered (usually between 2 - 5 hours)

8.) Burn disc of digital negatives for client (30 minutes)

So that’s typical for EVERY client’s session. The time varies, but I spend usually between 7 and 12 hours just post processing one session per client. (That’s a 1 hour session, not a wedding…. I chain myself to the desk for hours on end to process a wedding… haha!).

The reason I’m blogging this is because I want every client to understand the difference between an edited photo and a digital negative. The reason I do not edit every photo I take is because it would take FOR-E-VER and I want to keep my prices reasonable. I do include digital negatives with every session. Why, you ask? Because I’m just that nice.

So what is the difference between a digital negative and an edited photo? Well, I’m glad you asked.

(SOOC - means Straight Out Of Camera)

And for funzies, a before and after pic of my niece in a pink dress that my sister and I both had our portraits made in when we were 3 years old. Now it’s my sister’s daughter’s turn! Isn’t she sweet? I hope I have a little girl one day that can carry on the tradition!!

So as you can see, there is a big difference between SOOC, the digital negative, and an edited photo. SOOC - no corrections. Digital Negative - Improved exposure and temperature. Edited - Makes you look like a rockstar (well, more so than you already are).

I hope this little Insider was helpful!!!