Canon® EOS Digital Photography Photo Workshop

9.1. Workflow: The Foundation of Great Photography

The concept of digital photography workflow involves far more than image editing in a specific application such as Digital Photo Professional or Photoshop. Rather, it encompasses your photography from the inception of a shoot to its ultimate completion — whether as a framed print on a wall, an image on a Web site, or part of a digital slide show or Flash presentation. However your photo shoot begins and wherever it ends up is all part of workflow.

Workflow is a concept and best practice that allows you to consistently process and produce images, customized to your skills, interests, and preferences. A defined, consistent workflow is an intellectual property asset for you, the photographer, and can be used effectively in your marketing and sales efforts to assure professionalism and credibility to your clients. It is often what markedly differentiates a true professional photographer from an amateur or enthusiast — yet every photographer, professional or not, can benefit from what an established workflow has to offer.

There are two main phases to digital photography workflow, and they are broadly broken into the prepixel and postpixel phases. The prepixel phase includes everything you do before an image reaches the sensor and is converted to a digital image: planning the shoot, setting it up, preparing your equipment and lighting, working with subjects and models, setting your exposure, composing your shot, and taking the picture. ...