#1 Download or transfer your pictures and why?

I manually copy files from cards to two internal 1.5 TB drives and one external 2 TB drive.

I import files to Lightroom 4 from the primary internal drive, and edit.

I backup my Lightroom catalog monthly to secondary internal and external drives.

I make JPGs of my keepers and upload to Picasa (use these to post to NR) and to my blog (used in posts where I talk about what I did, what I learned etc.)

#2 Organize/filename/metadata/etc?

Every shoot is organized into a unique folder, using a YYYYMMDD_uniqueName label.

I'm terrible with meta data.

I Flag keepers as 'picks' in Lightroom and will sometimes use color coding and star ratings after to create a hierarchy of images.

Backing up the Lightroom catalog is key - without it I would be in much pain.

#3 when editing do you create duplicates/don't edit/ or work on the original?

I only shoot RAW, and use meta editing software like Lightroom so I very rarely make changes to the original file. Sometimes I pull something into Photoshop and use layers etc., in which case the PSD is placed in the original folder and backed up across multiple drives. Doesn't happen often though.

#4 Storage and how many you may have stored already

I mentioned what I use for storage today already, so I'll mention that in the future (when I stop buying expensive camera gear and can afford it), I will be building a Raid 6 NAS of some kind. Haven't finalized the details but my 1.5 TB drives are 3/4 full so it will be big, whatever it is.

Lightroom is showing 41,500 images and a 56 GB catalog folder.

My workflow is a bit different since it is Nikon based. I generally don't use Lightroom. I'm invested in a Nikon based workflow using View NX2, Capture NX2, Photo Mechanic, plugins like Nik's Color Efex and Silver Efex.

I download images using Nikon Transfer - embedded in View NX2. During downloading I create a new folder for every download. Folders typically have the location name or client name for commercial work, the full date, and a 3 digit sequential number for when I have more than one download in a single day. Files have a similar name plus a non-repeating sequential number. That lets me know when every image was shot, where, and what folder the image is in so I can find similar images if needed. My folders are named something like this
Smokies 2012/Smokies_20120417_001
and my images something like this -
Smokies_20120417_0107819

After downloading I rate all images in View NX2. I use a star rating - 1 star for misfires or completely missed focus, 2 stars for a significant flaw, 3 stars for a keeper - technically okay but may be lacking something (this is my safety net - I keep these so I don't stress over borderline images), 4 stars are good images considered for sharing, editing, printing, etc. and 5 stars are the exceptional images of which there are very few per year.

I am in the process of shifting the above download and rating steps to Photo Mechanic.

Once all images are rated, I make a final review of the 1 and 2 star images and then discard them. These files don't need to take any space on my hard drive.

One note - I try to be appropriately critical. If I only have 5 images of something unusual, I'm more likely to rate them all a 3. But if I have 1000 bird images, something as small as a poor background or wrong head position - even lack of a catchlight - may mean it is rated 2 and discarded. Signage and description indicators are always rated a 3.

Then I move to Photo Mechanic and apply keywords to all images. I use structured keywords for all images. Later I may review and add keywords for some images, but I try to get everything keyworded quickly.

The above steps are completed the day I shoot the images. Everything happens before bed.

At this point I am ready for any editing. I start by tagging only the 4 or 5 rated images I plan to edit. We are talking a very small number - typically 2-5% of my images. I may make minor edits in View NX2 to understand the potential of an image. That includes minor corrections to exposure, shadow recovery, and highlight protection. For web posts or sharing on Facebook, after a few minor edits I simply resize and convert to a JPEG. Small web JPEG images are all kept in a single folder on my computer since I tend to go back to them for multiple uses. I normally use Photo Mechanic for conversion to JPEG - it easily handles resizing, changing the color space to sRGB, setting the appropriate quality level, and watermarking (if desired) in a single step.

Further edits take place in Capture NX2 - all with the original NEF. Since edits are all lossless, I work with the original file all the way. My goal is to create master images - subsequent steps would only be output specific such as resizing or sharpening for print. I change the color tag to another color when I am finished with editing in Capture NX2. If I need to create a TIFF for use in Silver Efex, I keep it with the NEF in the same folder.

After editing, all images are backed up in two places. The folder goes into a parent folder that contains all images for that location or client. Within that folder, I may group folders by year - Smokies/Smokies 2012/Smokies_20120417_001. After verifying that I have two backup copies, the files are deleted from my computer. If I have an action required for some images, I delete all but those images. I try to have everything edited and backed up within a few days of the shoot.

I have more than 100,000 images using this approach. It's pretty stable, but I am planning a couple of changes. As I mentioned, I am going to move my download and renaming to Photo Mechanic. I do want a catalog capability like Lightroom, but given my workflow I am planning to use Photo Mechanic's catalog when it is released this year. I own Lightroom 4, Photoshop CS5, and Elements, but I rarely use them. The uses are for specific situations and tools.

I love shooting but my workflow is terrible- so does anyone back up photos using Time Machine?

Any bad points about it?

D4 RAW into my Mac w/ LR 4.1. I look at the images, download the ones I think may be usable. Eg, 100 from 400 exposures. No special naming, simply allow the dates to create file sequence.

Next, enlarge each and go through to delete from disc the images with technical flaws. Now at 50 images. Then look at the various compositions of the subject in similar shots, choose two or three, delete all others. At 25 images. Finally, go through and crop the remaining images, then again edit and delete from disc all I do not want. Now at 15 images. Final process on the 15, looking at those similar and deleting the perfectly good images which I have placed in "second place. Final images now at 5-10.

Export 3000px size to desktop file, upload to Flickr, re-examine for color, flaws, exposure, etc., delete from Flickr any I do not like. Reprocess and reload occasionally.

Eventually, drop into PAD. And in some cases, go back to LR and redo the photo , export, upload, copy and repost in PAD if the exposure, color, etc, is not correct.

TaoTeJared said:

I tag every file with the Camera used when I load it.

This is curious to me. Lightroom can easily sort by camera make and model from the EXIF, so why add this extra step?

For example for viewing shots of my own wedding, I simply sort on "Canon 10D", and I know all the pics on the drive that my uncle took will show up.

:)

RAW most of the time. I have plenty of fast cards 16GB or bigger so no need to limit to .jpg only.

Import to LR4.

Organized by video or stills, then to subfolders by date.

Keywords usually added at time of import.

Important keeper are duplicated and I leave the originals untouched.

Catalog(s) and photo files reside on a 2TB external drive.

That 2TB drive, and the 1TB in the desktop machine are both backed up to a 3TB external drive.

Soon I'll have another 3TB to keep off site and that will get swapped every couple weeks with the one here. (if you *really* want to back up your files, keep them out of your house)

Mine is just about the same as Sevencrossing but I am in the process of updating/changing some things. I use and edit 95% in Lightroom as you can edit from there to open other programs and it brings a copy back into LR. I never edit original files. LR handles RAW and Jpeg the same. With the D800, I will now have to be more careful of space as RAW files are now 40mb min. I bounce between RAW and JPEG depending on the work, I only shoot RAW if it gives me an advantage of some sort (bad light, high dynamic range, short shoot of less than 100 images, etc). 90% of what I shoot will never be printed larger than 8x10 and probably half of that will never be printed at all and just go to the web.

Lightroom import ->
Load to 2TB usb drive
(optional) -> paid work gets duplicate copy of original files to Networked Drive.
->LR catalogue is on internal drive
->Backed up weekly to Net Drive.

*All presented edits
->get a copy in the 2TB folder location with the original loaded files labeled 'Presented files'.
->get a copy in a folder with the original Back-up copies labeled 'Presented files_BK'.
->DVD stored in fireproof safe.
*Personal work is just stored on the 2TB drive.

Missing (External Back up 2TB drive)
Missing (Offsite back up via net)
Missing (back ups of everything to be stored off site)

All my editing personal posts of images are LR exports which get exported into a file folder labeled "postings" then by year, then by month. Sometimes sub month or "birthday" etc. As they are all in LR I don't care if I loose them.

As for organizing in LR I have tried many things but I am still not fully comfortable with any of it. Love to see what others do!

Paid work:
PD_work
-YR
--Mth
---Event name
----Date1
------Good
-------Presented
----Date2
------Good
-------Presented

Personal work:
-YR
--Mth
----Date1
------Good (Only if I want to keep "the other" photos for some reason
----Date2
------Good

I tag every file with the Camera used when I load it. For paid work I tag it with the "Event Name", City, location name & maybe something else that might key me into it like "Hilton", Wedding, Kids, etc.

Personal stuff my tags are, Birds, Family, Dogs, Landscapes, Night, House, Macro, Wildlife, Sky, Street, Friends & then A whole slew of other stuff, like names locations etc. But the one's I named, are my main ones. (Honestly for my personal stuff, I'm really bad at organizing it.)

I have somewhere near 100-150k files stored in this manner with around 100k files sorted outside that are "before" Lightroom. Before LR entered my life I was puzzled with the same question kyoshinikon asked with editing originals. No longer.

I shoot RAW and only RAW

import with LR4 (which is on the main hard drive)

LR copies all RAW files to one of two internal 1TB hard drives
LR also makes a second copy to an external 1TB hard drive

Organize/filename/metadata/etc all done by Lightroom

rejects are deleted from the internal drive, but all duplicates stay on the external for about one year

all editing is done on with LR. RAW files stay on the main drive no duplicates made but I do make virtual duplicates

LR catalogue is back up to external drive

from time and always after a wedding, another copy of the RAW files and the LR catalog is back up to a 2TB external drive and put in a fireproof safe

about 50,000 digital photos on file

please don't ask how many kodachromes are in the loft , they go back 50 years

About everybody here shoots pictures, and must have some form of working/organizing their photos.

How do you...

#1 Download or transfer your pictures and why?
#2 Organize/filename/metadata/etc?
#3 when editing do you create duplicates/don't edit/ or work on the original?
#4 Storage and how many you may have stored already