A photography workflow is made up of a sequence of steps that a photographer has pre planned and works through to complete the process of producing his photography.
The starting point of the process.This can be working to a project brief or working to a basic idea that the photographer has initiated. Some of these steps will involve arranging meetings with clients to discuss the project brief and initial ideas which a photographer needs to document to produce a work flow. Ideas are presented by the photographer or pre defined by the customer and a plan can be formulated to create a work flow that both parties understand and can follow.The client would be updated on the progression as the work flow proceeds
Estimate costs and resources
Is the photography going to to be taken out on location or will it be shot in a studio? Will there be travel,hotel costs?will a studio need to be hired? will models need to be hired? These are just some of the possible costs and considerations that a photographer may incur.Costs need to be estimated for what resources are needed to produce the photography. This initial assessment is vital in the work flow and very important for both parties to understand and estimate final costs to produce the photography which are all essential to produce a successful work flow.
Time is an essential factor that must be included in the cost analysis,time is money!.
Hour and hours cane be spent by the photographer, preparing the shots,getting the shots right and then post producing the final photographs to a high satisfactory level. All of this is very time consuming and adds large sums of money to the photographers expenses
Select Locations
Arrange photography locations. This could be in a studio or at a specific location outdoors. Finding the correct location well in advance before shooting the images is essential as a photographer's time is very expensive Dates will have to be pre booked if hiring a studio,travel arrangments will have to be put in place if shooting at a specific location. A plan of the shoot would have to be documented beforehand to time manage the photography and make sure all
all models,props,backgrounds and sets are all in place at the chosen locations
Meetings and communications
Regular meetings must be kept with the client to outline any changes to the original project brief or to notify of any additional costs that may occur. Meetings will also include identifying time-scales,confirming deadlines,producing updates,making alterrations to schedules. A progress report is essential to reassure the customer that everything is still on track. One of the most convenient forms of communication is email, used by all of us everyday all over the world. Using this method of communication is instant,electronic mail can be sent and read instantly. Sample images,instructions and changes of plans can be forwrded instantly and read by the recipient in seconds
Shooting the images may take a while to produce if shooting out on location for various reasons. Weather conditions may not always be ideal and rain,dull and cloudy conditions which may persist could cause setbacks to the planned times scales. Other complications may arise,models not turning up or stuck in traffic for example. It's essential that the images are shot before a given deadline which will allow plenty of time for the images to be post processed and printed etc
Arrange a post shoot meeting with the client
This is an essential part of the workflow,it is very inportant to arrange a meeting with the client at this time after the images have been shot to discuss the final images.There may be a large amount of images that the photographer has produced and these need to be thinned down to select the best images that the client requests. At this stage confirmation of the final images and how they are to be post processed must be agreed before the work flow can continue
Post process images
Images need to be post processed. This is the process of maniputaling your images using various types of software to change the overall appearancec of the final images
Photoshop is the main piece of software used to perform these transitions and can transform a dull lifeless unintersting image into a really vibrant eye catching image using a variety of different processes and tools. These include dodging and burning,sharpening, cropping etc. Images will then need to be graded and batch processed ready for the type of output that the client has requested
Images will need to be converted from raw files to a more useable format such as JPG.
A final meeting with the client may be needed at this stage to view the final images to discuss the final file format
Output
This is the process of outputting the final images to the preferred medium of the clients choice. The majority of clients prefer their images to be printed. This would normally be photographs, photo books, posters or calendars. Other methods include the production or DVD's or CD's for promotional use etc. Other clients just want to purchase the final files which they use for web use and the Internet. They will produce websites or use the file on the internet for promotional business uses etc.
Deliver product and final meeting
The final product is delivered to the customer. A meeting with the customer is essential to receive feedback and discuss product satisfaction and reflect on the photography taken. Delivering a first class product and service well within given time scales is essential for repetition of orders and recommendations to other potential clients.When the customer is satisfied with final product present the client with the final bill
Arrange payments
Payments with your customers must be completed now and an invoice for payment is presented. Some photographers demand payment straight away as they hand over the end product others allow a certain amount of time that the outstanding bill may be paid
Shown below here is a digital work flow I have researched on the Internet which outlines a lot of considerations that must be thought about before completion of the final images
Below is a Formatting error on my text I cannot resolve
There was a time when photographers bought strips of material called film. They'd put this material inside their cameras and take some pictures. When they were done, they'd take it to a photogrphy lab to be processed Here, people in white coats would process them and return in a few hours with actual photographs. This was the old fashioned workflow
Today, many of us don't use film. We have sensors, chips, flash cards, megapixels, and files. We don't look at our nagatives over light boxes, or store the film in filing cabinets. Instead, we sit at a computer managing our workflow We've become experts in IT, dealing with new concepts such as metadata etc
Shown hers is the definition of a print workflow taken from the dictionary "the sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion".
Nowdadays, I have to consider a lot of factors along the print worflow,such as,What did I shoot and where? Where are my images stored and are they safe? Having a solid workflow keeps you organized, and allows you to focus more on the creative process than worry about the disposition of your images.
Workflow begins before you pick up your camera to shoot and record your images. You need to consider all sorts of things: Will you shoot raw files, JPEGs, or both? Is your camera's clock set to the right time. If you're using more than one camera, are their clocks synced? Is the color space correct? Will you back up your images while on location or leave them on your memory cards?
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