I have been concerned with trying to determine if I need to rename my photos for easy searching, filing and for marketing reasons Does anyone use another technique than using Lightroom to organize their photos? Has anyone developed a method for filing and organizing their photos?
Rick
Posted by Jim Bullard on March 29, 2010 at 7:50 AM
I use Lightroom. Maybe I don't understand what you are asking but between its search function and Collections Lightroom does a great job of cataloging. I don't follow you on the "marketing reasons" for using something other than Lightroom. I don't think buyers will even know or care how you organize and find photos that you submit to them. I think you need to clarify your concerns.
when it comes to lightroom I have my own style for keywords & prefer the keyword & sub keywords Example "blue sky > parks", but when I need to look up key word for my photo's to submit to microstock agencies I depend on a couple of websites. 1) Google adwords https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal 2) www.picniche.com. 3) http://www.freshtraffic.ca/keyword_suggestion.htm. all sites are free to use
If I follow you Rick, you're asking if stock agencies or anyone else housing your photos will have specific requirements for naming and key-wording? In a nutshell, yeah. Check out their sites and submission guidelines and I bet you'll find answers, but they won't be the same from one to the next.
For my own use (yes, with Lightroom), I decide what naming criteria are important for my search and recovery and always include those. At the very least I have date, location and subject, but once a category starts getting really stuffed, I add more.
I always include HOR or VERT, depending, and with humans or animals, I include RF, FO, or LF. HOR and VERT are self explanatory, but RF is right-facing, FO is face-on, and by now it should be obvious that LF is left-facing. Clients can get that specific in their submission requests, and it's a real time saver to be able to retrieve images on that basis. You'll certainly evolve your own "special" categories as your marketing evolves.
I user Aperture, and my approach is based on what I photograph.
I have a developed set of keywords that sort birds and mammals by order and family. I have another set of key words based on the geographic location where they are taken, broken down by continent/nation/state or province and, where appropriate, park or refuge. I am pretty scrupulous about assigning key words and captioning photos shortly after I take them (I take my laptop in the field), and I used Aperture's "star" rating system. Projects are organized by date.
So if I get a call for grouse photos from Creamer's Refuge, I can create a Smart Album in a second and see all of the grouse I've got for that location. Or bird photos for Yukon Delta NWR.
Many customers want custom names: I assign those on export for transmission.
Posted by Richard Wong on March 29, 2010 at 7:02 PM
I do mine in sequential order. I don't see how it is possible to service clients and distribute your images accurately if you don't have something in place. I wrote a post on this a few years ago and might of interest to you:
Discussion
5 repliesRick
For my own use (yes, with Lightroom), I decide what naming criteria are important for my search and recovery and always include those. At the very least I have date, location and subject, but once a category starts getting really stuffed, I add more.
I always include HOR or VERT, depending, and with humans or animals, I include RF, FO, or LF. HOR and VERT are self explanatory, but RF is right-facing, FO is face-on, and by now it should be obvious that LF is left-facing. Clients can get that specific in their submission requests, and it's a real time saver to be able to retrieve images on that basis. You'll certainly evolve your own "special" categories as your marketing evolves.
I have a developed set of keywords that sort birds and mammals by order and family. I have another set of key words based on the geographic location where they are taken, broken down by continent/nation/state or province and, where appropriate, park or refuge. I am pretty scrupulous about assigning key words and captioning photos shortly after I take them (I take my laptop in the field), and I used Aperture's "star" rating system. Projects are organized by date.
So if I get a call for grouse photos from Creamer's Refuge, I can create a Smart Album in a second and see all of the grouse I've got for that location. Or bird photos for Yukon Delta NWR.
Many customers want custom names: I assign those on export for transmission.
Digital Photography Workflow: Have a Good Filing System