EDIT ON THE MOVE

Make use of mobile editing techniques to create finished images as you travel

While it is certainly possible to travel with a laptop when using aircraft as a means of getting from place to place, keeping your kit as limited as possible is often advantageous. In the current age of travel, airlines tend to squeeze as many passengers as possible onto their planes, meaning that cabin baggage may be forcibly checked into the hold. You can’t plan for the eventuality and putting your laptop, or other expensive items, in the hands of baggage handlers is always risky.

This is where mobile editing comes into its own. Processing software for mobile devices has advanced dramatically in recent years, meaning images can be wirelessly transferred from your cards and edited on a tablet, or even a smartphone. Though this isn’t essential if there is no pressing deadline for the images you shoot, for time-critical assignments or where you will be working remotely for extended periods, it is a great solution for increasing image turnover.

While this process is unlikely to ever fully replace the standard desktop editing workflow of a professional photographer, it is important these days to familiarise yourself with new technology, particularly if it could shave a few minutes off the editing process down the line.

It is likely that mobile editing is going to play a critical role in the day-to-day operation of many travelling photographers, especially when so much of the imagery created today ends up on social platforms anyway.