Workflow

Image production workflow (Wedding photographs)

These are the methods and procedures I use to produce/post process my wedding image workflow before presenting the finished product to the customer 

     Shoot/Record images:

I use Canon 5d cameras to record my images, I use these cameras because of their low light caperbilities which are very good at shooting in low light circumstances and environments. I use these cameras in preference to other canon models because they have full frame caperblities which produce outatanding clarity and definition.

I have used other canon models to produce the same images such as the 7D for example but in caparrison their is deifinatly no competition with the quality and clarity of images that are produced on full frame cameras. The 7D uses a crop sensor which cannot produce the same difinition as full frame sensors. The end result produces images that are of inferior quality and contain much more noise and less detail than images produded by full frame cameras

Using Canon 5D2 and 5D3 cameras I record all of my images into my camera memory cards. The cards I use consist of Compaq Flash and SD cards. I use high end fast Lexar cards with write  speeds of upto 90 mb per second, this allows me to use rapid frame bursts to capture those unmissable confetti shots etc 

The really good feature about my Canon 5D3 is it has dual card slots,1 SD and 1 CF which enables me to record my images twice, both at the same time which is grerat for a backup when I'm shooting wedding photographs. I can shoot one card in jpg and one in raw. In comparrison to my 5D2 which only has one Cf card slot to record images I find this double feature an excellent addition whch can speed up my work flow

 

Download images from camera

I use a very fast card reader to download my images to my Imac or Sony Vaio laptop,this is a Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot reader which is extremely fast  reader which enables files to be downloaded in seconds rather than minutes from less superior card readers

I have tried other brand card readers in the past such as Sandisk and Kingston and these do not  seem to be a patch on the Lexor professional for speed and reliability

Catalogue of images

When my images are downloded to my Mac or laptop I use a folder system where my images are dated and catologued before I open up the images in the software "Adobe Bridge"

I use this software to view my photographs in large batches after they have been taken. This enbles me to view and seperate different formats of images such as Jpg and Raw
I can view and edit large batches of images and will regularly take 500 images at the average wedding. I view, grade and remove unwanted undesirable or out of focus images from here and narrow my best images down to about 200

I then rate my images using a star rating system which is built into the software which enabled me to easily group and rate my photographs for final selection by labeling each image with a 1-5 star rating or colour code them using 5 different colours built into the software 

     

Shown below is a screen grab from my Bridge software which shows the star ratings given to my photographs which makes life far easier when I want to select a group of images all with the same ratings

Once graded with a star rating It is then very easy to display just 4 or 5 star images instead of trawling through all of your images to find your best shots

Post Process Images:

Some of my final 200 images may need working on to enhance their appearance so I normally load them into the sofeware Photoshop CS5 where I work on them to embellish and enhance their appearance. I use Photoshop CS5 at home on my I mac and CS3 on my laptop, I also use CC6 in college to post process my images before going to print

This is the stage of the workflow where the images are given final adjustments before being saved and stored before going to print.

Some of my images need certain processing to make them look their best. I change lighting,tones,white balance,colour and sharpening here. I normally set up"Batch processing" a technique in Photooshop or Bridge where a group of images are selected and then worked on as a "batch" instead of working on them individually which would take hours to complete. This allowed me to process a large group of photographs which all have the same characteristics as one another. In this way they all had the same process applied to them for eg, white balance, image size and cropping

Applying "actions" and "batch processing" using PS5 and Bridge

This grab shows how I set up an action in Photoshop to manipulate a whole batch of images before they were batch processed

I set up an "action" within Photoshop which enabled me to "Batch Process" most of my images. I applied this process to all my images to change image size and cropping which saved altering every single image one by one which would have taken hours instead of minutes

Image sharpening and final checks:

Shown here are some of my Actions that  I use in Photoshop to speed up my workflow

I set up another "Action" within Photoshop that applied a final sharpening of 15% to all of my images after post processing them.This, I find gave my images a final burst of sharpness and clarity. I find giving over 15-20 % sharpening to my images starts to degrade the images and adds a more grainy effect which is not pleasing to the eye. I used the unsharp mask filter within Photoshop for this process. I gave a last visual check to my images then gave a final check to remove any unwanted or obtrusive objects that would be shown in the final print

I am in the process of buying Adobe Lghtroom 4 the Wedding photography industry standard software for post processing my images, I hope to review this software shortly and compare my results over the Christmas period. Shown here is a video of kevin Kubota world renown wedding and portrait photographer who demonstrates the wedding photography work flow using Adbe Lightroom to post process his images

Photograph Release Form

Photograph Release Form

I recently completed the photography of a local wedding where the bride and groom wanted only images of their special day producing on a DVD

I reluctantly agreed to shoot the photography with this arrangement but I needed the work to finance the initial startup costs of a business

The couple  didn't want the photographer to supply any albums,photobooks or printed images of their wedding and only wanted to reproduce their own output from their images
using mainly printed media

I did explain that the photographer is the author/creator of the images who is the legal owner of the images and they remain the property of the photographer. Permission to use or reproduce the photographers/images can be arranged at the discretion of the photographer who must grant their permission 

I am not really in favour of this kind of arrangement as it means the photographer is in theory giving away part of his or her business or livelihood

Most phtographers are reluctant to provide images to DVD as this process is detrimental to their business's with loss lost potential earnings from resales of their images

Shown below is a form that I compiled which granted the wedding couple certain permissions to reproduce my images:

Photograph Copyright Release

Photographer's Name: _____________________________________

Address: ____________________________________________

-----------------------------------------------

______________________________________________________

Telephone: __________________________________________

Email: _______________________________________________

The above named Photographer hereby warrants being the legal copyright owner of the Work described below:

---

---

The Photographer hereby grants permission to ___________________________________ and his/her/their Photo Laboratory of choice to make reproductions of the Work in any size or quantity for the following use:

---

Photographer's Signature: _______________________________

Date: ________________

Legal & Ethical Considerations

There are a lot of legal and ethical considerations that photographer's have to consider throughout their careers to produce their photography. There are a lot of laws that a photographer has to be aware of and may easily come into conflict with if not the properly versed with up to date laws that apply to a photographer
Listed below are the subjects that may be of concern and may affect how a photographer goes about his or hers everyday work

Law of trespass

This has to be taken into consideration. Photographer's have to be careful they remain on public land and public places in pursuit of their images,it's very easy to stray onto private land and private property which could result in prosecution
Shopping centres for example can be considered as private places and the owners have the right to expel a photographer taking images on their properties

Shown below is an extract from a website I have researched on the Internet which I find is a really good guide for a photographer which outlines all the major laws and photographers rights

http://www.how2fundraise.org/OneStopCMS/Core/CrawlerResourceServer.aspx?resource=D9C09F0D-16DB-4F20-92DA-CA8B1FE90462&mode=link&guid=41c98c36a1c54e1283d1b27391e36803


Obsenity law

Law established by the Obscene Publications Act of 1959 prohibiting the publishing of any material that tends to deprave or corrupt. In Britain, obscene material can be for example pornographic or violent, or can encourage drug taking.There is a defence in support of the public good if the defendant can produce expert evidence to show that publication was in the interest of, for example, art, science, or literature.

Copyright

A copyright basically allows the author of a photograph (the person who took it) control over how that picture is copied, transmitted and reproduced. Copyright issues have become more commonplace since the birth of both digital cameras and the internet because people now have far more freedom and flexibility when they share images, and it is all too easy to copy or post an image that you do not own

People may be unaware of copyright laws on the internet. When they reproduce an image in digital form and copy it many times without consent of the person who took the original image they are actually breaking this law

Copyright law is there to protect your images and prevent you taking credit for other peoples work.


Health and safety at work act
All workers have a right to work in places where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Health and safety is about stopping you getting hurt at work or becoming ill caused by your working environment. Your employer is responsible for health and safety, but the employee is also resposible must follow giudelines set out by this act

The main piece of legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA). All work places are covered by this legislation which says that an employer must do everything reasonably practicable to provide a safe and healthy workplace with adequate welfare facilities. HSWA has been supported and extended by various sets of regulations, codes of practice and guidance, all of which deal with various aspects of health and safety. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the government body which decides upon and implements health and safety policy.

Please see a more detailed Health and safety document I have compiled on blog "Health and Safety Considerations" (Unit 205)

Photography of children or Minors

IIt is important to note that there is no law against photographing children. You are perfectly within your rights to take a photograph of a child. Ridiculous stories are common of parents being told to put their cameras away at dance competitions or swimming pools.

There are some common sense guidelines that you should keep in the forefront of your mind when photographing children. The first of these is that, where possible, you should always seek approval from a parent or guardian before you begin shooting. This is particularly important if you are doing street photography. Photographing children in public places can be controversial and is also a sensitive issue,permission should be granted first and with this in mind no real problems are encountered

If in any doubt, I would suggest when taking photo's of minor's always make sure that the parents are present when the photography takes place. I would then show all images to the parents and ask for their approval before the images are processed or printed


Contract Law

A contract intends to formalize an agreement between two or more parties, in relation to a particular subject. Contracts can cover an extremely broad range of matters, including the sale of goods,property,services etc

In order to be valid, the parties to a contract must exchange something of value. In the case of the sale of the photographs, the buyer receives something of value in the form of the photographs and the photographers services, and the seller receives money for these services and the images

There must be an offer and this must be accepted to make an agreement. While this would in the first instance appear to be self explanatory, it is important to distinguish between what the law says amounts to a valid offer. An offer can be made orally, in writing or by way of conduct.

Contract: the elements of a contract

The first step in a contract question is always to make sure that a contract actually exists. There are certain elements that must be present for a legally binding contract to be in place.

Shown below are the two most common elements of a contract

• An offer: an expression of willingness to contract on a specific set of terms, made by the offeror with the intention that, if the offer is accepted, he or she will be bound by a contract.

• Acceptance: an expression of absolute and unconditional agreement to all the terms set out in the offer. It can be oral or in writing. The acceptance must exactly mirror the original offer made.

Disability Discrimination

Consideration must be given to people with disabilities so we all have the same equal opportunities. The photographer may need to go to extreme lengths to provide resources and to accommodate people with disabilities but equal opportunities must be of paramount importance

The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to other members of the public

Extra provision may be needed to enable a disabled person to fulfill their every day lives and this may come at quite some considerable cost

It may be necessary to have another person available to help with people with disabilities. They may need to be lifted,guided or helped in a variety of situations to carry out their everyday duties that an able person may take for granted

A studio may need to be kitted out to meet the requirements of a disabled person and a variety of different aids may need to be put in place to accommodate this. Wider doors,lower sinks,ramps and larger toilets are all a major consideration to provide proper equal services for everybody

Similar considerations have to be taken into account when shooting on location or outdoors which maybe an even harder challenge for the photographer to complete if additional resources are needed to accommodate someone with a disability

Handling Confidential Information

Care should be taken when handling other peoples information. This information is very personal and confidential including banking details etc.. The photographer needs to protect this data and care must be taken if this data is stored on pc's etc.. There are laws governing the storage of personal data, this is called "the data protection act" The DPA was first composed in 1984 and was updated in 1998.Shown below are the basic principles of this law

The Eight Data Protection Act Principles

The act contains eight “Data Protection Principles”. These specify that personal data must be:

1. Processed fairly and lawfully.

2. Obtained for specified and lawful purposes.

3. Adequate, relevant and not excessive.

4. Accurate and up to date.

5. Not kept any longer than necessary.

6. Processed in accordance with the “data subject’s” (the individual’s) rights.

7. Securely kept.

8. Not transferred to any other country without adequate protection in situ.

There are a lot of legal and ethical considerations that photographer's have to consider throughout their careers to produce their photography. There are a lot of laws that a photographer has to be aware of and may easily come into conflict with if not properly versed with up to date laws that apply to a photographer
Listed below are the subjects that may be of concern and may affect how a photographer goes about his or hers everyday work

Law of trespass

This has to be taken into consideration. Photographer's have to be careful they remain on public land and public places in pursuit of their images,it's very easy to stray onto private land and private property which could result in prosecution
Shopping centres for example can be considered as private places and the owners have the right to expel a photographer taking images on their properties

Shown below is an extract from a website I have researched on the Internet which I find is a really good guide for a photographer which outlines all the major laws and photographers rights

http://www.how2fundraise.org/OneStopCMS/Core/CrawlerResourceServer.aspx?resource=D9C09F0D-16DB-4F20-92DA-CA8B1FE90462&mode=link&guid=41c98c36a1c54e1283d1b27391e36803


Obsenity law

Law established by the Obscene Publications Act of 1959 prohibiting the publishing of any material that tends to deprave or corrupt. In Britain, obscene material can be for example pornographic or violent, or can encourage drug taking.There is a defence in support of the public good if the defendant can produce expert evidence to show that publication was in the interest of, for example, art, science, or literature.

Copyright

A copyright basically allows the author of a photograph (the person who took it) control over how that picture is copied, transmitted and reproduced. Copyright issues have become more commonplace since the birth of both digital cameras and the internet because people now have far more freedom and flexibility when they share images, and it is all too easy to copy or post an image that you do not own

People may be unaware of copyright laws on the internet. When they reproduce an image in digital form and copy it many times without consent of the person who took the original image they are actually breaking this law

Copyright law is there to protect your images and prevent you taking credit for other peoples work.


Health and safety at work act
All workers have a right to work in places where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Health and safety is about stopping you getting hurt at work or becoming ill caused by your working environment. Your employer is responsible for health and safety, but the employee is also resposible must follow giudelines set out by this act

The main piece of legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA). All work places are covered by this legislation which says that an employer must do everything reasonably practicable to provide a safe and healthy workplace with adequate welfare facilities. HSWA has been supported and extended by various sets of regulations, codes of practice and guidance, all of which deal with various aspects of health and safety. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the government body which decides upon and implements health and safety policy.

Please see a more detailed Health and safety document I have compiled on blog "Health and Safety Considerations" (Unit 205)

Photography of children or Minors

IIt is important to note that there is no law against photographing children. You are perfectly within your rights to take a photograph of a child. Ridiculous stories are common of parents being told to put their cameras away at dance competitions or swimming pools.

There are some common sense guidelines that you should keep in the forefront of your mind when photographing children. The first of these is that, where possible, you should always seek approval from a parent or guardian before you begin shooting. This is particularly important if you are doing street photography. Photographing children in public places can be controversial and is also a sensitive issue,permission should be granted first and with this in mind no real problems are encountered

If in any doubt, I would suggest when taking photo's of minor's always make sure that the parents are present when the photography takes place. I would then show all images to the parents and ask for their approval before the images are processed or printed


Contract Law

A contract intends to formalize an agreement between two or more parties, in relation to a particular subject. Contracts can cover an extremely broad range of matters, including the sale of goods,property,services etc

In order to be valid, the parties to a contract must exchange something of value. In the case of the sale of the photographs, the buyer receives something of value in the form of the photographs and the photographers services, and the seller receives money for these services and the images

There must be an offer and this must be accepted to make an agreement. While this would in the first instance appear to be self explanatory, it is important to distinguish between what the law says amounts to a valid offer. An offer can be made orally, in writing or by way of conduct.

Contract: the elements of a contract

The first step in a contract question is always to make sure that a contract actually exists. There are certain elements that must be present for a legally binding contract to be in place.

Shown below are the two most common elements of a contract

• An offer: an expression of willingness to contract on a specific set of terms, made by the offeror with the intention that, if the offer is accepted, he or she will be bound by a contract.

• Acceptance: an expression of absolute and unconditional agreement to all the terms set out in the offer. It can be oral or in writing. The acceptance must exactly mirror the original offer made.

Disability Discrimination

Consideration must be given to people with disabilities so we all have the same equal opportunities. The photographer may need to go to extreme lengths to provide resources and to accommodate people with disabilities but equal opportunities must be of paramount importance

The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to other members of the public

Extra provision may be needed to enable a disabled person to fulfill their every day lives and this may come at quite some considerable cost

It may be necessary to have another person available to help with people with disabilities. They may need to be lifted,guided or helped in a variety of situations to carry out their everyday duties that an able person may take for granted

A studio may need to be kitted out to meet the requirements of a disabled person and a variety of different aids may need to be put in place to accommodate this. Wider doors,lower sinks,ramps and larger toilets are all a major consideration to provide proper equal services for everybody

Similar considerations have to be taken into account when shooting on location or outdoors which maybe an even harder challenge for the photographer to complete if additional resources are needed to accommodate someone with a disability

Handling Confidential Information

Care should be taken when handling other peoples information. This information is very personal and confidential including banking details etc.. The photographer needs to protect this data and care must be taken if this data is stored on pc's etc.. There are laws governing the storage of personal data, this is called "the data protection act" The DPA was first composed in 1984 and was updated in 1998.Shown below are the basic principles of this law

The Eight Data Protection Act Principles

The act contains eight “Data Protection Principles”. These specify that personal data must be:

1. Processed fairly and lawfully.

2. Obtained for specified and lawful purposes.

3. Adequate, relevant and not excessive.

4. Accurate and up to date.

5. Not kept any longer than necessary.

6. Processed in accordance with the “data subject’s” (the individual’s) rights.

7. Securely kept.

8. Not transferred to any other country without adequate protection in situ.

Copyright

Copyright and Photography

©


We are now photographing many weddings and we have to be conversant with the law of copyright and it's implications. We are publishing a lot of our images onto the internet which leaves our photography wide open to to theft, copying and infringement of copyright

We protect our published images images by using a watermark built into the images. We also have our names and image creation dates attached to every image we create through  our camera's meta data which is embedded into all the files we produce

We have a few paragraphs built into into our website's terms and conditions stating our copyright policies

This is a link that demonstrates how I watermark/copyright my images using the software photoshop:

http://www.photoshopessentials.com/photo-effects/copyright/


I have researched the laws on copyright on the Internet,shown below are some of its guidelines,uses and limitations:

Introduction   Copyright law originated in the United Kingdom from a concept of common law; the Statute of Anne 1709. It became statutory with the passing of the Copyright Act 1911. The current act is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. Rights covered The law gives the creators of literary, dramatic, musical, artistic works, sound recordings, broadcasts, films and typographical arrangement of published editions, rights to control the ways in which their material may be used. The rights cover; broadcast and public performance, copying, adapting, issuing, renting and lending copies to the public. In many cases, the creator will also have the right to be identified as the author and to object to distortions of his work. International conventions give protection in most countries, subject to national laws. Types of work protected Literary   song lyrics, manuscripts, manuals, computer programs, commercial documents, leaflets, newsletters & articles etc. Dramatic   plays, dance, etc. Musical   recordings and score. Artistic   photography, painting, sculptures, architecture, technical drawings/diagrams, maps, logos. Typographical arrangement of published editions magazines, periodicals, etc. Sound recording may be recordings of other copyright works, e.g. musical and literary. Film   video footage, films, broadcasts and cable programmes. The Copyright (Computer Programs) Regulations 1992 extended the rules covering literary works to include computer programs. When rights occur Copyright is an automatic right and arises whenever an individual or company creates a work. To qualify, a work should be regarded as original, and exhibit a degree of labour, skill or judgement. Interpretation is related to the independent creation rather than the idea behind the creation. For example, your idea for a book would not itself be protected, but the actual content of a book you write would be. In other words, someone else is still entitled to write their own book around the same idea, provided they do not directly copy or adapt yours to do so. Names, titles, short phrases and colours are not generally considered unique or substantial enough to be covered, but a creation, such as a logo, that combines these elements may be. In short, work that expresses an idea may be protected, but not the idea behind it. Who owns a piece of work Normally the individual or collective who authored the work will exclusively own the work and is referred to as the ‘first owner of copyright’ under the 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act. However, if a work is produced as part of employment then the first owner will normally be the company that is the employer of the individual who created the work. Freelance or commissioned work will usually belong to the author of the work, unless there is an agreement to the contrary, (i.e. in a contract for service). Just like any other asset, copyright may be transferred or sold by the copyright owner to another party. Rights cannot be claimed for any part of a work which is a copy taken from a previous work. For example, in a piece of music featuring samples from a previous work, the copyright of the samples would still remain with the original author. Only the owner, or his exclusive licensee can bring proceedings in the courts. Duration of copyright The 1988 Copyright, Designs and Patents Act states the duration of copyright as; For literary, dramatic, musical or artistic works 70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last remaining author of the work dies. If the author is unknown, copyright will last for 70 years from end of the calendar year in which the work was created, although if it is made available to the public during that time, (by publication, authorised performance, broadcast, exhibition, etc.), then the duration will be 70 years from the end of the year that the work was first made available. Sound Recordings and broadcasts 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was created, or, if the work is released within that time: 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was first released. Films   70 years from the end of the calendar year in which the last principal director, author or composer dies. If the work is of unknown authorship: 70 years from end of the calendar year of creation, or if made available to the public in that time, 70 years from the end of the year the film was first made available. Typographical arrangement of published editions 25 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was first published. Broadcasts and cable programmes 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the broadcast was made. Crown Copyright Crown copyright will exist in works made by an officer of the Crown, this includes items such as legislation and documents and reports produced by government bodies. Crown Copyright will last for a period of 125 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was made. If the work was commercially published within 75 years of the end of the calendar year in which it was made, Crown copyright will last for 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which it was published. Parliamentary Copyright Parliamentary Copyright will apply to work that is made by or under the direction or control of the House of Commons or the House of Lords and will last until 50 years from the end of the calendar year in which the work was made. Restricted acts It is an offence to perform any of the following acts without the consent of the owner: Copy the work. Rent, lend or issue copies of the work to the public. Perform, broadcast or show the work in public. Adapt the work. The author of a work, or a director of a film may also have certain moral rights: The right to be identified as the author. Right to object to derogatory treatment. Acts that are allowed Fair dealing is a term used to describe acts which are permitted to a certain degree without infringing the work, these acts are: Private and research study purposes. Performance, copies or lending for educational purposes. Criticism and news reporting. Incidental inclusion. Copies and lending by librarians. Acts for the purposes of royal commissions, statutory enquiries, judicial proceedings and parliamentary purposes. Recording of broadcasts for the purposes of listening to or viewing at a more convenient time, this is known as time shifting. Producing a back up copy for personal use of a computer program. Playing sound recording for a non profit making organisation, club or society. (Profit making organisations and individuals should obtain a license from PRS for Music.)