Post-Wedding Import Workflow

You've just finished a 10-hour wedding day. Your memory cards hold thousands of photos and hours of video footage. Before you sleep, you need to secure that irreplaceable data. Here's the professional approach to post-wedding file management.

The Critical First Hour

Never go to bed without completing these steps:

1. Don't format cards yet. Cards stay intact until you have verified backups.
2. Import to your primary drive. Use a fast card reader (USB 3.1 or better) to copy all files to your working drive.
3. Create immediate backup. Copy the same files to a second drive before doing anything else.
4. Verify file integrity. Use software to confirm all files transferred correctly with no corruption.

Professional Folder Structure

Establish a consistent folder structure for every wedding. Here's a proven system:

2024-06-15_Smith-Johnson_Maui/
├── 00_RAW/
│   ├── Photos/
│   │   ├── Photographer1/
│   │   └── Photographer2/
│   └── Video/
│       ├── Camera_A/
│       ├── Camera_B/
│       └── Audio/
├── 01_SELECTS/
│   ├── Photos/
│   └── Video/
├── 02_EDITED/
│   ├── Photos/
│   │   ├── Color/
│   │   └── BW/
│   └── Video/
│       ├── Highlight/
│       ├── Full_Film/
│       └── Socials/
├── 03_EXPORTS/
│   ├── Web_Gallery/
│   ├── Print_Files/
│   └── Video_Finals/
├── 04_PROJECT_FILES/
│   ├── Lightroom_Catalog/
│   └── Premiere_Project/
└── 05_CLIENT/
    └── Contracts_Notes/

This structure keeps everything organized and makes it easy to find files months or years later. The numbered prefixes ensure folders always appear in logical order.

The Culling Philosophy

Culling isn't just about removing bad photos—it's about curating a collection that tells a complete story while only showing your best work. Every image in the final gallery should earn its place.

Quality Over Quantity

A common mistake is delivering too many images. Clients don't want 2,000 photos that include near-duplicates and mediocre shots. They want 400-600 stunning images that tell their story without repetition.

Think of yourself as an editor, not just a photographer. Your job is to present the best possible version of their wedding day, which means being ruthless about what makes the cut.

The Three-Pass System

Professional culling typically involves multiple passes through your images:

Culling Software Options

Photo Mechanic Plus

The industry standard for fast culling. Photo Mechanic renders previews instantly, allowing you to fly through thousands of images without waiting for RAW files to load.

Key advantages:

• Instant image loading using embedded previews
• Powerful filtering and sorting
• Variables for automated renaming
• IPTC metadata templates
• Can export selections directly to Lightroom

Lightroom Classic

If you prefer an all-in-one solution, Lightroom's culling features are solid, though slower than dedicated software.

Lightroom culling workflow:

1. Import with "Build Smart Previews" enabled for faster performance
2. Use Library module in Loupe view
3. Press X to reject, P to pick, or 1-5 for star ratings
4. Use Caps Lock for auto-advance after rating
5. Filter to show only picks when ready to edit

Aftershoot

AI-powered culling that learns your preferences over time. Aftershoot analyzes your images and automatically selects the best ones based on technical quality and your trained preferences.

Best for: High-volume shooters who want to automate the first pass. Always review AI selections—don't fully automate creative decisions.

Essential Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed is everything in culling. Master these shortcuts to move through images efficiently.

Photo Mechanic

Shortcut	Action
1-5	Apply star rating
6-8	Apply color class (tag)
Arrow keys	Navigate images
Space	Toggle zoom
T	Open in loupe view
N	Compare view
Cmd/Ctrl + 0	Remove all ratings

Lightroom Classic

Shortcut	Action
P	Flag as pick
X	Flag as reject
U	Unflag
1-5	Star rating
6-9	Color labels
Caps Lock	Auto-advance after rating
C	Compare view
N	Survey view (multiple images)
Z	Toggle zoom
Tab	Hide/show side panels
L	Lights out mode

Developing a Rating System

Create a consistent rating system and use it for every wedding. Here's a proven approach:

Star Rating System

Rating	Meaning	Action
Reject (X)	Technical failure or unflattering	Delete after project complete
No rating	Acceptable but not selected	Keep in archive, not delivered
1 Star	Good shot, makes the gallery	Edit and deliver to client
2 Stars	Strong shot, highlight potential	Priority editing attention
3 Stars	Hero shot, portfolio worthy	Feature in preview, add to portfolio

Color Labels for Categories

Use color labels to categorize images by wedding phase or purpose:

• Red: Getting ready
• Yellow: Ceremony
• Green: Portraits (couple, family, wedding party)
• Blue: Reception
• Purple: Details and venue

This allows you to quickly filter and ensure you have complete coverage of each wedding phase.

Video Footage Organization

Video culling requires a different approach than photos. You're looking for usable clips rather than single frames.

Initial Review Process

1. Sync all footage. If using multiple cameras, sync everything to a single timeline using audio waveforms or timecode.
2. Watch at 2x speed. Scrub through footage quickly to identify key moments.
3. Mark in and out points. Tag usable portions of each clip.
4. Log important moments. Note timecodes for key events (vows, first kiss, speeches).

Footage Categories

Organize video clips into bins by type:

• A-Roll: Main action (ceremony, speeches, dances)
• B-Roll: Cutaway and detail shots
• Audio: Clean audio recordings (vows, speeches)
• Highlights: Pre-selected best moments for trailer
• Unusable: Technical failures or unwanted content

Speed Culling Techniques

Professional wedding photographers need to cull efficiently. Here's how to move through thousands of images quickly without sacrificing quality.

Set the Right Environment

• Full screen mode. Eliminate distractions—hide panels and menus.
• Calibrated monitor. Accurate colors prevent second-guessing.
• Fast storage. NVMe drives eliminate loading delays.
• Keyboard only. Minimize mouse usage—keep hands on hotkeys.

Trust Your First Instinct

When culling, your first reaction is usually correct. If you hesitate on an image, that hesitation is meaningful. Move on and come back only if needed.

The three-second rule: If you can't decide in three seconds whether an image is a pick, reject, or needs comparison, skip it and move on. Come back during the second pass.

Use Compare Mode Sparingly

Compare mode is useful for similar images, but don't overuse it. For most sequences, you can identify the strongest image without comparison. Save compare view for sequences where multiple images seem equally strong.

Realistic Time Expectations

Wedding Size	Raw Files	Culling Time
Intimate (2-4 hours)	500-1,500	1-2 hours
Standard (8 hours)	2,000-4,000	2-4 hours
Full day (12+ hours)	4,000-6,000	4-6 hours
Multi-day event	6,000+	6-10 hours

Common Culling Mistakes

Key Takeaways