I’ve been trying to come up with topics to keep this blog up to date and I figured I would give some insight on my current work flow.  This encompasses the moment I hit the shutter  to when it ends up as the final product.  This is of course is a changing process as I learn new techniques, especially on the post processing side.

Shooting Mode

On a day to day basis my camera is usually in Aperture mode but on photo shoots where I use my speed lights, its usually in Manual mode.  On occasion I’ll be in Shutter Speed mode depending on the situation but its very rare.

RAW or JPEG?

To be honest it really depends on the situation and how lazy I’m feeling that day.  Initially I was shooting primarily JPEG  but gradually started shooting more RAW.  At this point, if I’m serious about the shoot I always shoot in RAW.  When I’m on a photo walk or doing something random I shoot in JPEG.

Post Processing

My go to post processing software is Lightroom 2.  It’s the first step in my post processing phase where I correct for white balance, tone, and color.  I will also try to do as much retouching as I can with the adjustment brushes.  When I need to do some major retouching I turn to PS CS4 to do the heavy lifting.  If the picture came out noisier than I liked, I run the image through Noise Ninja as the final step.  From start to finish, depending on the photo and how much retouching it needs, it can take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour to process.