I don’t know about you, but I have LOTS of photos.  When I say LOTS, I mean that I’ve passed the one million mark, and I only shoot part-time.  Think of all the full-time, working photographers out there who must have millions or even tens of millions of image files.  When you have to handle that many files, being organized, having the right file management system, and keeping a dependable backup system – I’ll save our chat about backup options for another post – are absolute necessities.  Even if organization is not your forte (i.e. Container Store?  There’s a store for…containers?!?), here are some simple things you can do to keep your files manageable:

Give Your Files Meaningful Names
The native file name out of a Canon camera looks like this:

_MG_xxxx  OR  IMG_xxxx

and if you’re using a Nikon, I’m sure you’re familiar with this:

DSC_xxxx

But after a few photo shoots, you’re probably going to have duplicate filenames (because that’s what some cameras do when they have been re-formatted or reset, depending upon your custom settings), and unless you’re in the habit of uploading your files into separate folders or directories immediately after a photo shoot, you’ll soon end up with eight different images with the name “IMG_4557” floating around in your hard drive.  Make life easier.  If you add meaning to your file names, you’ll find that searching and organizing them later will be a breeze.  For example, include the date and project name:

year_month_date_client_project_number =  2010_09_01_johndoe_headshot_001

You can even shorten it a bit by removing the underscores in the date:

20100901_johndoe_headshot_00 OR  100901_johndoe_headshot_001

Notice that I did not use capital letters or spaces.  Generally speaking, using capital letters in your file names is poor practice since some software applications are case sensitive, and spaces are painful for web browsers and search engines.  Better to play it safe and stick to lowercase and underscores.

Remember Your File-Naming System
You just finished renaming your files and you’re ready to organize! Huzzah!  But, uh-oh.  You see this:

100901_johndoe_headshot_001

And now you’re stumped.  Was that Mr. Doe’s headshot session from October 9, 2001 or January 9, 2010 or September 10, 2001?!?

Have a practical file-naming system, but make sure you know and stick with the same sequence of year/month/date.  Another tip: Don’t leave off those zeroes when dealing with single digits.  September should be “09” not “9” and the 3^rd should read “03” not “3”.  Remember Y2K?  Not including that “0” will only add to the confusion to your numerical system as the years and decades go by.

I know what you’re thinking…Using a year/month/date file-naming system is so BORING and CONVENTIONAL.  I’m a CREATIVE!  I’m a FREE-SPIRIT!  I want to name my files after the astrological pattern of the third moon rising over Saturn! Before you give in to your inner flower child, think of this advantage:  If you organize your images and folders in a practical manner (for instance, years and months), it will drastically decrease the time that you spend searching for your files and give you more time to work with the image creatively (and ponder the meaning of life).  So your folder structure might look like (FYI, these are fake folders, just for the purpose of this post).  And notice the digits that precede the name of the month…

Also, as a professional selling your services, it is inevitable that you will deal with people who may not share your, um, mindset.  Using a chronological system will offer that other “non-creative” person (client, vendor, colleague, etc.) information about the image and make it easier for them to handle accordingly.  Easier = Satisfied client/vendor/colleague = More work and $$ for you!

You can also use keywords to tag your images, but this could lead to problems with inconsistency, especially if you have multiple people (e.g. an intern, personal assistant, butler) assisting you with the task.  I’ve spoken to colleagues who have worked at the big stock houses like Getty and Corbis, and it seems that consistent keywording is a source of trouble, even for them.  Having a structured, meaningful file-naming system can be an easy way to organize and search, without dealing with the potential headaches of keywording.

Quick Recap:
*Consistent File Name Structure/Syntax
*Meaningful and Practical Naming System
*No Spaces
*No Capital Letters

These are my tried-and-true file organizational tips that I’ve picked up from spending way too much time searching.  If you have your own tips to share, let’s hear them!

As the popularity of digital photography has exploded over the past 10 years so has everyone’s propensity to attain that “perfect” image.   Oftentimes, photographers will tweak or adjust things in an attempt to make them stronger images.  I think the most common editing you will see is skin smoothing or blemish removal.  You probably see this everyday on the magazine racks filled with celebrity faces.  In other cases of digital editing, the images are just flat out lies of dropping in elements that were never there or in the case of some countries, adding missles that they didn’t even launch or for some big software companies, replacing people (very poorly).

While digital editing has its purposes, particularly in advertising, to tweak and fix things to create cohesive brand image, many people are suggesting that editing is going to extremes, particularly pertaining to the female image, and creating an unattainable expectation.  What is that doing to the public?  What is that doing to the health of young women?  What is that doing to men’s expectations of a woman?

… Many are trying to address the concerns…

The French want health warnings on their photos in this UK Telegraph article.

NYDaily News article highlights a Ralph Lauren ad that went to extremes.

And the NYTimes says warning labels might be an option.

As a side note, several years ago, when talking to a professional post production specialists from New  York, they told me stories about how for some of the top female models in the industry, there would be a checklist of 25-30 things that had to be done to “fix” the model before the image could get published.  And this was all contractually mandated.  So to think, if supermodels need things fixed, what does that say about normal people?

I’m sure this is nothing new to most people, butI guess the moral of the story is to enjoy the images/visual work, but do not necessarily believe what you see.  And parents try to teach your kids appropriately about self esteem.

Being that I currently live in Houston, TX, the temperature is still in the mid 80s to low 90s.  The other day, I think the temperature hit 92 and really humid.  So it still feels like summer.  I really miss the Northeast, where I grew up; I really miss the fall foliage and all the leaves and trees turning from green to shades of orange and yellow.  The month of October in the northern United States, particularly, New England is a great time of year.  It’s probably my favorite season.  Anyway, what reminded me of this was a small NYTimes Gallery on the “Hidden Stashes of Fall Foliage.” Check it out.  It’s a nice little gallery

I have to thank my friend, Mike, for letting me know about this.  In the latest issue of National Geographic, Nick Nichols, a longtime wildlife and nature photographer,  was tasked with photographing a 1500 year old 300 feet tall Redwood Tree.  How do you do that?  Build your own rig, that’s how.  Check out this link: Multi-Camera Rig.  It’s a great example of how a little creativity and ingenuity can help to overcome some technical challenges.

Most people in this world do not understand the concept of a copyright and/or licensing your work, whether it be photography, music, graphic design, film, art, stories, computer code etc…. hence the whole Napster/Metallica suit back in the early 2000 years for copyright infringement.

Basically, if you create a photo, I own the copyright to that image, as it is intellectual property.  And to further solidify my ownership of the image I can register it with the copyright office.  Should a commercial outlet want to use the image for some purpose, I would  license that image to that commercial company for a fee b/c they see a value in the image.  That image becomes an investment for that company to make a greater return when it gets published for the purposes of their product/service.    Now if there is a person in that image, I must obtain a model release from that person.  And if there’s a building in the image, I need to have a property release signed.

Here is where many (student) photographers have been scammed and ripped off.  Many have been approached for the “privilege” of being published and have their work go out into the world as royalty-free stock photography.  The “author” and publisher reap all the money that is made from this book while the photographers that contributed are left with nothing.  The students are even held liable.  Many photo contests work in the same fashion.  The following is an blog-post by John Harrington, a well known Washington DC photographer and advocate for educating young photographers/artists on the business side of photography.

http://photobusinessforum.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-to-rip-off-1000-photos.html

Bottom line…. Aspiring artists, protect your work and read the fine print before submitting your work to anything.