How I store my photos:

My RAW photo files are stored inside a single folder (on my PORTFOLIO external hard drive) I have called “Galleries”. This is my top level folder. Beneath this top level folder I have created other folders corresponding to “Years” expressed as a four digit number. The photos from an individual shoot are copied from my CF card(s) to folders inside the Year folder. These folders are named using the following convention:

2012_08_11_Targhee_Fest         (Date and Location taken)

 My Import process:

1. Using Finder (iMac) / Windows Explorer (PC), I create a folder as described above.

2. Using the computer operating system, I import photos from the CF card onto the external hard drive named LIGHTROOM.

Note: Lightroom has a feature to do this stuff in the Import panel but I got used to doing it this way so I stick with it.

3. Start Adobe Lightroom program

4. Import photos from this folder into the Lightroom catalog using the Add option

• If all of the photos on the CF card were shot at the same Location, I enter this Location keyword at Import.

• If all of the photos shot on the CF card were of the same Subject, I enter this Subject keyword at Import.

• Otherwise I wait until after the Import to do this in the next step.