Photographer Workflow Tips

I have been a photographer since 2004, and I’ve worked nonstop, maximizing efficiency in my business. As part of that work, I’ve developed an industrial-strength workflow.

These processes help me stay incredibly organized and ensure that the photographs I create are safe from every real or imagined disaster. I hope this information can help you maximize efficiencies and improve your workflow.

Sharing Is Caring

In recent years, I’ve seen many photographers share problems or horror stories related to memory cards, files, storage, and workflow.

Rather than repeatedly offer the same advice on social networks like Facebook or X, I decided to share my thoughts and experiences in this detailed article on managing files and developing a solid photography workflow.

I hope you find this information helpful!

Size Matters

I always use high-capacity camera memory cards.

Based on anecdotal evidence and common sense, memory cards are most dangerous when removed during coverage. When the cards are removed from cameras during a project, there’s a risk of lost or misplaced cards.

Photographers also risk bent pins in CF card camera slots. A memory card failure due to a technical error with the card or camera is far less likely.

Some photographers argue that using large camera storage cards is like putting all your eggs in one basket.

To help mitigate memory card or camera failure, I make sure the camera is writing identical RAW copies to both memory cards simultaneously. This automatic insurance ensures that a backup is always available for every image.

This suggestion presumes that you’re using a camera that can write to two cards simultaneously. Personally, I refuse to use any camera that doesn’t offer dual card capability.

As a further step to prevent loss, I never remove the memory cards from my cameras unless I’m next to my computer. I insert them before I leave my office and remove them only when I’m back in my office after the project.

My second photographer uses the cards I provide. When we arrive at the first project location, they remove them from an indestructible Pelican memory card case and return them to that same memory card case at the end of the project.

Post-Project Workflow

After returning to my office, I’ll remove one 256GB memory card from each of my two cameras and place it in my card reader. Then I’ll remove my additional photographer’s 128GB memory cards from the Pelican Memory Card Case. I then place those cards in my Lexar Professional Workflow HR1 Four-Bay USB 3.0 Reader Hub.

After the import and backup are complete, I place the cards from each of my cameras and the second photographer’s cameras in a secure cabinet and don’t reuse them until at least a week after the finished job is delivered to the client. This step ensures that I always have a full, untouched set of the original RAW files from the project.

I perform imports for up to four cards simultaneously. I use Photo Mechanic because Adobe Lightroom doesn’t yet have a straightforward way to import multiple cards simultaneously.

During the import, to further reduce the risk of data loss, every RAW file is copied to my local SSD hard drive and my separate RAID 6 QNAP Network Attached Storage (NAS) array simultaneously. After this point, all work on the files is continued on the SSD drive, while the files on the NAS remain untouched for several months until I periodically purge import backups.

When the download is complete, I’ll take a quick look at the imported files and make sure that the project files are all there. I’ll also sometimes remove black frames or obvious out-of-focus images that I notice.

RAID Explained

If you’re not familiar with network terminology, RAID (redundant array of independent disks) allows photographers to store the same information on multiple hard disks inside a single enclosure. This is useful because this storage method can help protect your photographs if one of the hard drives in your enclosure fails.

There are many types of RAID, but the most common are RAID5 and RAID6. Most people use RAID5 because that method typically offers more storage space. The benefit of RAID 5 is that one hard drive can fail in the enclosure, and none of your data will be lost. RAID6 means that TWO hard drives can fail in your enclosure, and no data is lost.

Extra software checks are also present in a RAID6 configuration that aren’t present in a RAID5. Those extra checks can help prevent corrupt files.

For anyone extremely risk averse, I recommend RAID6. That’s what I use.

I’ve used RAID enclosures from several manufacturers, but I’ve settled on QNAP as my preferred hardware supplier. Their read/write performance and hardware typically beat all similarly priced hardware. As an additional benefit, the software they use to set up and manage the system is a breeze to use. Other photographers prefer Synology. Comparing QNAP to Synology is like comparing Nikon to Canon. They both do splendid work when configured properly.

As a final note, if you’re looking at a NAS device where you supply your own hard drives, don’t purchase cheap OEM hard drives. Make sure you use one of the specific drives recommended by the NAS manufacturer. Otherwise, you might be looking at a ton of headaches down the road.

Filename Recommendations

I’ve developed some well-considered filename suggestions that may work well for you. When I import images, I’ve configured my import software to rename all my files automatically. Those renaming settings are usually found in the Import dialog of whatever software you use. The structure I use is:

rob-greer-YYMMDD-HHMMSS

Files from additional photographers use the same conventions, but I append a letter to their filenames (e.g. rob-greer-YYMMDD-HHMMSSB). There are several great advantages to using these sequential filenames in your workflow.

First, because my name is in the filename, it is more likely to stay with the image. Even if other software strips the copyright EXIF, this highly visible reminder will remain with the image.

Second, because the filenames have a letter appended to them, I can easily tell which photos are mine and which were taken by other photographers.

Third, because the filenames aren’t sequential (e.g. 001, 002, 003) if I need to remove one of the images from the final set, renaming the set to ensure a sequence without gaps isn’t necessary.

Fourth, because filenames are all time-stamped, the default image sort always presents the images chronologically regardless of the photographer who captured the image. My additional photographers and I always use the same iPhone app (Emerald Time) to synchronize our cameras before every project and ensure that the sequence is always perfect.

Fifth, the time stamp is sometimes useful for showing clients when certain things happened (or didn’t happen) on their project.

File Folder Structure

The naming system I use for long-term file storage serves me well. I’ve been using this method for 15+ years, and it works great. At the top level of my photography directory, I have folders named:

Under the Weddings folder, I create folders according to the year the wedding was photographed. For example:

Under each year, I have folders titled with the first and last names of each couple (e.g., Sally Smith & Dick Johnson). When couples aren’t same-sex, female clients are listed first.

In each of the named folders, I include subfolders titled Engagement and Wedding.

I store RAW and XMP files in the root of the Engagement and Wedding folders. I store the exported JPGs in a subfolder titled Large. If the client has selected their favorite photos, I include copies of those photos in a folder titled Client Favorites. If retouched JPG files exist, they are stored in a folder titled Retouched. If the client is purchasing an album, I also have a folder titled Album with all applicable album files.

With that in mind, here’s a sample wedding directory structure.

• Weddings
  • 2025
    • Sally Smith & Dick Johnson
      • Engagement
        • Large
      • Wedding
        • Album
          • Draft
          • Final
        • Client Favorites
        • Large
        • Retouched

I’ve always felt that storage space is inexpensive, which is one of the reasons why I’ve kept all the RAW and JPG files from every wedding I’ve photographed since 2004.

Exporting Recommendations

I’ve spent countless hours resizing images, comparing file sizes, and evaluating image quality. I’ve settled on exporting JPGs from the corrected RAW files at 84% quality using Adobe Lightroom. From my testing, using a higher quality setting on the export isn’t necessary.

If you choose a higher quality setting, you won’t be able to tell a difference in image quality, and you’ll be creating images with unnecessarily large file sizes. Those larger file sizes increase both your long-term storage needs and your upload/download times. For big results, make this change to your workflow today.

Online Proofing

Once the export is complete, I upload the JPG files to my online proofing system, ShootProof. In 2017, I switched to ShootProof after spending 10 years with SmugMug. It was one of the best decisions I ever made. If you’re thinking about switching too, you can save 25% on your first year by using the code GREER.

After the upload to ShootProof is complete, I email the client to let them know that their wedding photos are ready to view. The client can then download all the images from their wedding using the download code I provide. The photos then remain online indefinitely as a long-term off-site backup.

Long-Term Local Backup

As the last step, I copy the RAW and JPG files from my SSD local drive to my local QNAP NAS server for long-term archival backup. And to make sure there’s a backup of my backup, I have two identical QNAP NAS servers running RAID6. With that configuration, the primary QNAP NAS is periodically backed up to my backup QNAP NAS. I also periodically copy my data to external hard drives that I rotate and store those drives offsite using a

Final Thoughts

That’s it. That’s a whole project deliverable for me. Although this description may appear complex and lengthy, my computer is doing most of this work in the background while I’m doing other things—like working on my business.

To help put this workflow in perspective, my total active time invested in each project is about an hour.

Would you like to spend less than an hour working on project files? Yes, please!