Ok, this really doesn't have to do with anything... but I guess I'm just relieving some frustration.

I'm really starting to hate editing these days. After the first few hours, it sucks. It's so much more fun taking the actual pictures. Sure, editing a few of your favorite shots is pretty awesome, esp. when they turn out great. However, having to do hundreds of pictures of the same bride and groom... with multiple weddings... during a busy wedding season... SUCKS. It's getting a bit tiresome to say the least. It's even worse if your system is getting slow because of age, and one of your harddrives fail. Gahh. Anyone else feel me on this?

three words: out. freakin. source.




i do feel your pain though... this time of year it gets heavy.

Editing for me is easy and I generally enjoy it. Album design, although I feel I do a good job, is the bane of my existence. I tried outsourcing it, didn't work out too well as I still needed to pour in some hours to finish it.

Going to try hiring someone to come in and do albums, maybe . . .

i'm the opposite spencer,

the editing gets tedious, but i love me some album design!

I like editing. It's where my artistic vision comes to fruition.

I don't mind editing. It's the only time I really get to see the fruits of my labor. However, having said that, I hate....HATE....putting off editing to the point where I get behind. I've always finished a wedding within a weeks time. I don't want to have them stacked up, waiting for me. I'll edit a wedding before I edit any other jobs I've done in a particular week.

I've never had more than four weddings in a single month but I'm kind of dreading October when I have five weddings booked, two of them back to back.

I don't mind editing unless I get bogged down in it. Most of my shooting occurs on weekends and I need something to do during the week, else I get really bored really fast. Editing fills the gaps and gives me a stronger connection with my work than I would have if someone else edited it.

Dude I feel ya... that why I out source. Takes a load off... trust me.

I like editing good stuff. I don't like editing garbage. I suck at photography. I produce garbage. Therefore I don't like editing.

Album design is the sweetest thing ever for wedding photography. To put your edited masterpieces in an album is why I'm in this industry.

deepbluejh wrote:
I don't mind editing unless I get bogged down in it. Most of my shooting occurs on weekends and I need something to do during the week, else I get really bored really fast. Editing fills the gaps and gives me a stronger connection with my work than I would have if someone else edited it.

+1!

I like editing unless I get behind and I have to catch up, that takes all the fun out of it.

Sahid Limon wrote:
Ok, this really doesn't have to do with anything... but I guess I'm just relieving some frustration.

I'm really starting to hate editing these days. After the first few hours, it sucks. It's so much more fun taking the actual pictures. Sure, editing a few of your favorite shots is pretty awesome, esp. when they turn out great. However, having to do hundreds of pictures of the same bride and groom... with multiple weddings... during a busy wedding season... SUCKS. It's getting a bit tiresome to say the least. It's even worse if your system is getting slow because of age, and one of your harddrives fail. Gahh. Anyone else feel me on this?



I hear ya. It doesn't help either if you get sick about three times during the peak season either. My family and I had an awful virus recently and it literally has put me behind two weeks. :-(

I feel editing as half of digital photography. Take good pictures and then edit them in a good way and everything is wonderful. The key to efficient editing is a good work flow and the key to a good work flow is discipline and organization.

Edited close to a thousand images from multiple shoots within a few hours work usually. Everything gets attention and taken care of.

Also... Get a mac =)

I felt overwhelmed until I got Lightroom 2 and CS4. Now it isn't so bad.

I think about this a lot. I think it's more about workflow than editing. I actually like getting photos into photoshop. I like designing albums even more, but I always felt the "camera to output" was not what I wanted. So, in return it seemed like I spent too much time tweakin' little things in PS. Along came LR and things evolved even more. I think after two years now, I have a workflow that works for me, and now "editing" is fun! I can't imagine turning my stuff over to someone else to even cull, crop, color correct, or anything else. That may change in the future, but that's how it is right now for me.

Design a great workflow. You should enjoy editing your photos.

Tad

Album design, although I feel I do a good job, is the bane of my existence.

I guess I pictured you as a guy that really envisioned and enjoyed seeing the final product/album. I'm a bit surprised.

Tad

Me, but screw outsourcing.

just think of all the other horrible jobs you could be doing.

true dat...

I open a packet of salt and vinegar chips/crisps (smell it), get the cat to chase the fish (hear it), turn the lights down (smack into everything) and pretend I'm in the 'ol darkroom.....

....Bliss

Sometimes I hate it, sometimes it's okay, sometimes I like it for a litte while... the only time I really enjoy it anymore is when it's a small personal project or the like (keyword, small).

I try to edit ASAP after a shoot. Usually later-that-evening or next day if possible. I can burn through an average wedding in 1-2 hours and get the JPEG proofs ready for the client. The fast turn-around is really liked by my clients and helps a lot on the 'word-of-mouth' front.

Proof prep = basic lighting levels editing on the RAW files, then a batch output to small colour JPEGs and a repeat to B&W JPEGS. I may or may not do blemishes; if it's something I can do at the RAW stage in a few seconds then I will; if it's gonna take some photoshopping then I won't.

I use ACR in either lightroom or photoshop as I can easily batch-process the RAW files into JPEGs.

I reserve the time-consuming editing (photoshop) for when the client orders prints... then I'll make everything as pretty as possible...

I like editing when I like the pictures. I don't like it when the pictures are boring or average or blah, or I missed the lighting or something.

Slightly off topic. What I hate the most is getting a large wedding party into position and then having to screw around with the lighting until its right and having them just stare at me like I'm some kinda moron till its hammered out. One or two minutes can drag into and eternity. And then I hate getting to that place in the editing, seeing that my lighting is not the greatest, and feeling like they are going to see the pictures and feel justified in their assessment in that moment. My, THAT was convoluted.

I don't hate editing, in fact find it very rewarding work in many cases, but I need to do it in chuncks..so edit, play on Wii, edit, play with cat, edit, go have lunch, etc.

Good thing is I'm getting quicker and more efficient over time.

Ok, I guess I don't HATE editing... but the it does get somewhat repetitive after a while. In a sense, this is good because it speeds up the worlkflow, and I get a good system going. It's also bad because it gets boring sometimes and I feel like doing something else more entertaining. I have a pretty good system setup, but with multiple summer weddings... esp. since I cover a lot of multiple day weddings... it can get tedious.

As far as outsourcing, I don't really like the idea of it. Sure, it may be easier to pay someone else to do it for you... but I like to have full control of my images, and how they are edited. I am INSANELY picky when it comes to how my pictures should be, and I just don't think anyone else would be able to get my vision out but me. I think even if I was a huge company with 9 assistants and 2 other photographers, I would still edit all of my own images personally.

So I guess I just needed to rant. Editing is not that bad, it just sucks a when you have loads of work piled up. Especially when you have other projects you're working on or developing, and have a personal life... it just feels like that extra thing you have to get done. It's a good thing I can work well under pressure, so it's time to just suck it up.. and get it done. Kudos to all of you for chiming in.