REBECCA MUSAYEV

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My Editing Routine: How I Edit A Wedding Day

My Editing Routine

My Editing Routine

How I Edit A Wedding Day

“There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison

Editing. The one thing all photographers dread. I used to dread this process too, however, if this is a career I will be doing for a while, I needed to change my mindset. One thing about being a photographer is that we are our own boss. The more work we put into our business the more benefits we receive. This is the life of a business owner. Sound familiar? The hard thing to remember is that work is called work for a reason. Even though we create our own schedules, I had to keep in mind that the average person will work 35-40 hours per week. I needed to remember that I couldn’t just expect to shoot an 8-hour wedding once a week and call that a full-time or even part-time job.

Editing used to be a struggle for me. I loved the photo-taking part of my job but the editing, for me, seemed to go on forever. I’d get behind, frustrated, and it not only affected my work but my personal life. I believe that editing is the art of what makes you a photographer. To have a hands-on approach from start to finish is how I was trained in the darkroom when I first started in film photography. You didn’t just take the image but you also developed and processed it as well. For me, outsourcing my work just didn’t feel right. So, I needed to change my perspective on the editing process. Instead of dreading the post-production, I began to view editing like a game. How quickly and efficiently could I move to the next level (project). The first thing I needed to change was how I was shooting in camera.

On a wedding day, there are many different lighting situations that one will face. From dark getting ready rooms to natural lite bridal portraits, it’s very rare that the lighting is consistent. However, I needed to learn to be consistent in the lighting situation I was in. As soon as I became mindful that the editing process started in the camera, I strived to photograph all of my images the same in each lighting location. This made my editing so much easier and faster.

The next thing I had to focus on was how I was editing. Culling was one of the things that were so time-consuming for me. I switched from hand culling to using Photo Mechanic and it changed my life.

Now for the actual editing. For me, I tend to procrastinate on projects if I push them off. I used to come home exhausted from weddings and just need “time off” before I would even tackle the project. However, this is the spark that would get me set behind. I realized that when I came home from a wedding day, I’d be exhausted, but also on such a wedding day high. I LOVE wedding and everything about them. As soon as I’d finish photographing a wedding day, I couldn’t wait to share every detail and moment with Musa when I got home. I created a way to redirect this excitement into motivation, I call it my 1-2 Rule.

My 1-2 Rule is something that I completely made up, yet works so well. The day I shoot a wedding when I come home I back up and cull my SD cards. Then I  begin to edit as many photos as possible before I fall asleep. Yes, sometimes this means at 11 PM I will work until 1 AM. It sounds crazy but hang with me. The next day, I finish editing and put the finishing touches on all of the photos. I then will upload the gallery. For me, working intensely in two days means I will have 5 days off, to relax, and catch up!

Yes, it is a lot of work, but it’s not as hard as you’d think. It truly is a mindset. I don’t get set back in my editing and I am excited to edit my images. I use my 1-2 Rule for my double header wedding weekends to my weekday engagement sessions. Another tool I use during my editing is my Loupedeck. It makes editing so much more efficient and faster. Instead of holding your breath as you change a bar in Lightroom, I have little knobs that easily adjust the settings.

Once I changed my perspective on the post-production process, I created a plan to tackle it and so far (fingers crossed) I’m loving it!

How I Edit A Wedding Day

“There is no substitute for hard work.” – Thomas Edison

Editing. The one thing all photographers dread. I used to dread this process too, however, if this is a career I will be doing for a while, I needed to change my mindset. One thing about being a photographer is that we are our own boss. The more work we put into our business the more benefits we receive. This is the life of a business owner. Sound familiar? The hard thing to remember is that work is called work for a reason. Even though we create our own schedules, I had to keep in mind that the average person will work 35-40 hours per week. I needed to remember that I couldn’t just expect to shoot an 8-hour wedding once a week and call that a full-time or even part-time job.

Editing used to be a struggle for me. I loved the photo-taking part of my job but the editing, for me, seemed to go on forever. I’d get behind, frustrated, and it not only affected my work but my personal life. I believe that editing is the art of what makes you a photographer. To have a hands-on approach from start to finish is how I was trained in the darkroom when I first started in film photography. You didn’t just take the image but you also developed and processed it as well. For me, outsourcing my work just didn’t feel right. So, I needed to change my perspective on the editing process. Instead of dreading the post-production, I began to view editing like a game. How quickly and efficiently could I move to the next level (project). The first thing I needed to change was how I was shooting in camera.

On a wedding day, there are many different lighting situations that one will face. From dark getting ready rooms to natural lite bridal portraits, it’s very rare that the lighting is consistent. However, I needed to learn to be consistent in the lighting situation I was in. As soon as I became mindful that the editing process started in the camera, I strived to photograph all of my images the same in each lighting location. This made my editing so much easier and faster.

The next thing I had to focus on was how I was editing. Culling was one of the things that were so time-consuming for me. I switched from hand culling to using Photo Mechanic and it changed my life.

Now for the actual editing. For me, I tend to procrastinate on projects if I push them off. I used to come home exhausted from weddings and just need “time off” before I would even tackle the project. However, this is the spark that would get me set behind. I realized that when I came home from a wedding day, I’d be exhausted, but also on such a wedding day high. I LOVE wedding and everything about them. As soon as I’d finish photographing a wedding day, I couldn’t wait to share every detail and moment with Musa when I got home. I created a way to redirect this excitement into motivation, I call it my 1-2 Rule.

My 1-2 Rule is something that I completely made up, yet works so well. The day I shoot a wedding when I come home I back up and cull my SD cards. Then I  begin to edit as many photos as possible before I fall asleep. Yes, sometimes this means at 11 PM I will work until 1 AM. It sounds crazy but hang with me. The next day, I finish editing and put the finishing touches on all of the photos. I then will upload the gallery. For me, working intensely in two days means I will have 5 days off, to relax, and catch up!

Yes, it is a lot of work, but it’s not as hard as you’d think. It truly is a mindset. I don’t get set back in my editing and I am excited to edit my images. I use my 1-2 Rule for my double header wedding weekends to my weekday engagement sessions. Another tool I use during my editing is my Loupedeck. It makes editing so much more efficient and faster. Instead of holding your breath as you change a bar in Lightroom, I have little knobs that easily adjust the settings.

Once I changed my perspective on the post-production process, I created a plan to tackle it and so far (fingers crossed) I’m loving it!

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