This is a companion piece for my recent masterclass discussion on post-shoot workflow. It is primarily focused on still photography, but as a filmmaker/editor as well, I’ve generally optimized it for video, too. In the discussion, a number of photographers talked about workflow and it got semi-deep into process and applications. It gave me the idea to get even more granular on my own process and make it all available to anyone who cared.
I view post-shoot workflow as an integral part of the creative process of any shoot because, for me, the post-process is entirely intertwined with the shooting process. If you have a great post-shoot workflow, then you are essentially riding the energy of the shoot all the way through to delivery and it all works seamlessly as one experience for you. But if the workflow has gaps in its efficiency, or somehow has some friction points in there, you can get bogged down in it and it becomes a drag on your creativity.
I do upwards of 200 shoots a year and have been on that pace since 2015. I’ve honed and optimized my workflow to the point where I can rely on it day-in and day-out and have 100% confidence that it will be completely efficient, safe and reliable. But that doesn’t mean it’s the only way. Most photographers I know have similar, but slightly different versions of this. If you’ve ever struggled with the workflow, or wondered how someone else handled it, consider this a base to build your own process from.
At the end, I’ll provide a full list of links to all the items mentioned here. To be upfront, some of them are affiliate links. I like to work closely with the companies that are a big part of my workflow, including manufacturers and software. So if I have an affiliate link to something, just know that’s because I use it a LOT.
The Pyramid
I see the foundation of a workflow as being built upon a three-tiered platform, or a pyramid. It’s simple in theory, but each part of it is critical to the success of it.
Tier 1: Hard Drives
I put no files on my computer hard drive (a fairly standard iMac), only applications. For all images, documents, movie clips, even special plug-ins or templates, I use external drives. I’ve never…
