It's rather timely that I found this thread. Keeping in mind that I'm not even close to making money from photos, I love taking the photos, but between leaving the venue and the photos reach SM; it feels like work. I'm using lightroom and normally shoot motorsport at the race track. A regular day nets me 1500 shots on average, most days I keep half of them. It makes me think twice about going out, cause I know I've still got maybe 2 other days not processed. I hope though that the more often I go out, the better keep:junk ratio. I use lightroom and find it rather slow.
I'll have a read and see if there is a way I can make it easier.
First, you need to learn to choose your shots better, and be more relentless in what you keep for later processing.
Second, LR is only as fast as it's operator - you just have to learn how to get your wetware properly trained.
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I'm using lightroom and normally shoot motorsport at the race track. A regular day nets me 1500 shots on average, most days I keep half of them. It makes me think twice about going out, cause I know I've still got maybe 2 other days not processed. I hope though that the more often I go out, the better keep:junk ratio. I use lightroom and find it rather slow.
A 50% keep ratio isn't bad for moving objects. One thing to do is ask yourself these questions in post:
Am I salvaging an image that could have been saved by better camera work?
Is this worthy of someone buying?
Is enhancing the image going to get the sale?
If the answers to these questions are "no", then skip the image. No one will notice it, and over time, you won't either. And be ready for the answer to the questions to be "yes" for a particular image. Then you know the time you spend is worthwhile.
P.S. I'd love to see your work. I shoot motorsports as well.
First, you need to learn to choose your shots better, and be more relentless in what you keep for later processing.
Second, LR is only as fast as it's operator - you just have to learn how to get your wetware properly trained.
Sometimes I think 'I have enough of this car' but then I think well what if something happens, he has a lose, it's close between two drivers and I miss it ??? Actually it's happened maybe once or twice where I have missed something. I try to delete the junk during the day, sometimes the amount of cars coming through are constant and I don't get around to it till Lightroom.
I've gone through Lightroom and learnt a few keyboard shortcuts, but I'm talking about the touchyness of and time taken to small tasks, such as crop or rotate or change between Libary. I doubt it is my PC, but it probably does need a Windows reinstall. Adobe like to make Lightroom look pretty instead of functional.
“I don’t understand bus lanes. Why do poor people have to get to places quicker than I do?” - Jeremy Clarkson
Sometimes I think 'I have enough of this car' but then I think well what if something happens, he has a lose, it's close between two drivers and I miss it ??? Actually it's happened maybe once or twice where I have missed something. I try to delete the junk during the day, sometimes the amount of cars coming through are constant and I don't get around to it till Lightroom.
I've gone through Lightroom and learnt a few keyboard shortcuts, but I'm talking about the touchyness of and time taken to small tasks, such as crop or rotate or change between Libary. I doubt it is my PC, but it probably does need a Windows reinstall. Adobe like to make Lightroom look pretty instead of functional.
You DO NOT want to delete pictures at an event. Looking at the LCD of a camera does not compare to seeing final shot on a screen. You do not knwo what small details you have.
I was out shooting shrimpboats for feature art for the newspaper. I didn't see anything special in the pics while I was taking them. I got back to the office and looked at the pics on the monitor. In one pic, I saw a dolphin leading the boat in port. I titled the pic "escort home", it made the front page, and several people came by the newspapers office to buy prints of the pic. DO NOT delete pics off the card while in camera.
DO become more selective in what you save and how you shoot. You can only have so much before they look the same. You do not have to document every turn and every lap unless someone is paying for you to do that. After you get your base pics, start to experiment with panning etc to make your photos more interesting. Also, once you get your standard shots, then be on the watch for special moments, wrecks etc. In the long run, it is better to be prepared to get the shots instead of taking a picture of everything and hope you get it like a surveillance camera would.
Sometimes I think 'I have enough of this car' but then I think well what if something happens, he has a lose, it's close between two drivers and I miss it ??? Actually it's happened maybe once or twice where I have missed something. I try to delete the junk during the day, sometimes the amount of cars coming through are constant and I don't get around to it till Lightroom.
In racing, this is always an issue. But that's when a pre-defined goal helps. My goal is typically a great still shot and panning shot of each car. Now, I usually get to a point where I feel I've got my panning shot (the harder of the two). But I usually continue shooting, only if I feel I can get something better. Other than that, I watch for the 'once-in-a-lifetime' shots.
I never try to cull in the field. In fact, I almost don't even try to review in the field. You can miss great shots that way, or worse, accidentally delete a great shot you already had! Memory cards are cheap, so don't risk losing the perfect shot over space issues. I've always found reviewing in post is always quicker and easier.
I've gone through Lightroom and learnt a few keyboard shortcuts, but I'm talking about the touchyness of and time taken to small tasks, such as crop or rotate or change between Libary. I doubt it is my PC, but it probably does need a Windows reinstall. Adobe like to make Lightroom look pretty instead of functional.
You have to ask yourself is lightroom the right tool for the job? Rotations are done automatically in SM upon upload if your camera has an orientation bit (most do), and you can simply crop a thumbnail (I believe), or your customer can choose their own crop when they buy.
A streamlined workflow is doing just what needs to be done as efficiently as possible. This requires thinking out the full flow end-to-end and then having the right tools to make it happen.
I'm glad I found this thread and read through it. I'm by no means a full "Pro" shooter. Semi-Pro at best. Most of what I shoot are R/C Model Airplanes at organised Fly-Ins, or Full Scale Air Shows. Last May I attended an event called the "Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In" that is like Disneyland for R/C aviation enthusiasts (like me ). I was there five days and shot well over 1500 shots on four different CF cards. Unfortunately, I didn't have a laptop or access to a desktop until I returned home. Then I only had a full day before I had to return to my real job that keeps me away for a week at a time. Needless to say, I lost a lot of time in getting things PP and uploaded to my SM. I shoot mainly in RAW and use ACR to begin the PP before converting to JPG to make final adjustments and crop in PSE 7.
I'm planning to attend this year also, and for an entire week. Hopefully I've learned my workflow a little better over the last nine months and I'll have better organised galleries for this years event. Also this year, I'll have the week after the event off so I can work on them sooner. I'm still debating on a laptop, but even at the event I won't have internet access.
I'm glad I found this thread and read through it. I'm by no means a full "Pro" shooter. Semi-Pro at best. Most of what I shoot are R/C Model Airplanes at organised Fly-Ins, or Full Scale Air Shows. Last May I attended an event called the "Joe Nall Giant Scale Fly-In" that is like Disneyland for R/C aviation enthusiasts (like me ). I was there five days and shot well over 1500 shots on four different CF cards. Unfortunately, I didn't have a laptop or access to a desktop until I returned home. Then I only had a full day before I had to return to my real job that keeps me away for a week at a time. Needless to say, I lost a lot of time in getting things PP and uploaded to my SM. I shoot mainly in RAW and use ACR to begin the PP before converting to JPG to make final adjustments and crop in PSE 7.
I'm planning to attend this year also, and for an entire week. Hopefully I've learned my workflow a little better over the last nine months and I'll have better organised galleries for this years event. Also this year, I'll have the week after the event off so I can work on them sooner. I'm still debating on a laptop, but even at the event I won't have internet access.
Interesting. So what's the most time consuming process for you? The PP or the uploading? A laptop would help with the PP if that's the bottleneck. But if it's the upload, Internet access is the only way to solve that, but don't all hotels have Internet? Most even have business centers.
Thanks very much guys for the tips. This thread is proving to be a treasure of info.
@ jonh68 - I know pretty well off my camera what's VERY blurry and what's not. There isn't a lot to miss and it's one big plus with the D90. And it's really only racing that I delete stuff off the camera.
@SamirD - A lot of my work is deleting and cropping, with the occasional WB fix or colour change for white cars.
My Motorsport shots can be found here, http://floody82.smugmug.com/Motorsport. Like I said, I have maybe 2-4 days out that I haven't done yet. I might restore my Windows image over the weekend and see how quick I get lightroom Try and knock them off.
“I don’t understand bus lanes. Why do poor people have to get to places quicker than I do?” - Jeremy Clarkson
@ jonh68 - I know pretty well off my camera what's VERY blurry and what's not. There isn't a lot to miss and it's one big plus with the D90. And it's really only racing that I delete stuff off the camera.
You missed the point, it isn't about focus or blurriness, it's about small details you miss when viewing on a LCD compared to seeing the full image blown up on a computer monitor. I have looked at images on the LCD that I thought didn't contain anything interesting or didn't look "sharp" but after seeing it on the full screen I saw it differently.
Interesting. So what's the most time consuming process for you? The PP or the uploading? A laptop would help with the PP if that's the bottleneck. But if it's the upload, Internet access is the only way to solve that, but don't all hotels have Internet? Most even have business centers.
Definitely the PP. Because I shoot mainly in RAW, I have to convert in ACR before importing to PSE. Yes, the hotels do have internet access, but I'll be camping on-site . The property owner has a house and aircraft hangar there, so there might be internet that I can steal a wireless signal from. I'll have to think long and hard about the laptop. My budget is limited and I'm already planning to purchase a new Canon 7D. I'll be renting a fast, long lens. That way I'll have my D350 for wider angle shots and the 7D for flying close-ups.
Definitely the PP. Because I shoot mainly in RAW, I have to convert in ACR before importing to PSE. Yes, the hotels do have internet access, but I'll be camping on-site . The property owner has a house and aircraft hangar there, so there might be internet that I can steal a wireless signal from. I'll have to think long and hard about the laptop. My budget is limited and I'm already planning to purchase a new Canon 7D. I'll be renting a fast, long lens. That way I'll have my D350 for wider angle shots and the 7D for flying close-ups.
Hmm...this is where some business decisions need to be made. As I read recently in Best Business Practices for Photographers--fast, good, or cheap--pick two. That's the conundrum you're facing. We all want to have all three, but it's generally not possible.
I think photogs who shoot RAW for sports events are killing themselves unless this is for major publication.
Not at all. A tool like Photo Mechanic makes previewing a bunch of RAW images lightening fast and allows you to rank, sort, cull, etc. Aperture and Lightroom make a RAW workflow identical to a JPG workflow as well. I see zero downside to working RAW anymore. Those days are gone.
I do track days for cars. I could have better sales if I had onsite previewing and ordering but I'm not willing to invest that far. Personal choice and priorities. My workflow is I shoot at the track in RAW, AWB, and I'm very deliberate about when I trip the shutter. Unload cards at home into an Aperture project, renaming and basic keywording and metadata upon import. Then I do a batch post-processing to the images, using presets that I have learned from experience will make the images look much better. I will hand-tweak later as needed. Next step is to go through each image. Toss the losers. Keyword with car make for easier searching. Final step is to export JPG's to upload to Exposure Manager, then FTP. I will often do this to a proof-only gallery so that as an order comes in I can fine-tune the post-processing, and therefore only do this for images that actually sell. This also means I can upload 900-pixel images rather than full-size, making uploads go much faster. My batch post-processing gets it close enough that the website looks good and encourages a sale.
@SamirD - A lot of my work is deleting and cropping, with the occasional WB fix or colour change for white cars.
My Motorsport shots can be found here, http://floody82.smugmug.com/Motorsport. Like I said, I have maybe 2-4 days out that I haven't done yet. I might restore my Windows image over the weekend and see how quick I get lightroom Try and knock them off.
Your shots remind me of mine. But that being said, the photojournalistic style doesn't really generate sales. Next time you're at a store with car magazines, look at the covers. Dissect them finding out how to create that shot on the cover. Feel what makes that shot worthy of the cover. This is what every car enthusiast wants for their car--a shot like that. If you can deliver this day-in day-out when at events, you'll see your sales and popularity skyrocket.
Your shots remind me of mine. But that being said, the photojournalistic style doesn't really generate sales. Next time you're at a store with car magazines, look at the covers. Dissect them finding out how to create that shot on the cover. Feel what makes that shot worthy of the cover. This is what every car enthusiast wants for their car--a shot like that. If you can deliver this day-in day-out when at events, you'll see your sales and popularity skyrocket.
He also needs to cull better. It did not take me long at all to find a lot of shots that need to hit the trash bin. This is one example. He needs to ask himself why this shot should be put up for sale in the first place. It will tarnish the reputation:
Not at all. A tool like Photo Mechanic makes previewing a bunch of RAW images lightening fast and allows you to rank, sort, cull, etc. Aperture and Lightroom make a RAW workflow identical to a JPG workflow as well. I see zero downside to working RAW anymore. Those days are gone.
I do track days for cars. I could have better sales if I had onsite previewing and ordering but I'm not willing to invest that far. Personal choice and priorities. My workflow is I shoot at the track in RAW, AWB, and I'm very deliberate about when I trip the shutter. Unload cards at home into an Aperture project, renaming and basic keywording and metadata upon import. Then I do a batch post-processing to the images, using presets that I have learned from experience will make the images look much better. I will hand-tweak later as needed. Next step is to go through each image. Toss the losers. Keyword with car make for easier searching. Final step is to export JPG's to upload to Exposure Manager, then FTP. I will often do this to a proof-only gallery so that as an order comes in I can fine-tune the post-processing, and therefore only do this for images that actually sell. This also means I can upload 900-pixel images rather than full-size, making uploads go much faster. My batch post-processing gets it close enough that the website looks good and encourages a sale.
Nice work! EM is looking better these days. I almost switched right before SM added video.
My Motorsport shots can be found here, http://floody82.smugmug.com/Motorsport. Like I said, I have maybe 2-4 days out that I haven't done yet. I might restore my Windows image over the weekend and see how quick I get lightroom Try and knock them off.
I see zero downside to working RAW anymore. Those days are gone.
I guess I see it exactly opposite, seeing very few upsides in shooting raw. For the large volume event photography that I do, shooting in raw would completely bog my system down in upload speed at the events as well as the storage space required. I find that correcting the occasional incorrect white balance can be done by opening the images up in Capture Raw and correcting there.
But true, there are so many ways to do all of this, and seemingly no end to the software applications to do it. I have yet to go out and spend the cash on LR.
Hmm...this is where some business decisions need to be made. As I read recently in Best Business Practices for Photographers--fast, good, or cheap--pick two. That's the conundrum you're facing. We all want to have all three, but it's generally not possible.
That's why for now, I've decided to buy the new body (8mp just don't cut it anymore really), and rent the glass for the time I'll need it. If I can make more Fly-Ins and Air Shows this year, and in turn make more sales, it'll justify buying the fast glass, but for now, I can't justify that. I really think the laptop will be my next major purchase, as it will be more versatile beyond just photography, but I've got a few months before I'll need it.
Out of curiousity, and I don't want to hi-jack this thread, but what's the consensus - PC Laptop or MacBook ? I have a PC Desktop at home.
Not at all. A tool like Photo Mechanic makes previewing a bunch of RAW images lightening fast and allows you to rank, sort, cull, etc. Aperture and Lightroom make a RAW workflow identical to a JPG workflow as well. I see zero downside to working RAW anymore. Those days are gone.
I do track days for cars. I could have better sales if I had onsite previewing and ordering but I'm not willing to invest that far. Personal choice and priorities. My workflow is I shoot at the track in RAW, AWB, and I'm very deliberate about when I trip the shutter. Unload cards at home into an Aperture project, renaming and basic keywording and metadata upon import. Then I do a batch post-processing to the images, using presets that I have learned from experience will make the images look much better. I will hand-tweak later as needed. Next step is to go through each image. Toss the losers. Keyword with car make for easier searching. Final step is to export JPG's to upload to Exposure Manager, then FTP. I will often do this to a proof-only gallery so that as an order comes in I can fine-tune the post-processing, and therefore only do this for images that actually sell. This also means I can upload 900-pixel images rather than full-size, making uploads go much faster. My batch post-processing gets it close enough that the website looks good and encourages a sale.
When the image is more than likely going to be a 4x7 or 8x10 at the most, I stand behind my comment. If you like shooting RAW more power to you, but I have yet to experience a situation where RAW presented a major difference. I just don't see the advanatge of using bigger files when, for all practical purposes I cannot tell a difference.
I guess I see it exactly opposite, seeing very few upsides in shooting raw. For the large volume event photography that I do, shooting in raw would completely bog my system down in upload speed at the events as well as the storage space required.
I'm in the same boat. I rarely shoot raw. The file sizes bog down my piddly little cameras and that's doesn't work for some of the faster action events I cover.
With events, there's so much volume that if a shot isn't perfect, I can just hide it. No one will really miss it. I've only thrown away about 50 salvageable images over the years that would have yielded in a sale. When hired to shoot something, I'm very careful about shooting and will adjust things on the spot and just re-shoot until its right. At that point, time and the setup is on my side.
That's why for now, I've decided to buy the new body (8mp just don't cut it anymore really), and rent the glass for the time I'll need it.
Out of curiousity, and I don't want to hi-jack this thread, but what's the consensus - PC Laptop or MacBook ? I have a PC Desktop at home.
I like the idea of renting and have considered it myself. But I really can't justify any more investment in the next year or so. That being said I'll be shooting with almost 7 year old equipment before I can upgrade. :cry
PC/Mac? If you're PC at home, might want to just stick to that platform for interoperability. Cross-platform is not as bad as it used to be, but it's still got quirks.
Mind you, I don't have a problem with shooting "NEF," just not at horse shows. I will shoot strictly NEF when I do most any other sort of work that I do, weddings, portraits, farm calls, theatre, commercial. As far as any sort of event is concered, I just have to count on knowing how to set up my camera and shoot the highest resolution jpg..
I have a good friend equitog who is more prominent in pure Dressage, who shoot whatever it is that Canonites shoot as RAW.:D She and I argue about it all the time, but she ain't changing, and neither am I!
Of course, in equestrian, it's all about intentionally capturing a point in the stride. Since I never ever ever ever miss, I never ever ever ever need to delete a shot. Nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk...
I like the idea of renting and have considered it myself.
I rented a 5D MkII and a 70-300 L IS from Borrowlenses.com last year and it was well worth it for me. That's where I'm renting my glass from this year too.
PC/Mac? If you're PC at home, might want to just stick to that platform for interoperability. Cross-platform is not as bad as it used to be, but it's still got quirks.
I'm leaning in that direction for the cost as well as inter..., inter..., limiting the quirks .
We download cards to the main computer 5 minute photo resizes and sends to 3 touch screens where people can browse if they like them we process them with picasa and send to a sony dye sub 15 seconds later they have an 8x6 mounted print and we have £10 in the till
Your shots remind me of mine. But that being said, the photojournalistic style doesn't really generate sales. Next time you're at a store with car magazines, look at the covers. Dissect them finding out how to create that shot on the cover. Feel what makes that shot worthy of the cover. This is what every car enthusiast wants for their car--a shot like that. If you can deliver this day-in day-out when at events, you'll see your sales and popularity skyrocket.
Whoa I haven't said anything about selling (have I??). Obviously I'd like to one day, but after only a year I know I'm a long way from selling. I have had one guy that liked a few shots of a particularly close shave between cars at the end of a straight, and I loved the positive feedback but most days I look at my photos and know that it's just not happening. Like I said, it's only been a year, I think I'm just being impatient and focusing on the negatives, such as the time taken for PP.
He also needs to cull better. It did not take me long at all to find a lot of shots that need to hit the trash bin. This is one example. He needs to ask himself why this shot should be put up for sale in the first place. It will tarnish the reputation:
That was May, and yes I look through that album now and know that I could have cull a lot more. Like I said, these have never been put up for sale and I know I would never pay for something like that example. These links only get given out to mates, I don't go publishing the location.
After all the comments about being selective with my shots, I went to watch my mate ride his bike at Eastern Creek in the morning and then went to take photos of cars at the last ever track day at Oran Park before it gets pulled down and turned into housing And I've finished the day with 2,073 photos all up and I know I'll be dumping more then half. I'm just at a point where I'm getting a bit (lot) impatient.
“I don’t understand bus lanes. Why do poor people have to get to places quicker than I do?” - Jeremy Clarkson
Whoa I haven't said anything about selling (have I??). Obviously I'd like to one day, but after only a year I know I'm a long way from selling. I have had one guy that liked a few shots of a particularly close shave between cars at the end of a straight, and I loved the positive feedback but most days I look at my photos and know that it's just not happening. Like I said, it's only been a year, I think I'm just being impatient and focusing on the negatives, such as the time taken for PP.
I think keeping the end goal in mind will help you get there all the more quickly. It can be frustrating wanting and working towards to something without seeing any results. I'd start approaching the shots like you were going to sell then. And then start getting the galleries out there for sale. See what your sales feedback is. Sales won't turn on like a waterfall--it starts as a trickle and then as the volume picks up you'll have a steady stream. But then you'll have some feedback on how to take your stream and turn it into a mighty river.
Comments
Second, LR is only as fast as it's operator - you just have to learn how to get your wetware properly trained.
- Am I salvaging an image that could have been saved by better camera work?
- Is this worthy of someone buying?
- Is enhancing the image going to get the sale?
If the answers to these questions are "no", then skip the image. No one will notice it, and over time, you won't either. And be ready for the answer to the questions to be "yes" for a particular image. Then you know the time you spend is worthwhile.P.S. I'd love to see your work. I shoot motorsports as well.
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Sometimes I think 'I have enough of this car' but then I think well what if something happens, he has a lose, it's close between two drivers and I miss it ??? Actually it's happened maybe once or twice where I have missed something. I try to delete the junk during the day, sometimes the amount of cars coming through are constant and I don't get around to it till Lightroom.
I've gone through Lightroom and learnt a few keyboard shortcuts, but I'm talking about the touchyness of and time taken to small tasks, such as crop or rotate or change between Libary. I doubt it is my PC, but it probably does need a Windows reinstall. Adobe like to make Lightroom look pretty instead of functional.
My Blog: www.floody82.com
My Photos: floody82.smugmug.com
Have you optimized the catalogue recently?
You DO NOT want to delete pictures at an event. Looking at the LCD of a camera does not compare to seeing final shot on a screen. You do not knwo what small details you have.
I was out shooting shrimpboats for feature art for the newspaper. I didn't see anything special in the pics while I was taking them. I got back to the office and looked at the pics on the monitor. In one pic, I saw a dolphin leading the boat in port. I titled the pic "escort home", it made the front page, and several people came by the newspapers office to buy prints of the pic. DO NOT delete pics off the card while in camera.
DO become more selective in what you save and how you shoot. You can only have so much before they look the same. You do not have to document every turn and every lap unless someone is paying for you to do that. After you get your base pics, start to experiment with panning etc to make your photos more interesting. Also, once you get your standard shots, then be on the watch for special moments, wrecks etc. In the long run, it is better to be prepared to get the shots instead of taking a picture of everything and hope you get it like a surveillance camera would.
I never try to cull in the field. In fact, I almost don't even try to review in the field. You can miss great shots that way, or worse, accidentally delete a great shot you already had! Memory cards are cheap, so don't risk losing the perfect shot over space issues. I've always found reviewing in post is always quicker and easier. You have to ask yourself is lightroom the right tool for the job? Rotations are done automatically in SM upon upload if your camera has an orientation bit (most do), and you can simply crop a thumbnail (I believe), or your customer can choose their own crop when they buy.
A streamlined workflow is doing just what needs to be done as efficiently as possible. This requires thinking out the full flow end-to-end and then having the right tools to make it happen.
Want faster uploading? Vote for FTP!
I'm planning to attend this year also, and for an entire week. Hopefully I've learned my workflow a little better over the last nine months and I'll have better organised galleries for this years event. Also this year, I'll have the week after the event off so I can work on them sooner. I'm still debating on a laptop, but even at the event I won't have internet access.
www.tangojulietphotography.com
Want faster uploading? Vote for FTP!
@ jonh68 - I know pretty well off my camera what's VERY blurry and what's not. There isn't a lot to miss and it's one big plus with the D90. And it's really only racing that I delete stuff off the camera.
@SamirD - A lot of my work is deleting and cropping, with the occasional WB fix or colour change for white cars.
My Motorsport shots can be found here, http://floody82.smugmug.com/Motorsport. Like I said, I have maybe 2-4 days out that I haven't done yet. I might restore my Windows image over the weekend and see how quick I get lightroom Try and knock them off.
My Blog: www.floody82.com
My Photos: floody82.smugmug.com
You missed the point, it isn't about focus or blurriness, it's about small details you miss when viewing on a LCD compared to seeing the full image blown up on a computer monitor. I have looked at images on the LCD that I thought didn't contain anything interesting or didn't look "sharp" but after seeing it on the full screen I saw it differently.
Definitely the PP. Because I shoot mainly in RAW, I have to convert in ACR before importing to PSE. Yes, the hotels do have internet access, but I'll be camping on-site . The property owner has a house and aircraft hangar there, so there might be internet that I can steal a wireless signal from. I'll have to think long and hard about the laptop. My budget is limited and I'm already planning to purchase a new Canon 7D. I'll be renting a fast, long lens. That way I'll have my D350 for wider angle shots and the 7D for flying close-ups.
www.tangojulietphotography.com
Want faster uploading? Vote for FTP!
I do track days for cars. I could have better sales if I had onsite previewing and ordering but I'm not willing to invest that far. Personal choice and priorities. My workflow is I shoot at the track in RAW, AWB, and I'm very deliberate about when I trip the shutter. Unload cards at home into an Aperture project, renaming and basic keywording and metadata upon import. Then I do a batch post-processing to the images, using presets that I have learned from experience will make the images look much better. I will hand-tweak later as needed. Next step is to go through each image. Toss the losers. Keyword with car make for easier searching. Final step is to export JPG's to upload to Exposure Manager, then FTP. I will often do this to a proof-only gallery so that as an order comes in I can fine-tune the post-processing, and therefore only do this for images that actually sell. This also means I can upload 900-pixel images rather than full-size, making uploads go much faster. My batch post-processing gets it close enough that the website looks good and encourages a sale.
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
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http://floody82.smugmug.com/Motorsport/BMW-Club-NSW-2009-Supersprint/BMW-Club-Rnd-2-Eastern-Creek/8494542_4wbrH#558989548_FrCLR
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
My Etsy store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/mercphoto?ref=hdr_shop_menu
Want faster uploading? Vote for FTP!
A former sports shooter
Follow me at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/bjurasz/
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I guess I see it exactly opposite, seeing very few upsides in shooting raw. For the large volume event photography that I do, shooting in raw would completely bog my system down in upload speed at the events as well as the storage space required. I find that correcting the occasional incorrect white balance can be done by opening the images up in Capture Raw and correcting there.
But true, there are so many ways to do all of this, and seemingly no end to the software applications to do it. I have yet to go out and spend the cash on LR.
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and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
That's why for now, I've decided to buy the new body (8mp just don't cut it anymore really), and rent the glass for the time I'll need it. If I can make more Fly-Ins and Air Shows this year, and in turn make more sales, it'll justify buying the fast glass, but for now, I can't justify that. I really think the laptop will be my next major purchase, as it will be more versatile beyond just photography, but I've got a few months before I'll need it.
Out of curiousity, and I don't want to hi-jack this thread, but what's the consensus - PC Laptop or MacBook ? I have a PC Desktop at home.
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When the image is more than likely going to be a 4x7 or 8x10 at the most, I stand behind my comment. If you like shooting RAW more power to you, but I have yet to experience a situation where RAW presented a major difference. I just don't see the advanatge of using bigger files when, for all practical purposes I cannot tell a difference.
With events, there's so much volume that if a shot isn't perfect, I can just hide it. No one will really miss it. I've only thrown away about 50 salvageable images over the years that would have yielded in a sale. When hired to shoot something, I'm very careful about shooting and will adjust things on the spot and just re-shoot until its right. At that point, time and the setup is on my side.
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PC/Mac? If you're PC at home, might want to just stick to that platform for interoperability. Cross-platform is not as bad as it used to be, but it's still got quirks.
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I have a good friend equitog who is more prominent in pure Dressage, who shoot whatever it is that Canonites shoot as RAW.:D She and I argue about it all the time, but she ain't changing, and neither am I!
Of course, in equestrian, it's all about intentionally capturing a point in the stride. Since I never ever ever ever miss, I never ever ever ever need to delete a shot. Nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk nyuk...
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and I do believe its true.. that there are roads left in both of our shoes..
I rented a 5D MkII and a 70-300 L IS from Borrowlenses.com last year and it was well worth it for me. That's where I'm renting my glass from this year too.
I'm leaning in that direction for the cost as well as inter..., inter..., limiting the quirks .
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Whoa I haven't said anything about selling (have I??). Obviously I'd like to one day, but after only a year I know I'm a long way from selling. I have had one guy that liked a few shots of a particularly close shave between cars at the end of a straight, and I loved the positive feedback but most days I look at my photos and know that it's just not happening. Like I said, it's only been a year, I think I'm just being impatient and focusing on the negatives, such as the time taken for PP.
That was May, and yes I look through that album now and know that I could have cull a lot more. Like I said, these have never been put up for sale and I know I would never pay for something like that example. These links only get given out to mates, I don't go publishing the location.
After all the comments about being selective with my shots, I went to watch my mate ride his bike at Eastern Creek in the morning and then went to take photos of cars at the last ever track day at Oran Park before it gets pulled down and turned into housing And I've finished the day with 2,073 photos all up and I know I'll be dumping more then half. I'm just at a point where I'm getting a bit (lot) impatient.
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