Free Action Set Makes Editing Easier, Faster - Results in Better Sales Sessions!

Actions. We love them. Every one of us is looking for that one new action to make our workflow smoother and set our images apart from the rest of the crowd. We get antsy to buy as platform speakers extol the virtues of their latest-and-greatest action sets.

So, if I told you about one simple action that would speed up your workflow and make your editing a breeze, would you be interested?

What if I told you that using a related action would confuse your clients less, resulting in enjoyable sales sessions that make you look like a rockstar photographer? (Are you reaching for your credit card yet?)

But wait . . . there's more! What if I also told you about a secret bonus action that would keep you from overshooting on each and every session? (Now do I have your attention?)

Fasten your seat belts, boys and girls, because I am already using these actions and am reaping the benefits of their results.

Before you waste time looking for the link to click and the box in which to enter your PayPal info, take a deep breath. I'm a nice guy . . . I wouldn't charge you for these! Best of all, you can perform these simple actions right now and it takes just a few seconds.

Ready?

Action #1: Take your camera off continuous shooting. Yup. Single frame.

You see, we do it to ourselves. We set the camera on continuous and hold down the shutter. It's almost like when I was a kid. I wasn't always confident that I could knock the can off the fence with a single rock, but if I had a whole fistful of rocks, I was bound to hit something!

I once photographed with someone who complained bitterly about the amount of editing they had to do, yet rattled off 6-10 frames each time they captured an image. TV commercials don't even show cameras shooting that many frames!

Capture your images carefully and thoughtfully. Change the pose or the camera angle and go for quality rather than quantity.

Action #2: Edit brutally and only show the very best images. Do the hard work before the client sees them. Make choices that show your clients good variety without repetition.

As artists, we have the tendency to overwhelm our clients with choices. Trying to impress them with how awesome we are often backfires. Rather, show them just the best frames from the session. Less is more.

Side benefit: When your client only sees the best of your best, it make you an even more amazing photographer in their eyes.

But wait . . . there's more! As promised, here's the bonus action that helps prevent overshooting.

Secret Bonus Action: Load only the proper size memory card you need to complete the session. If this was film, you wouldn't have loaded a 220 roll when you only need a 120. (Hmmmmm . . . wonder how many people I lost there?)

What I'm saying is this: you already know approximately how many images fit on a specific card, so avoid the tendency to use the 4 gig card when you only need a 2 gig. Why select the 2 gig when 1 gig is adequate? We all get carried away and overshoot, so just plan in advance and save yourself time later.

Using these 3 simple actions, I guarantee you'll have more time to spend with the people you love rather than wasting it in front of your computer!

- David Grupa