Culling in the field

[fdollinger]

In the past I have read that deleting in camera can corrupt the card. I dont know if that is true with the newer ones. I would rather see on my computer then make a decision in the field.

 

[Steve]

Once in the Lightroom library, i find the painter tool is a very fast way to flag or rate images for a fast cull.

Agree - I use it all the time and it's super-fast.

 

[Patrick Hartnett]

A different perspective: Technology may help resurrect a memorable shot that may have been lost to the delete key.

I am in the camp of being very, very judicious with the delete key.

A few years ago, on a trip to Costa Rica, I was "learning" to use exposure compensation in the rainforest. I framed some great shots of a Howler Monkey. Unfortunately, they were hopelessly underexposed because I inverted the exposure compensation concept and when adjusted in Lightroom they were so grainy they looked like a LeRoy Neiman painting. My bad but a real bummer nonetheless. Sometimes you learn the most from your mistakes.

Fast forward a few years later when I bought and learned how to use Topaz Labs' DeNoise AI. I went back to my library of unusable photos and was able to resurrect my Howler Monkey shots. Suddenly, the formerly unusable grainy photos were usable and I have some great memory shots of a most memorable Costa Rican Adventure. Wall hangers? Probably not, but they look great on a 75" LCD television and a wildlife roll that is my screen saver at home. Technology saved part of the joy of photography and my technical bacon.

In addition to learning a hard lesson about exposure compensation, I learned that the technology of tomorrow may save a memory shot of yesterday—as long as you don't hit the delete key and make a quick, improvident decision in the field.

For youth-challenged photographers like me, could we imagine 30-35 years ago what can be done in Photoshop or Lightroom with a few clicks today? When in doubt save it. Hard drive space is relatively inexpensive.

 

[Steve]

I just met with my friend here in Costa Rica and suer enough, he was the one who showed Hudson the trick. I gave him a hard time about it and he did say that it does cause him to lose the occasional shot but that he has so many it doesn't really bother him. In addition, he also agrees that it's not ideal for a typical shooter and that it's better for someone who is only taking selective shots and not really knocking out thousands at once. Just FYI...

 

[SoCalRick]

Good discussion! Referring back to the original post, I too have used the "protect" button on my D500 while in the field, then subsequently "deleting all" so that only the protected images remained on my card in the camera. When subsequently importing the files into Lightroom Classic, the "protected" status remains. The only way I could remove the protection was to display the file info within the finder of my iMac and uncheck the protect box for each image.

Is there a way to delete the protection from all the files in a folder once they are in Lightroom on my iMac?

Answer: Yes. From Lightroom, find where the images are stored on disk. Once at that location in the finder, do a "select all" on all of the protected images you want to apply this to (or Cmd-a) to grab everything . Then Right-click on the group of selected files and choose "Get Info". Then uncheck the "Locked" box on the resulting pop-up window and this action will be applied to all the files that were selected.

 

[JAS]

I think I know that guide that recommended the technique and it's one of the few things we disagree on. My problems with it are as follows:

First, if you're doing a lot of shooting and something comes up before you're done "field culling," it's easy to forget where you left off and potentially miss a great shot and fail to protect it. I'd hate to me back at the computer wondering what happened to that killer BIF sequence...

Second, it encourages excessive chimping. If you know at the end of the day you're going to delete everything you haven't protected, you're much more apt to be looking at your images instead of watching what's around you. I think every wildlife photographer has missed shots due to chimping, and this is chimping on steroids.

Third, it's easy to miss or dismiss what's actually a good shot. I don't know about you, but there are often times when, in the field, I think one image is far better than another. However, a few weeks later when reviewing my shots, I decide that upon further review that the shot I was dismissing was actually the better take on the subject. I'd hate to have deleted those.

Fourth, the embedded JPEG doesn't always show you the best rendition of the image. I don't know how many people I've talked to that tell me the same thing, "I think it's OK, but I have to look at it on the computer when I get back". The LCD / EVF isn't anywhere close to the same league as a good monitor and the embedded JPEG isn't anywhere close to as flexible as a RAW file. Sometimes you don't know what you have by just glancing at the image in-camera. Sure, you could err not eh side of caution, but it would be easy to make a mistake.

For me, I'd rather import the images and pick the winners from the computer. No extra chimping in the field, no additional image loss, etc. You don't have to look at every image just because you imported it - look though your sequences as thumbnails and check those - and flag the standouts. From there, cull the flagged images. You can always filter by unflagged images and reject them all or just select and delete them. Easy.

I very much agree with your take on things. I want to see the shot on a larger screen to see the details and the "big picture" plus I cannot see wasting time to sort shots when I could/should be capturing more or preparing to do so.

 

[Tibor Hrnko]

Once in the Lightroom library, i find the painter tool is a very fast way to flag or rate images for a fast cull.

Thx for singling this feature out, it is perfect for the job

 

[joe43]

Alternative.
in the field, review and protect but do not delete. Start a new folder for the next session to save having to review those yiu selected. Delete any really bad ones, but you won’t have any I’m sure.
Back in tne studio I import using Nikon Transfer 2. This allows you to select protected (aka locked) files only. I usually import a second time, all images to another location.

Patrick I did not know Nikon Transfer 2 had this feature. I use Downloader pro and will check to see if it has something similar. I usually use NX Studio to cull images as it is very fast.

 

[Calson]

I have no issues with taking enough media to retain all my images for a trip and then cull them at home. Much faster with something like FastRaw Viewer on a 30" screen. On my trips to Costa Rica there we seldom situations where I needed to shoot in high speed burst mode. With birds on branches there is no reason shoot at 20 fps and have 15 or more images to cull.

With birds in flight I would be more inclined to use video in many of the situations I have encountered in Costa Rica. With the Z9 cameras I would be shooting video in many of these situations. For video I added a 2TB Anglebird solid state drive at $550 for my Atomos video and audio recorder to shoot in 4K.

My CFexpress cards hold 325GB at $450 per card and they each can hold 4800 image files. Four of these cards can hold more than 19,000 image files and if I got to that point I would rethink what I was doing and change it. Worst case I would use my netbook to transfer images from a CFexpress card to an external SSD drive. A 2 TB SSD will hold more than 30,000 Z9 Raw files.

I cannot see the logic of spending time on a trip culling files. I would rather use any free time to review images to spot issues with my settings to prepare for the next day of shooting.

 

[AnnetteJane]

For those that might not read his site…Hudson Henry did a video this week on a culling in the field technique he learned from his local Costa Rica guide on his recent workshop. He was shooting a Z9 at 20fps a lot and came back with up to 6,000 or 7,000 images per day…and the first few days he spent the evenings culling shots instead of sitting in the restaurant or bar with his friends…until he was told about this technique. I saw on the YouTube comments that Patrick is going to give this a try as well…but on further review as t hey say I think I've found an even better implementation of the idea.

Basically…the technique is that you review your shots on the camera in the field as you go through the day. Zooming in to 100% in playback mode is a lot faster than creating previews in Lightroom. Essentially you scroll through the shots and use the Protect button (F4 on the Z9 but there's a similar option on other models and brands) to lock the shots you like. Then simple select Delete All Images from the menu and all of the non favorite shots are gone…he said that using this technique he ended up with 300 or so images to review in the evening rather than 6 or 7 thousand.

While this sounds lie a really interesting idea…I for one would be loathe to delete images in the field, particularly if it was on a trip that was a bucket list thing or not something you could easily recreate…and after some thought I came up with a slightly different implementation.

Instead of protecting the photos you want to keep…do the same review in the field but rather than protect simply rate the best images as 1 star. Then…import everything into Lightroom and immediately filter by 1 star so you don't see the other images then sort for composition and whatnot as he recommends on those 1 star images. The advantage to this is that you've still got all those other shots so if the tiger shot you really liked for critical focus in the field turns out to have a fly on his nose or a branch in an inconvenient place you still have the other nearby shots in the burst…simply select the "I thought it was the best" shot and turn off the filter and the remainder of the burst will be visible in the filmstrip along with the previously 1 starred and selected photo. Choose your new 'best' shot, add a star, reengage the filter, and continue on.

I am intending to try this similar to what Patrick said…but this slightly different implementation still leaves me all my other shots available if needed. Steve has said he doesn't throw anything away because as an educator he needs examples of bad shots…and since hard drive space is pretty cheap I would rather keep more than less. I only delete completely out of focus shots myself as well.

Anyways…just wanted to bring this up for thought/possible inclusion in other folk's workflow…I had never thought of or heard of this technique before and it's at least an interesting idea to think about and/or try. Don't know if I'll end up using it a lot yet. Even if one doesn't do the initial culling in the field…it is a lot quicker to do it in the camera body rather than in LR due to processing and display times in LR compared to on the camera screen.

Thank you for this but if information! I love the option Henry Hudson recommended. I am coming home with way to many pictures and don’t want quite so much computer time. Really really appreciate this nugget !

 

[AnnetteJane]

^^^^This

To me the big concerns are the excessive chimping instead of being in the moment and watching the scene as well as the inherent risk of doing bulk deletes and making a mistake. That and as Steve posted it's hard to critically evaluate based on the embedded jpeg on the rear screen or EVF.

I can see myself culling on drives home ect, on down time, not necessarily in the field and I’d only get rid of obvious ones to delete like blur or head turned ect.

 

[Ken Miracle]

I do not delete images on my camera.

NX studio was way to slow with my Z9 files in fact crashed regularly. LRC was slower than I like.

I finally followed a pro friends suggestion, someone who leads eagle and bear trips to Alaska and shoots 5 to 20 k images a day on eagle trips. I splurged and bought Photo Mechanic and it really speeds the culling up.

I can use photo mechanic on up to 3 devices and I only have 2 I use for photography my macbook pro if I am away from home with several fast ssd external hard drives to save things on until I get home and import to my LRC catalog.

I put my card in the reader and then just drag and drop the images to my desk top either on the lap top or the desktop at home.

I just recently traded my iMac in for a macstudio m1 max and a 27" studio display. Amazingly fast. In fact now NX studio runs much better than it did on the
iMac but I have not tried to cull through 2,000 Z9 images which was when NX Studio was crashing since I have photo mechanic.

 

[John Woodworth]

I agree generally with Steve’s comments based on my experience. I have recently started to use Photo Mechanic but have not settled into a routine with it. It is very fast does what it promises.

One issue I have with PM comes from my shooting in dark, contrasty conditions. I like to quickly move the exposure slider in Lightroom to quickly check detail in the shadows but I don’t see how to do this In PM.

Also, the Tags in PM aren’t recognized in LR so one needs to use Color or Stars…I like the binary Tag choice for my first cull but need to get accustomed to the difference.

I have read a lot on PM, particularly for event use, which is my main use case, but could benefit from other more experienced users, including advice on whether the extra step in workflow justifys its use.

I don’t think the method described here of culling in the camera works for me since I cannot see enough detail on the camera screen.

 

[joe43]

For thouse of you who want a description of a workflow that uses Photo Mechanic at the beginning before importing into another program, check out Moose Peterson's 2022 Workflow. (I do not us PM, so I have no direct experience with this workflow.) You will see that it is quite tailored for his individual needs. Google his previous workflows for siplier ones using PM. Also google Jason odell Photo Mechanic workflow

Workflow ’22

Visit the post for more.

www.moosepeterson.com

 

[SandyW]

Culling in the field is not for me. There have been too many times what I though looked great on the LCD was lacking on the big monitor. With my vision, I don't even totally trust my laptop for anything but the obvious culls. I can see where this technique might help those that need a fast turn around/upload for professional reasons, but in that case I would still want something better than my LCD.

When on a trip I do look at my photos each day to get an idea where I need to improve technique, but I want to enjoy the trip, not edit.

 

[bleirer]

My test is that if I drop dead in the field and they pry my camera from my cold hands, i wouldn't want my card to show the last shot I ever took was my out of focus shoes. So stuff like that I pitch in the field. All else can wait until later, assuming I live....

 

[Ken Miracle]

I agree generally with Steve’s comments based on my experience. I have recently started to use Photo Mechanic but have not settled into a routine with it. It is very fast does what it promises.

One issue I have with PM comes from my shooting in dark, contrasty conditions. I like to quickly move the exposure slider in Lightroom to quickly check detail in the shadows but I don’t see how to do this In PM.

Also, the Tags in PM aren’t recognized in LR so one needs to use Color or Stars…I like the binary Tag choice for my first cull but need to get accustomed to the difference.

I have read a lot on PM, particularly for event use, which is my main use case, but could benefit from other more experienced users, including advice on whether the extra step in workflow justifys its use.

I don’t think the method described here of culling in the camera works for me since I cannot see enough detail on the camera screen.

not much help since I have always used star ratings but it is more or less immaterial for LRC since I use the star rating in PM to select those without 1 star and then delete. If in doubt for any reason I do not delete but with pm at spy glass full frame that is seldom a problem.

 

[John Woodworth]

For thouse of you who want a description of a workflow that uses Photo Mechanic at the beginning before importing into another program, check out Moose Peterson's 2022 Workflow. (I do not us PM, so I have no direct experience with this workflow.) You will see that it is quite tailored for his individual needs. Google his previous workflows for siplier ones using PM. Also google Jason odell Photo Mechanic workflow

Workflow ’22

Visit the post for more.

www.moosepeterson.com

not much help since I have always used star ratings but it is more or less immaterial for LRC since I use the star rating in PM to select those without 1 star and then delete. If in doubt for any reason I do not delete but with pm at spy glass full frame that is seldom a problem.

Thank you guys for interjecting on this topic. Here is a video on Photo Mechanic I have found useful:

I'm still not sure PM is worth the extra step in the workflow but have committed to try it for the next month or so.

 

[Ken Miracle]

I did my normal drag and drop routine today with 998 Z9 raw images. Delkin Black CFexpress b in delkin card reader. Open card and drag and drop folder with images to my desktop (apple Mac Studio M1 Max) that took less than a minute. Then opened in photo mechanic and screened through them and whittled down to 212 in about 10 minutes. Then opened with NX Studio today since I wanted to see all the meta data to review settings after the Z9 2.10 firmware update that was the slowest part of the process today. Then imported to LRC catalog with images going to my external hard drive and that import took less than 2 minutes. Bed time now after a long hot morning in the mountains hiking, birding and driving twisty rough dirt roads.

 

[Craig Yuill]

In the past I have read that deleting in camera can corrupt the card. I dont know if that is true with the newer ones. I would rather see on my computer then make a decision in the field.

This is the reason I would never do it. Thom Hogan has stated numerous times that it’s one potential cause of corrupted image files. Why not just deal with culling the images after you get back from the trip and can ingest the images into your library with a computer? Perhaps slow down the frame rate and be more disciplined about when you press the shutter button so that you have fewer images to cope with at the end. That will allow you to relax and have a drink right after shooting.

 

[jfbacks]

I would never cull images in the field either, much easier to evaluate images on a full size monitor. I dump them into a folder on the desktop. I use Breezebrowser Pro, much faster than LR. I quickly delete OOF, poor head angle, etc images. Similar images can be viewed and compared four at a time, keep one , delete 3. A couple rounds of this and your done.

 

[Anjin San]

Culling in the field is not for me. There have been too many times what I though looked great on the LCD was lacking on the big monitor. With my vision, I don't even totally trust my laptop for anything but the obvious culls. I can see where this technique might help those that need a fast turn around/upload for professional reasons, but in that case I would still want something better than my LCD.

When on a trip I do look at my photos each day to get an idea where I need to improve technique, but I want to enjoy the trip, not edit.

Deleting in the field isn’t for me…but time permitting rating to help reduce PP time later seems to be a valid idea. It really depends on the trip, what lulls it has, and how many shots you’re shooting per day. When we lived full time in the RV traveling…I could post daily because we were always home. Now with a fixed home base…I generally post and blog post return because telling the world I’m not home could easily invite burglars why are smarter than the average bear. That said…on longer trips I would try and get some PP done on the trip…but that interferes with Happy Hour, happy wife, and dinner…so spending a few rating in the field at opportune times sounds like an efficiency boost. And now that I have the Z9…there will surely be more frames to sort out for wildlife. I can’t really see myself deleting images in the field…and actually I only delete bad images when PP as drive space is cheap.

Im going to try Photomechanic as well to see if it’s deserving to be in my workflow.

 

[John Woodworth]

In the process of researching methods for culling, I ran across AfterShoot, which is an automated culling program using AI. My impression is that it is oriented towards wedding photography, but it learns your style as you use it and gets better and better. Here's an article from PetaPixel:

AI Culling Software AfterShoot Gets Significant Feature Update

Using machine learning to automate the time-consuming process of culling photos.

petapixel.com

Capabilities include "Kiss Detection".

 

[bleirer]

In the process of researching methods for culling, I ran across AfterShoot, which is an automated culling program using AI. My impression is that it is oriented towards wedding photography, but it learns your style as you use it and gets better and better. Here's an article from PetaPixel:

AI Culling Software AfterShoot Gets Significant Feature Update

Using machine learning to automate the time-consuming process of culling photos.

petapixel.com

Capabilities include "Kiss Detection".

I keep 'Bigfoot detection' always on, just in case.

 

[DavidT]

I would never do this unless I was say a sports photographer and having to send images throughout a game but that’s an entirely different workflow all together.

Now for the rest of us I think it’s misguided to edit in the field. For me if I am shooting I am shooting not editing. I am not going to waste my time doing selections in camera when I’m shooting. The part of spending all night culling also surprises me. Are you on a deadline to submit images? If not download them all to multiple hard drives and go enjoy yourself. I often don’t look at anything until I’m back home. I’ve got 14k images from a trip that was almost two months ago that I know I’ve got some killer stuff but haven’t had the time to go through them yet.

Best thing I ever did was sort with Photo Mechanic. Super fast and easy to import into Lightroom. I don’t save every image I shoot I simply score each one I want to keep with one star and import only those. It’s simple and fast and saves a lot of hard drive space over time.

When we shot film did we sit and edit in the field? Nope and I apply the same principals. When I was a photo journalist (I was still shooting film) we had to focus on nailing the shot our editor wanted and if possible have a few alternatives and than rush back to the office to process the film. I hardly ever saw what was shot until it either went to print or I days later if I had time to look at a contact sheet.

Simple rule when I’m shooting I’m shooting and when I’m editing I’m editing.