4 Small Camera Adjustments Save Time in Post-Editing

As an editor, I can’t begin to relay how much unnecessary time photographers waste in post-editing when a few quick moments of in-camera adjustments during the session would have saved vast amounts of headaches! Honestly, we ALL get lazy and capture images in a hurry from time to time. But, for the best overall results, these 4 small camera adjustments save time in post-editing and are life-giving to any photographer spending lots of time editing their photos!

Below, I have listed the top regular offenders that I personally see when editing sessions. Truly, taking the time to focus on capturing cleaner, more intentional photographs, even in hurried circumstances, is always the most worthwhile for you and your clients’ satisfaction. Practice always makes you better! So, without further ado and in no particular order, these 4 small camera adjustments save time in post editing: white balance, alignment, exposure, time and date metadata.

4 Small Camera Adjustments Save Time in Post-Editing

1. White Balance: 

Biggest offenders:

Indoor scenes captured without flash

Early evening outdoor scenes

Adjust your camera's white balance settings to look true to the eye or to match your post-editing style before you shoot. Even if you specialize in weddings, where settings change from room to room, you can become quickly acquainted with the location of your Kelvin button and learn the approximate numbers for a cooler/warmer look. As you work with white balance more regularly, you will soon recognize the need to adjust in certain kinds of lighting and the process will feel intuitive. Give it a try!

(Bonus - New to white balance? See this in-depth post from Shot Kit!)

2. Alignment: 

Biggest offenders:

Wedding reception dance floors

Open areas with trees in the background/horizons

Subjects in motion 

Use natural aligners to photograph a straight image. Maybe you’ve heard of the concepts of leading lines or the rule of thirds? Built-in structures within your viewfinder can similarly provide your alignment context. Are you photographing a couple in a field, with some trees off in the distance? Use those tree trunks as your vertical aligners. (For example, are the trunks straight up and down on your camera, or are they crooked?) Capturing a group in front of a building? You can use the doors, windows, or wall edges to align vertically/horizontally. On a busy dance floor during a wedding reception, corners, door frames, columns, and light/speaker poles make great frames of reference. Everywhere you are, chances are good that something exists against which you can align your image. The horizon itself makes a great reference point. Straightening your images on-camera saves the hassle of fixing them later on your computer!

(Bonus - you're developing good habits!)

3. Exposure: 

Biggest offenders:

Indoor low-light scenes with and without flash

Outdoor scenes with bright background or at "high noon"

Indoor scenes in front of windows/bright light sources

Adjust your exposure according to location before you capture important moments. In other words, take some throw-away practice shots before you capture the most important moment. No one wants to receive their wedding photos back where everyone in the family walking down the aisle looks like ghosts because the photographer didn’t adjust for the lighting before starting their workday. Plan ahead.

Practical application: During posed sessions, I typically give my subjects a few “practice” shots to rehearse their poses and rid themselves of nerves while I modify my exposure /white balance settings. This way, everyone can fine-tune and portray their best (photographer included!). If I work out my settings before they finish goofing around, I reap the benefit of capturing funny candid moments! Wedding photographers, plan to arrive early enough to take note of each setting you’ll photograph when you arrive at your venue, and project for the sunlight. If the ceremony occurs in front of a large window, you must predict the amount of light that will flood your shot before you’re stuck with images that appear hazy and overblown, or cause the couple to feel disappointed that their “first kiss” looks “bad”. If you take an assistant with you, have them stand in as the couple so you can note the best settings for each area, if needed. I’m grateful for my assistants along the way who let me take awkward photos of them so that I didn’t flub the settings on the newlywed couple!

(Bonus - Here's a helpful article explaining all things exposure from the genius pool over at Adobe!)

4. Time and Date Metadata: 

Biggest offenders:

Weddings captured by multiple cameras at one time

The biggest time waster and 100% most confusing moments at my computer are often spent syncing three cameras’ metadata with completely different times and dates for the same wedding. If someone captures the invitation with detail shots, lucky me! Then, I can at least learn the wedding date and time. But without that, I ultimately have to contact the photographer, who would rather be left to their newly-gained free time (the perks of using an editor!). This issue is so simple to solve on the front end and will save you from post-editing headaches. Before capturing your session, sync your camera’s date and time metadata when you arrive at your venue. The options to adjust your time/date are easily found in your camera body’s settings via your operation manual or a quick internet search. Decide whose watch or phone will mark the official time and go for it! When you sync your camera times and dates ahead of time, your files will load in perfect order when it comes time to edit.

(Bonus - if you're stuck editing errant metadata timeline info in a pinch, here's the method I use, aptly described by the folks over at SLRLounge!)

These 4 Small In-Camera Adjustments That Save Time in Post-Editing really do save loads of time on the back end of your photography workflow. A few extra preparatory minutes before you photograph reap the benefit of saved time in the long run with greater enjoyment while you edit. As a whole, you will deal with less color correction, cropping/rotation, exposure/highlight adjustments, and timeline hassles.

What do you think? Do you agree? What would you add to this list? Let me know in the comments below!