Digital Photography Workflow Considerations

Taking Photos

Know your camera- review the manual to learn how your camera works, practice using it, and find tips for taking good photos online or in books or magazines.
Before heading out on a trip, make sure batteries are fully charged, the memory card is empty, and there are backups for batteries and memory cards if needed. (Use best quality rechargeable batteries for digital camera use and good memory cards to increase numbers of photos/length of video clips that can be recorded in “movie mode.”)
Plan ahead- what kinds of photos do you want or need? (The beauty and danger of digital photography is that you can take LOTS of photos that you will need to deal with later!)

Downloading Photos

Use photo management software (ex. iPhoto®) to help manage photos. Set preferences so it starts automatically when a camera is connected to the computer and turned on, or it recognizes a camera’s memory card inserted into the printer.
It is possible to view and select ONLY those photos you want to import/download by reviewing them in the camera, or looking at them on the computer screen. If you import them all, it is good practice to delete any you do not want. Keeping only usable photos in your photo library will save time later on when reviewing the photo collection.
During the download, you can name the event, rate a photo for quality, name the photo and/or make notes if that is helpful for later reference.
Files and albums can be created, or “keywords” added in many photo management software programs. This can make it easier to find photos and create projects later on. For example; a file labeled “Children” might include an album for each child, so there is a place to store photos or video clips of that child and his/her work for use in a portfolio, etc. Other file names might include Environment, Field Trips, Special Activities, etc.
You can rename your photos with a descriptive name. The camera assigns a number to each photo, but they are more difficult to find that way.

Backing Up Photos in Case of Computer Failure

Burn to a CD or DVD
Attach an external hard drive and/or jump drive and back up photos there.
Back up to an organization’s “server” through a network.
Note: Image retrieval software exists (if important photos are mistakenly deleted, there are products that retrieve deleted images from a memory card which may be able to help).

Using Photos in Projects

Many photo management software applications exist that will allow you to easily use photos to create books, slide shows, cards, calendars, etc.
Specialized photo editing programs exist: there is a range of products for various computer types. Some products are “commercial” and some are “open-source” or available for free.

Printing Photos

Many printing options are available, including using online printing services, where photos are emailed to a store or service to be printed and picked up, and “do it yourself” print kiosks.
Classroom printer-paper quality and type will impact print quality.
Photos can be printed on specialty papers, such as magnetic paper, or shipping labels.

Sharing Photos

Explore various display options such as reusable display binders for classroom books, folding display panels for documenting classroom activities, and the many book binding systems available to become more familiar with options for photo sharing.
Photos and video clips from digital cameras can be edited (with appropriate software) to create movies. Multimedia projects can be saved to the computer desktop and viewed independently by children.

~End~

This handout was developed by Bonnie Blagojevic, M.Ed., C.A.S., Research Associate, of the University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, in partnership with the University of Southern Maine, Muskie School of Public Service, Maine Roads to Quality, for the Portland Early Literacy Collaborative project, funded through a U.S. Department of Education Early Reading First Grant (Award Number S359B050075).

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