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Out of 100 photos you take on an assignment, how many of them do you end up happy with the result?

Intriguing Insight: Photographer's Hit Ratio Revealed - Only 10% of Shots Turned Into Clients

Out of 100 photos that I shoot on a job. How many am I happy with? In other words? What's my hit ratio and that's going to vary show to show is Alive music photographer, one show, maybe great lighting conditions, another show, not so much or I may be doing an all-day Festival. Where half of the day is in the daylight and a half of the show, is your normal outdoor lighting. So, it's going to change a little bit. Normally, let's take an example of three bands at a show to openers and a headliner, all shoot, Anywhere from 100 to maybe 300 of the opening bands depending on whether or not, they're the James Taylor type standing at a microphone, singing or more the metal type that are swinging hair and jumping in the air. The headliner, I might do 300 to 500 shots, so it's not uncommon for me to come home from an evening at a show with 500 images. 700 images, 1000 images. Generally, I'm probably in the 10% range that I will turn into a client. If I have 500 shots that I'm keeping out of 1,000 that I shot at a show, 500 get tossed. I keep 500, I might give the client 50. Now, the truth is, for me, personally, I might like a hundred of those 500, that's 20%, but usually 50 is what I'll turn into a client. And the ones that I would consider portfolio. I'm lucky if I get one per show. Thanks for the question.

I usually keep 10% of the photos that I shoot at a show, but out of that 10%, I'm only likely to get one photo that I consider portfolio-worthy.

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Out of 100 photos I take on an assignment, the number of photos I end up being happy with varies depending on the specific job. As a live music photographer, different shows have different lighting conditions. For example, one show may have great lighting while another may not. Additionally, if I'm shooting an all-day festival, half of the day may have daylight conditions while the other half has typical outdoor lighting.

To give an example, let's consider a show with three bands: two openers and a headliner. I may shoot anywhere from 100 to 300 photos of the opening bands, depending on their performance style. For the headliner, I might capture 300 to 500 shots. So, it's not uncommon for me to come home from a show with 500, 700, or even 1000 images.

Generally, I end up keeping around 10% of the shots I took to turn into a client. For instance, if I shot 1000 photos and kept 500, I might give the client around 50 images. Personally, out of those 500, I may personally like around 100, which is about 20%. However, I typically only select around 50 images to deliver to the client or consider for my portfolio.

In summary, the number of photos I am happy with out of 100 can vary, but on average, I aim to deliver around 50 images to the client and consider one photo per show for my portfolio.

When do you know you are done editing a photo?

When is a photo truly finished? The answer may surprise you!

This may be the fastest answer I've ever done on any question. When do you know you are done editing a photo and the answer is it changes every day? I can edit a photo today and go yes it's done and then go look at that photo tomorrow and go you know what I should have done this and then go look at it the next day and go maybe if I did this. So the answer is I'm not sure that a photo is ever done being edited. There is a point where you stop editing, it doesn't mean that it's the right time that there was a good time. You take a photo to where you think it tells the story that you want to tell and then you let it go out into the wild and a year later, you may re-edit it a completely different way based on how your style and taste has changed. So, there you go.

There is no definitive answer as to when you are done editing a photo as it changes every day depending on your style and taste.

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When do I know I am done editing a photo? The answer is, it changes every day. Today, I may edit a photo and feel satisfied, but tomorrow I might look at it and think of something I could have done differently. The truth is, I'm not sure if a photo is ever truly done being edited. There comes a point where you stop editing, but it doesn't necessarily mean it was the perfect time or the best version. You edit a photo to convey the story you want to tell, and then you release it into the world. However, a year later, you might re-edit it in a completely different way based on how your style and taste have evolved. So, the concept of being done with editing is ever-changing.

What tools do you use for post-processing?

Streamlined Post-Processing Workflow: Tools Revealed!

What tools do I use for post-processing? Well, why don't I walk you through my workflow and you'll kind of better understand how things play a role for me. When I first get back from a shoot, I copy all of my images to the computer, I have a folder structure that I've designed that works for me, that's your best way to do a folder structure in the first application. I get into is photo mechanic from camera B. If you are not familiar with photo mechanic, I had somebody recommend this to me and then I still waited two years before I checked it out. I cannot recommend it. It enough, it is the fastest way for you to call a photo shoot down to the number of selects that you need. If you start with 1,000 shots, there is no faster way in my opinion to get to 300. Or if you start with 100, to get down to 10. So photo mechanic is number one. Once I've made my selects and decided what images, I'm going to keep all of that goes into Lightroom. And I do most of my editing, probably 95% of my editing just in Lightroom. If I need to turn a job around, really quick, like rooms all the images are going to see, but There are occasions where I want to really put the finishing touches on an image. I in fact, just on my podcast recently did a show on how I sometimes finish it. My images, I use Photoshop for that with a plug-in from dxo called Nik collection. And in the net collection is Nick silver, Effects Pro and Nick color Effects Pro in color Effects. Pro specifically, I use something called Pro contrast, those are mostly all the tools that I use. To finish an image. Thanks for the question.

My post-processing workflow involves using Photo Mechanic to quickly sort through images and select the best ones, followed by Lightroom for most of the editing. I will occasionally use Photoshop with the DXO Nik Collection plug-in, particularly the Pro Contrast feature in Color Effects Pro.

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For post-processing, I have a specific workflow that involves several tools. Firstly, I copy all my images to my computer using a folder structure that works for me. The first application I use is Photo Mechanic, which is incredibly fast for selecting the best shots from a shoot. It allows me to quickly narrow down a large number of images to the desired selects.

Once I've made my selects, I move them to Lightroom, where I do the majority of my editing. Lightroom is my go-to tool for about 95% of my editing needs. It offers a wide range of features and allows me to achieve the desired look for my images.

However, there are occasions when I need to add the finishing touches to an image. In these cases, I turn to Photoshop, specifically using a plugin called Nik Collection by DxO. Within the Nik Collection, I primarily use Nik Silver Efex Pro and Nik Color Efex Pro. In Color Efex Pro, I often utilize a tool called Pro Contrast.

These tools, along with Lightroom and Photo Mechanic, form the core of my post-processing workflow. However, I recently discussed on my podcast how I sometimes finish my images using Photoshop and the Nik Collection.

Overall, these tools help me achieve the desired results in my post-processing workflow.

Unlocking the Magic: My Dynamic Editing Workflow Revealed

What editing software do I use? Well, it's a combination of photo mechanic from camera B, Lightroom classic from Adobe, Photoshop from Adobe. And in Photoshop, I use a couple of plugins. First of all from dxo, it's the Nik collection, specifically, silver Effects Pro and color Effects Pro. And then from topaz Labs, I like sharpen Ai and denoise a, I don't use those last two very often and gigapixel AI. I don't use those last ones from topaz labs. Very often but I've got them in case I need them. Thanks.

I use Photo Mechanic from Camera B, Lightroom Classic from Adobe, Photoshop from Adobe, the Nik Collection from DxO, Sharpen AI and Denoise AI from Topaz Labs, and Gigapixel AI.

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The editing software I use is a combination of Photo Mechanic from Camera B, Lightroom Classic from Adobe, and Photoshop from Adobe. In Photoshop, I utilize a couple of plugins. The first is the Nik Collection from DxO, specifically Silver Effects Pro and Color Effects Pro. Additionally, I have a few plugins from Topaz Labs, such as Sharpen AI and DeNoise AI. While I don't use the Topaz Labs plugins frequently, I have them available if needed.

How much time do you spend editing vs shooting?

Photographer's Dilemma: Balancing Editing and Shooting Time

How much time do I spend editing versus actually shooting? Well, I'm the odd man, out. Probably here, because, as a live music photographer, we are generally restricted to the first three songs only of a performance. Now, with some bands, songs are two and a half minutes. So I'm only photographing that banned for seven minutes and I might end up with to 300 photographs from them other bands, the songs are five minutes long. So three songs might be 15 minutes. Photograph, Thing that banded I might end up with three hundred to Five Hundred photographs of that band depending on what the band is and what the conditions are. So I'm not technically shooting long but I have a high shot count when I get back into editing it varies depending on the need. So for example, before I ever leave a venue that venue wants 510, whatever shots so that they can post them right away on social media. So when I finish photographing, I Go back to a conference room, offload, all the pictures onto my laptop and turn around 10, maybe 20 images to them in a half an hour. Okay, maybe an hour sometimes but generally maybe about a half an hour. On the other hand, if I'm shooting a show where I don't have to turn around pictures right away, I might spend four or five hours culling and editing and getting the shots that I want out of 1,000 shots, just to get 20 or 30 images. Has. So it will vary based on what I need, but if the client needs them right away, that's what you do. Thanks for the question.

As a live music photographer, I typically spend 7-15 minutes shooting and 30 minutes to 1 hour editing if the client needs the images right away. If there is no immediate need, I can spend up to 5 hours culling and editing my shots to get 20-30 images out of 1,000.

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The amount of time I spend editing versus shooting varies depending on the circumstances. As a live music photographer, I typically have limited time to shoot, usually restricted to the first three songs of a performance. The duration of these songs can range from two and a half minutes to five minutes, resulting in a short shooting time of around seven to fifteen minutes per band.

During this time, I can capture anywhere from 300 to 500 photographs, depending on the band and conditions. However, the editing process can vary based on the specific needs. For instance, if the venue requires immediate photos for social media, I quickly offload the pictures onto my laptop and turn around 10 to 20 images within about half an hour or sometimes an hour.

On the other hand, if there is no immediate deadline, I may spend four to five hours carefully selecting and editing the best shots from a larger pool of around 1,000 images. This meticulous process allows me to curate a final collection of 20 to 30 impactful images.

Ultimately, the time spent editing versus shooting depends on the requirements of the client or venue. If immediate delivery is necessary, I prioritize quick editing. However, when there is more flexibility, I dedicate more time to refining and perfecting the final selection.

How do you edit your concert photos to best convey the atmosphere and energy of the performance?

Enhancing concert photos: Capturing energy with subtle edits

How do I edit my concert photos to best convey the atmosphere and energy of a performance? And I'm going to answer this one as kind of a cheating way. This is going to depend on you, right? Everybody is going to answer this question differently because this is our style as an artist or a creative or a photographer. For me, the way that I edit my pictures, I tend to go a little more towards the traditional side. I'm not one to crank up a slider here or there to give some kind of weird effect. Some people like that. For me, I tend to basically stay in a basic panel of lightroom, but I also use masking. I like a 3D effect in my images, so I will mask out the subject and then the background I'll throw a little dehaze on and pull the shadows or the blacks down a little bit so that the spotlights pop a little bit more and the subject kind of reaches out from that dehazed background a little bit. So that tends to be what I do is I like to get that 3D effect in there, but I don't go very heavy on a lot of processing.

I tend to stay in a basic panel of Lightroom but I also use masking to get a 3D effect. I like to pull the Shadows or the black sound a bit and throw a little dehaze on the background so that the spotlights pop a little bit more and the subject stands out.

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To effectively convey the atmosphere and energy of a concert performance through my photos, my editing style may vary from others. I tend to lean towards a more traditional approach rather than using excessive sliders for unique effects. My editing process primarily involves using the basic panel in Lightroom and utilizing masking techniques. I aim to create a 3D effect in my images by masking out the subject and applying a little dehaze to the background. This helps the spotlights stand out while allowing the subject to emerge from a slightly dehazed background. I focus on achieving this 3D effect without going overboard on heavy processing. It's important to note that each photographer has their own artistic style and approach to editing, so the process may differ for others.

Steve Brazill answers your Photography questions. See all the advice Steve Brazill has and get answers to your own Photography questions.

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Steve Brazill is a music photographer based in Southern California. He is also the host of the Behind the Shot Podcast. Music has been a special force in Steve’s life for as long as he can remember. As a radio host, emcee, and voice actor, he’s been around the music and entertainment industry for many years. You can find him on air at KCAL FM where he also handles their concert photography. Steve is one of the photographers at Toyota Arena where his goal is to combine his love of music and photography and tell viewers a story about the show. 