my photo workflow

my workflow for photo editing and distribution

Work in progress..

1) Shooting

I shoot in RAW and use the following equipment:

DSLR bodies:

Nikon D300
Nikon D70s (rarely used)

Glass:

Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED AF-S DX (my latest purchase)
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM (my preferred and definitely most used prime)
Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8 D
Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D AF
Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6G IF-ED AF-S VR
Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED AF-S DX

Other gear

Solmeta N1+ GPS Unit for D300 (geotagging)
SB-900 speedlight with gels and diffuser
Manfrotto monopod

2) Importing

I import everything in a temporary “import” project in Aperture

I use a different library each year (I split through multiple libraries for best performance)
I use a different project name for each session and name projects by event or place name
I move shots from the “Import” to the final project only once editing, tagging and ratings have been done

3) Rating and Stacking

I go through, assign a “reject” rating to bad shots and use Aperture’s stacking capability to group similiar pictures into stacks. If I did a lot of high-speed continuous shooting I use the auto-stacking feature for bracketed shots and bursts. I make sure that the pick of each stack is best one in there.

4) Metadata:

At this point I fill out some common IPTC fields (copyright, contact, credit, headline, caption, etc.) and tag most of the shots using the Aperture’s “Batch change” function. GPS metadata is already in the EXIF header of each shot because I keep a Solmeta N1+ tagging unit always connected to the camera.

5) Editing

I do most of my editing right in Aperture.
Aperture’s strongest feature is the non-destructive editing workflow process: all of the changes are kept in a database and applied in real time when exporting or viewing (previews are cached).
At this stage I mostly work with