10 Efficiency Tips for Digital Photographers

For some people, "efficiency" brings to mind a hotel room with a kitchenette. When other folks hear the word, they think about ways to work faster and smarter. I suppose I fall into the second category.

Not long ago I wrote about a few ways to be a more efficient photographer, and I concluded by asking you to send me your tips for shooting, organizing, editing and sharing photos faster or more efficiently. Many of you responded; this week, here are the top 10 suggestions.

Delete obviously bad shots before you download them to your computer. In the past, I promised myself I would weed out the good from the bad while sifting through folder after folder of photos on my laptop, but by then the job is very daunting. These days, I make myself stop and delete unwanted pictures from my camera, and I am much happier with the scope of my photo library. -- Patricia Moorhead, Ontario, Canada

When uploading photos to Flickr, be sure to upload your best shot last, since that's the one that will be at the top of the page. And remember that uploading a bunch of photos to Flickr all at once is OK, but it'll be a waste because no one will generally see all but the very last few that you upload. It's better to upload a few at a time, spaced out over the course of a week. -- Susan Monroe, Louisville, Kentucky

If you share a camera with someone else in your home, each person should have his or her own memory card. That way, instead of having to sort through dozens of photos that aren't yours just to find the pictures you recently shot, swap out the card and you'll never have to waste time that way again. Memory cards are so cheap even your kids can own their own. -- Matt Boulerice, Orlando, Florida

I've found that when using Photoshop, it's best to open only a few images at a time. Opening many large digital images at once will slow Photoshop, sometimes to the point that everything slows to a crawl. -- Matt Boulerice, Orlando, Florida

I may have read this here, but it bears repeating. You can make an incredible tripod (monopod?) for free, and it's small enough that you can always carry it with you. All you need is a quarter-inch bolt, some string long enough to reach the ground, and a small weight for the bottom. Screw the contraption into your camera, stand on the bottom to keep it taut, and most camera shake is eliminated. Alternately, you can use a retractable key chain instead of a string -- that works great too! -- Tom Schmidt, Manheim, Pennsylvania

Thanks, Tom; you may indeed have read that in my "Make the World's Cheapest Tripod."