Using two cameras throughout the day... how do you organize the images in post?

[jackie_boldt]

I am probably going to start using my two bodies during the day in order to

avoid changing lenses often and in order to capture more shots with different

lenses. The issue I have with that is organizing my pictures in order in

post-processing. I currently use a Canon 5D and 30D bodies and use Aperture to

organize and post-process my images. Any hints/tips as to what you do? Do you

even try to keep them in order and organize them after the fact?

 

Thanks!

Jackie

[evanroboldphotography]

In Glen Johnson's book, Digital Wedding Photography, he suggests setting the clocks on both cameras precisely the same, so that when you sort the images by date (and time) in post, they are in the actual order taken, regardless of which camera you used.

 

-Evan

[niccoury]

Just organize them after the fact.

 

I use two Nikon bodies and do that. It's kind of a bitch, but whatever.

 

I also use Lightroom.

 

On second thought, you could probably organize them by time-shot, that is if your cameras' clocks are set correctly.

[tiffany_anderson]

I shoot with 2 cameras and then upload the raw files to lightroom and click organize by capture time. Viola - done in 2 minutes.

[gpjoell3]

Jackie,

 

Evan and Glen Johnson are right on key. I use two camera's during a wedding and my assistant uses one. I check all three camera's clocks before each wedding.

 

George

[jackie_boldt]

That seems like the way to go. I rename my files during import, but maybe I should just stick with re-naming them on the export? At least, I think that's the thing to do with Aperture. Is that when you would re-name the files in Lightroom? During the export?

[William Michael]

Ditto the above.

 

Specifically for Weddings, I use a 20D and a 5D (and 30D as a back up). All clocks are the same (well, actually just `close to the same`).

 

I hand over the cards to the studio and they sort the images by time.

 

In reality, there is not much issue with sorting my shooting style, because I do not swap the 5D and the 20D, ad hoc: rather I shoot (a Wedding) in sections, usually using only the one body, for each section.

 

I also do not shoot (as many) images as some of my colleagues.

 

I think more precise clock management would be critical: with an assistant shooting in tandem; the more images taken especially in rapid fire; continuous swapping of the bodies, at the same scene.

 

WW

[gpjoell3]

Jackie,

 

If you do not have this book, then go get it. I believe it is one of the best wedding photography books on the market and a great resource. "Glen Johnson's book, Digital Wedding Photography". You will thank me for the tip. Whenever I have a photographer who wants to assist me with a wedding, the first thing I do is hand them this book and tell them to read. After they are finished, then I interview them. It saves me lots of time and energy. Either they get it or they don't. If they don't after reading, I cut them loose.

 

George

[kevan_goddard]

@ George Joell

 

Thanks for the tip George - added to my library

[jonj]

I sort by capture time then use Lightroom's ratiing system to sort the good ones over the bad ones.

[errol young]

right click on the camera in my computer. set the clock

do the same for the next camera.

They will by synced

[ellis_vener_photography]

Definitely ync the clocks on all of your cameras also if you use assistants who use their own cameras double check to make sure their cameras are synchronized to yours as well.. It is a very good idea to double and triple check this.

 

In Lightroom, after all of the photos have been imported into the Library, select all images (command + "A" key combination on a Mac) and tell Lightroom to sort by time captured , than rename accordingly (I use "Vener_YYYYMMDD-####" as my file naming convention. Double check that all files have a unique name , no confusing overlaps like Boldt_20080527-0001 and Boldt_20080527-0001-2 , but if there are overlaps, simply rename again if necessary.

[surfidaho]

Howdy!

 

I synchronize images from four different cameras (mine and my associate's) with the Adjust Image Date/Time feature in BreezeBrowser Pro.

 

I take a picture of the same clock with each camera. Then after I get all the images from a camera on my computer, I select all images, deselect only the image with the clock, and then reselect it, making it the image that all other images will base their time delta on by by clicking on "Update Selected".

 

At our last wedding, my associate had one of his cameras set to AM instead of PM, which threw every image twelve hours off. It was easy to fix using the method described above.

 

Lightroom might have a similar feature, but I don't have Lightroom, so I don't know.

 

Here's a screen shot of the dialog box in Breezebrowser:<div></div>

[surfidaho]

Sorry, that screen shot is for individual file change.

 

Here's the correct one.<div></div>

[kiva]

Last week: my wedding files showed up with the meta data missing in about every 10th file so organizing to original date and time became a bit of a nightmare.

 

Ended up moving many by hand.

 

Has this ever happened to anyone and is there a solution when the meta data is missing from occasional files?

[wedding-photography-denver]

You can just set the file/folder name in cam to begin with something like:

 

C1 for the first one and C2 for the second. This way you will know as soon as you see a file where it came from.

 

Secondly, you can set a cameras clock to sync with your computers clock when you connect it to the computer via a usb. This means you can sync them just before a wedding, then you have timed shots that work when opened and organized by time taken/created.

[gina_marie1]

Everyone's pretty much summed it up, I always shoot with 2 cameras and it will be a pain unless you sync the camera clocks with the computer/each other first. A couple of times we have forgotten it with the 4th backup camera but luckily it was only off due to daylight savings time change. FYI, not sure about Aperture, but in Lightroom you can modify the capture time to RAW files by the hour (not to the minute though, just plus or minus a number of hours).

[jimstrutz]

I sync two cameras by time, but I do it differently than others. I upload my cards using DIM (free utility), and have it rename according to date & time as it copies the files. I end up with file names like 20080528-2145113-01.cr2. The last two digits are to separate multiple shots in the same second, and DIM can add it in automatically. I import to Lightroom after the files are renamed, so that my raw files and final files have the same file name. This makes it easier to find things later.

[kiva]

Jim, that sounds like the cure for my problem!

 

Do I understand it correctly that DIM will take the original time and day (and even name shots within the same second) and record the original time and day as the image file is unloaded from the card into my folder on my computer?

 

That would be perfect ... as I understand it that means that if photoshop ends up striping the exif data from the file I still have the original time and date in the file name. (I downloaded the little jar file).

 

Right?

 

I'll read more but would appreciate your "real world" comment if you have the time. thanks.

[jimstrutz]

Yep, that is exactly what it will do.

 

If anyone else is interested you can read more about it here: http://www.alanlight.com/dim/Dim.htm

[jackie_boldt]

Whew! Thanks everyone! I think the trick is going to be to sync my cameras and then export them with the file name I want. Thanks!

[gokky]

The first problem is to get all the pictures equiped with exactly synchronized date. The problem is (and for me was), that cameras could not be set to the exact date/time (up to seconds resolution).

 

The result of resolving above problem is seen on http://primoz.govekar.si/?id=85&fmod=1000

 

The next step is to rename photos according to date&time stored in them. ExifTool seems good for me especialy as we are using filenames according to author (eg. pg_NNNNNNN.CR2 for my photos). But I'll observe the DIm also.