This morning I realized I made a serious mistake in my workflow -- the processing, posting and archiving of images. In Adobe Bridge I use the * ratings to sort out keepers from non-keepers (a polite way of saying "the junk"). I typically shoot in RAW, make batch edits in Bridge and use the Image Processor to create the jpeg files (for final presentation / printing, etc.).

After posting the images I then go back and delete the non-keepers -- anything that doesn't have at least a rating of 1 star (one *). However, by saving the jpeg files in the same location as the RAW files, a JPG folder shows up in the same location. When I searched for "all unrated items" and deleted them (or, I should say "sent them to the recycle bin" to be more accurate) -- I inadvertently deleted the JPG folder. Normally I don't save the files in the same place -- I create a separate folder for the keepers -- but this morning I goofed and saved them with the originals. Fortunately I was able to restore the all-important keeper jpegs from the recylce bin -- but I learned that I could have made a really dumb mistake in haste.

What potential flaws do you have in your workflow that you might need to fix?

Last week I mentioned that I toured the studio of Orlando photographer Curt Littlecott. Curt said something that really struck me (well, he said a lot of things that struck me...but I'll save some of those for future posts! ;c) ). He uses new compact flash (CF) cards for each wedding or shoot he does and then he files them in with the customer file until the file is closed. Curt said that the cost of media has dropped so much that he is able to easily afford to do this. That reminds me of the the film days!

I tend to keep my cards full until I absolutely have to format them for the next job (meaning I will have had a number of opportunities to back-up the files and verify that I've got good copies of the images well on their way thru my post-processing workflow).

Are any of you doing something like Curt where you are using new CF cards for important shoots?

While in Orlando this week I had the opportunity to see a demo of ShootQ -- a new software product from the amazing team at LaCour Photo in Atlanta. ShootQ looks like an extremely powerful prospect and customer management system that will integrate smoothly with photographer web-sites. The application is web-based -- meaning remote access to all of your customer information for photography jobs can be accessed anywhere you have Internet access.

Andrew Neisen and the ShootQ team just kicked off their launch tour -- click here to learn more about the power of ShootQ and how it can help you better manage your photography business. Be sure to sign up to attend one of the launch parties where you will get first-hand access to the team of ShootQ developers who will help you configure the software to integrate with your studio and web-page.