Blog #23 – What Makes a Good Photography Workflow (and Why I’m Still Fixing Mine)

The shoot is rarely the problem. You pack the bag, double-check batteries, maybe argue with the tripod legs a bit, then head out and get the shots you wanted. The moment you’re home and sitting in front of a screen, though, that’s when the real of your photography workflow begins. The easy part is done. Now comes the work that quietly decides whether this whole thing feels like a creative process or a slow-motion file-management exercise.

I’ve learned over time that workflow isn’t just a boring technical word photographers throw around to sound efficient. It’s what keeps you sane. It’s the invisible structure that lets you pick up the camera again tomorrow without dreading what’s sitting on the hard drive from yesterday.

When I started, my “workflow” was optimistic at best. Everything lived in one big folder called Photos, and inside were smaller ones named Final Edits, Final Edits 2, and Really Final. Every once in a while I’d find an image I’d completely forgotten existed. I convinced myself that was creative freedom. It wasn’t. It was just disorganised.

These days I’ve built something that almost works. It’s not perfect, and there are still moments when I can’t remember which folder version I last synced, but it’s functional, repeatable, and calm enough that I can focus on actually taking photographs instead of playing digital hide-and-seek.

Here’s how it runs.

Everything begins with the way the files are structured. I work by year, month, and event or shoot, with each folder title including the date so I can find things without guessing. Every new project starts with creating that event folder on my Ugreen NAS, which handles the bulk of my storage and backups. Inside that event folder sits a sub-folder simply called Raw. Every single file from the camera card goes there first. Nothing gets deleted until I know it’s safely copied.

Once the files are sitting on the NAS, I upload them into Lightroom, the heart of my photography workflow. I know some people prefer to cull outside of Lightroom using other software, but I like seeing the edits and library together. It’s where I’m most comfortable, even if it’s not the fastest method. From there, the first cull happens, a quick run-through to delete anything obviously out of focus, blinked, or mis-exposed.

The keepers then get moved into a separate folder inside Lightroom where I work through them again, using the Z and X shortcuts to flag as picked or rejected. Once I’ve been through the set, I filter by rejected and delete those files. It’s a simple rhythm that keeps things moving while still forcing me to make decisions instead of hoarding everything.

When that’s done, I settle in for the edits themselves, usually late at night when the house is quiet and the only sound is the NAS fan.

Once the edits are complete, I run two exports. One is a full-size JPEG set, ready for archiving. The other is a smaller, watermarked version. From that second set I pick out the social-media selections, the handful that will make it to Instagram or the blog, and drop them into a folder called SM WM (short for Social Media Watermarked). Those are the ones I plan into my content schedule so I can trick myself into thinking I’m organised.

After all of that, the camera cards go straight back into the camera and get formatted in-camera. That final step feels weirdly satisfying, like wiping the slate clean and telling yourself you’re ready for whatever comes next.

That’s the routine as it stands. There are probably more efficient ways to do it, but this one suits me. It’s simple enough to repeat without too much thinking yet layered enough to keep files safe and organised. And most importantly, it gives me the mental space to actually enjoy photography again.

Over time I’ve realised that a workflow isn’t just about storage. It shapes the way you shoot. When I know I’ve got a reliable system waiting at home, I shoot more freely. I’m not thinking about card limits or file confusion later. It’s a quiet confidence that frees you to focus on light, composition, and timing instead of admin.

That confidence extends to editing too. When everything’s in its place, you’re less tempted to rush. You can spend time on colour, tone, and rhythm without worrying that you’ll lose track of the files. The organisation becomes a kind of creative foundation, invisible but solid.

Every so often I find something that doesn’t fit neatly into the system. A spontaneous set of test shots, a half-finished roll of film scans, or a quick project that never made it into the proper folder structure. Those moments remind me that no workflow is perfect. It’s not about strict order. It’s about having a process that bends enough to keep up with the way you actually work.

Film photography adds another layer to it. Scans come in from the lab or the scanner, and they don’t slot into the Raw structure quite as neatly. I keep them under the same yearly system but in their own category so I can find them without mixing formats. The digital files from the Sony or Fujifilm bodies sit beside them, which makes it easy to compare results or pull images together for blog posts later.

The hardest part isn’t naming folders or backing up. It’s maintaining consistency when you’re tired or rushing. The temptation to skip steps is strong. That’s when you end up with stray edits sitting on your desktop for weeks. I’ve started making small checklists, nothing fancy, just a notepad reminder of each stage so I don’t forget. It’s not glamorous, but it keeps me from losing half a night’s work to carelessness.

What’s surprised me most is how the admin side of photography has slowly started to feel like part of the creative process itself. There’s a quiet satisfaction in seeing everything flow from camera to finished image without panic. When the files are safe, the edits backed up, and the exports labelled properly, the work feels complete in a different way. You start trusting yourself a bit more. Either that or my OCD is kicking in!

I’ve been tightening things up recently because there’s more on the horizon that will demand better structure. More projects, more shoots, and probably more late nights hunched over Lightroom. It’s nothing official yet, but it’s big enough to make me want the back end of things to be ready before the front end grows.

Getting the photography workflow right is like tuning an instrument. It doesn’t make the music, but it makes the music possible. It’s the part no one sees when they look at a finished photo, but it’s what keeps everything steady behind the scenes.

Shout to Jolly for helping with this!

And even after all the tweaks, I’m still learning. There are new habits forming, new bits of kit that change how I store or transfer, and the occasional small disaster that teaches me faster than any tutorial could. But each adjustment makes the whole thing a little smoother, and that means more time out shooting, which is the point of all this in the first place.

I doubt I’ll ever get it perfect. Maybe that’s fine. Photography itself isn’t perfect either. You just keep refining, making little improvements, and hoping the next round goes better. A good workflow isn’t a finish line. It’s just the quiet rhythm that keeps everything moving.

So I’ll keep fixing mine, folder by folder, one mistake at a time.