Work, work, work!

I know it’s been quite a while since I last posted on my blog, but I’m working hard to put myself back on a work schedule.

My photography archive is extensive, and what I have discovered over the past few months is how neglectful I have been in maintenance and organization. So, I have taken to rebuilding my archive from my original photographs. Talk about some long, tedious work - which is my own fault, because of the methods I used previously and ensuring I was able to rebuild everything. Of course, none of this comes without technical issues - unreadable portions of backup DVD’s, those types of things. My “disorganization” actually aided in that regard, as I had to scour through multiple backups of my originals (and a multitude of duplicates) to reacquire some files. With the help of a few batch scripts to clean up some poor choices in file naming and weeding out duplicates, I’m pleased with the progress.

I’ve been using Adobe Bridge as my downloading tool, and using the workflow aspect to assign a proper naming convention and apply my copyright to each photo. Once downloaded, I’ve used its Filmstrip functionality and quickly identified what I might consider my “5 Star” photos. At this point, I’ve been able to rebuild all of my digital camera archives, back to when I first began shooting digital in 2001 - and that alone has put me at over 40k files, and around 2k “5 Stars”. It’s those 2,000 photos that will have my attention initially to review and touch up if necessary.

I’m in the process of exporting my iPhone libraries and then begin the same process for those photographs. Exporting on Photos for Mac can take a surprisingly long amount of time, but a necessary step. Once the iPhone libraries are completed, then it’s on to the numerous scanned photos I have - mostly from my Pentax 35mm days, but also many personal photos I have of friends and family.

One item of work that kept me from getting to post has been going through many belongings, mostly my mother’s photographs and scanning/digitizing them with the intent of sharing with my entire family. She was quite the hoarder, and the amount of photos I scanned were in the tens of thousands. I’ve sat that work aside for the moment in lieu of taking care of my own organizing.

As I stated at the outset, I’m trying to get myself into a routine - a work schedule that puts a greater focus on content creation, especially for the platforms where I have the potential to monetize (with enough followers/subscribers). If you appreciate my work, please remember to like, share and subscribe - YouTube and X in particular - it doesn’t cost you a dime.

Thank you, and see you around the bend!