Edit on the move
Use core software techniques to improve images while learning to protect your files when travelling
Travelling for a living is often seen as a desirable occupation, especially as a photographer exploring new destinations in search of original imagery. However, there are many difficulties associated with working on the move, as opposed to working from a fixed base such as a studio. Travel photography often takes us to places that are not conducive to working with electrical equipment, and many stages of our usual fixed-base workflow need to be reordered to enable a smooth operation. Primarily resources are finite – we have limited battery power and memory card space, so a good file transfer, back-up and editing policy is critical.
For many photographers image editing can simply wait until they return home, but for some professionals who are on an assignment for a magazine, publisher or stock agency, working on images as they travel is a regular requirement. Aspects such as access to power, a resource that can prove unpredictable, have to be a central consideration. Assuming that your access will be limited can protect against unwelcome surprises, so investing in back-up laptop batteries will give you the flexibility to spend more time working ‘off the grid’.
Internet access is another resource that can prove illusive, introducing complications for Cloud back-up facilities and software support availability. The latter is not often seen as essential, but should your preferred processing application develop defects, you need to be able to work through these problems. In reality there may not be a usable solution if this occurs while you are in a remote location, but a good workaround is to download and install all recommended updates and fixes provided by the software developer prior to your departure. This reduces the probability of issues developing while you are travelling.
Meanwhile file format choice is another key decision. While RAW files are the most common professional choice, due to the flexibility of the format, they are considerably larger than JPEGs, which represents a disadvantage when card space is limited. There is also the issue of losing sidecar files, which can be a serious and surprisingly easy mistake to make. As you edit your RAW images in an application such as Camera Raw, the editing information is stored in XMP files, which must be kept alongside the RAW file to retain processing work. It is possible to lose track of these or forget to copy all sidecar files, especially when moving large volumes of photographs. Consider the DNG format, which is smaller, without sidecars and is fully flexible, like proprietary RAWs.
DP