Slogging at the Keyboard

One of the biggest problems I've encountered in the years that I've been a professional photographer is the issue of how to manage the vast inventory of images that I've amassed. I've tried several solutions, but they all had their shortcomings. I'm heavily invested in Adobe Lightroom now, and it's working for me. I shuddered at the idea of keywording 60,000 photos. Yet if I didn't I would have to rely on (a rapidly fading) memory of where I was when I took a particular photo so I could somehow retrieve it for a potential sale. It's been a nightmare up til now. Three weeks into it, all photos have some sort of keywords, some more detailed than others right now, but at least there is some sort of organization going on.

Last week a client placed an order for an image I presented three months ago. I had the small jpg and that was it. Less than a minute later I had located the original raw file. A month ago I might have spent an entire day tracking that one image down.

Next is cataloging my paintings. I don't have near as many of those but still think creating a catalog is the way to go. I can keyword each one and when I have a project looking for "red abstract" I'll be able to easily find them.

What a relief to get a handle on something that has bogged me down for years!

Empty Walls

It's more than the walls, it's rooms full of empty! On the other hand, I am rapidly filling up my new 3,000 sq ft space. I bought a used workstation unit to create an office space for my computer, all my external hard drives and all my printers. That was a grand plan until I discovered that there are no electrical outlets on that wall. The electrician is coming today, and until then I've kept my office at home. It's just as well since I am in the middle of a huge print job. 2871 pcs to be exact. It's room art for the resort project in central Texas that I've been working on for almost a year. This is the first stage. Hopefully, with the economy taking it's toll everywhere, they won't cancel any of the artwork in the public spaces. That will be next year, though, and I'm only concerning myself with right now. At least my rent (!) is paid until the first of the year. I won't be doing any marketing during this time, using it instead to get organized and make a plan for 2009.

I'm distracted and anxious, and am rattling around in my house that suddenly has become much bigger. I can't paint at home because I've moved ALL my supplies. I can't print at work because all that is still at home. My house is a wreck from moving, and my new space is a wreck of unpacked boxes. AAACK!!

Yes, I'm taking photos, but just remembered I lent my card reader to my neighbor -- who hasn't returned it.

Managing Change

This is a series of digital prints on canvas (30 x 42 ea) commissioned for a hotel in Myrtle Beach, FL. They will be printed on canvas and gallery wrapped. The fish photos were taken in the San Francisco aquarium last year. It was such a challenge to get any good photographs in low light conditions with moving subjects. These aren't entirely clear, but they make up for it in character!


As I look around my small home studio and analyze all the equipment, storage, and supplies that I have crammed in here, I can't help but feel good about the new commercial space. There will be room to do everything, and everything will have its place. I need someone with space planning skills to lay it all out for me. What a relief that will be!

I haven't decided about moving my printers and home office. Obviously I will now need two computers, and some kind of network so that I can access my files from home. But just thinking about that makes my eyes glaze over. I'll have to hire that out.

Today I have a 2:00 installation, then I need to get home to pack for my trip to New England tomorrow. It's a photo shoot, and I'll be mostly concentrating on that, but it sure will be nice just to breath the air up there. My friend Helen has given me an itinerary to follow for the best scenery.

Another Day of Organizing

Jeez! I don't know when I'll come to the end of the organization blitz. And I really can't imagine what a totally organized space would be like to work in. Probably fabulous!

I'm starting on my massive photo inventory now.

I have also gone round and round with my new computer. I had some Adobe issues that hopefully are resolved by now and I can load everything back up and get back to business. At least it worked okay for me yesterday when I did that digital mockup for Texas Clinic. Bottom line, Adobe owes me a refund for the Photoshop CS3 upgrade I bought. Although they don't tell you anywhere on the website you can't upgrade from Creative Suite 2.

I know I said this when I first started upgrading my equipment. Once you start, you have to buy new everything. I'm glad it's not like that in my studio. I am using really old brushes and none of my paintings care!