work is undertaken.’
Basic workfl ow: Capturefl
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W Basic workflow: Pre-shootfl Basic workflow: Capturefl X
X Basic workflow: Transferfl
Types of ‘capture’
The next major decision will be between Raw filefi capture and JPEG or TIFF capture. Raw fi les are biggerfi – and so fewer can be stored – and take longer to process on the camera. JPEGs offer faster capture and many more can be stored on a camera card. However, Raw capture offers non-destructive post processing with the possibility of sharpening, white balance and even exposure adjustment without the loss of picture quality.
Any changes done to JPEGs lower picture quality.
Many news and sport photographers use JPEG because they need a wider choice of images and often shoot in fast image bursts – newspaper reproduction is not ultimately demanding of quality. Any other professional who knows there will be any post-production work would be advised to use Raw image capture.
It seems an obvious piece of advice to check that the camera works and works accurately, especially regarding the light meter and exposure. It is advice that is often overlooked. It is particularly important to check the settings and operation of a camera before any signifi cant work is undertaken, especially if it is a poolfi camera from a newspaper or magazine, or on-hire.
An exposure check is crucial and time should be taken to re-format all memory cards to be used in the digital camera, which will weed out defective cards.
White balance
White balance checks were once a vital part of the fi lm photographer’s workflfi flow, and although with Raw capture white balance is less important to get right on the shoot than it once was, it does no harm to consider and attempt to accurately set white balance. Wedding photographers will commonly re-balance white at each new location to ensure best results – the precise colour of the wedding dress is important to the wedding party, and it should be to the photographer also!
One professional photographer working in crime scene photography once remarked that his job was, with digital cameras, more one of battery management than photography. The provision of enough battery power to cover the day’s shooting – and more for safety – is vital. A digital camera
with a fl at battery is as much use for picture taking fl as a brick, while many film cameras can at least be fi mechanically operated.
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The transfer phase of the digital workflow looksfl at how the images are taken from the camera on to the computer for subsequent processing, editing, cataloguing and storage. One important choice is whether to read the files directly fromfi the camera or to remove the memory card and read the files from that. Reading the fifi files directly from the camera guarantees that there are no connection problems with card readers (which is actually quite unlikely), but it has the disadvantage of running down the camera’s batteries.
Memory cards and backing up Many photographers prefer to remove the memory card from the camera and connect it directly to the computer through a card reader.
This has the advantage of saving the camera batteries and permits the camera to be used with a second card while the first is being downloaded. fi At big sporting events covered by a number of photographers for a big-name magazine or news organisation, it is possible to find a digital assistant fi acting as a runner between the photographers and a central production ‘office’. The runner collects used fi camera cards and returns formatted cards to the photographers, allowing them to keep on shooting – with sports subjects and a modern high-resolution digital camera on high-speed continuous shooting, cards can very quickly be filled. fi
Basic workfl ow: Transferfl
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W Basic workflow: Capturefl Basic workflow: Transferfl X
X Basic workflow: Processfl
For the photographer working alone, the logical workfl ow is to have enough camera card capacityfl to continue shooting until you can return to base.
Some photographers prefer large cards so they can avoid swapping cards and missing picture taking opportunities. Others who work with less demanding subjects may wish to consider a number of smaller cards – there is nothing worse than a large card going faulty and needing recovery – or worse still, being lost or damaged beyond recovery.
Logic dictates that your images are most vulnerable when they exist only on the camera card. A memory card must not be wiped until backups have been taken. The card should then be reformatted in the camera in which it will be used – not simply erased, but low-level formatted.
Wi-Fi
The rapid advances in Wi-Fi technology mean that many photographers will use a wireless connection to transfer their images from the camera to the computer, possibly for onward transmission to the picture desk. High-end camera manufacturers sell dedicated wireless transmitters. None of these have the ease of use the consumer enjoys with a simple Eye-Fi share card, which combines a Wi-Fi transmitter and image memory on the same tiny SD card. Though this has been pioneered in the consumer market, it will undoubtedly become the transfer method of preference for the professional photographer.