Sometimes, when a photo shoot results in a couple of thousands images that need to be sorted through, post-processed and deliver to the client, time management becomes an issue. For me, photography is a part-time pursuit, so finding time to move the large projects along is an issue, which I continuously deal with. Lately, I found it effective to adopt an approach that I’ve been using in my work as a professor – working in brief regular sessions.
This concept applies to so-called “deep work” – something that needs to be done and is fundamentally important (such as doing research and reading technical literature), but that is not urgent and “in your face” (such as answering email and attending meetings). I first learned about it from a book called “Tomorrow’s Professor: Preparing for Careers in Science and Engineering”
For my photo projects, I try to adapt the same principle, particularly when some creative image editing is required. I work on a couple of images every day, as a way of taking a break from other tasks. This way, I can engage and have fun with the photos, and it doesn’t feel like work. After all, someone said that starting a photo business is a sure way to kill a perfect hobby, and I am determined to avoid that.
