This is something that the digital age has brought us. Now we can take so many pix it takes a long time to determine which ones to use and which to discard. I basically do what you're doing. It takes a lot of time. The up side is the more photos you take the better the odds are of having really good ones.

Photo Mechanic is a kick ass editing program. It can be found at camerabits.com/. It costs roughly $150 but you use a trial version for about 20 days. It is a fabulous program that allows you to browse many images quickly and efficiently.

Adobe Photoshop, under File from the menu line, has a browse option as well. However, it is difficult to see the images compared to Mechanic.

Xine,
What I do that works efficiently for me, is to open up the image cards in Bridge (Or file browser) and do a batch save as to my external hard drive of all the originals so I have them all on file. Then I scroll through in the bridge program one at a time and rate the images. It takes about an hour for 400-500 images or so. After I have them rated, I sort by rating, then do a batch save as of all the 5* ratings to an A Pics folder for the specific client. All the 4* ratings (or the ones that on first glance looked like they would require extra editing) I do a batch save as to a B Pics folder. Then I'll open up each of A images and only edit the ones that are really good. For example, if I have 150 A pics, chances are I've got 45 strong images in there. I save those edited images to a separate tiff folder, and I also make web sized versions of the same images at the same time, saved to a web sized folder. Then it's on to the B pics, rinse repeat. The B pics usually yield about 20-30 that are worth editing. They get saved, after editing in the Tiff and websized folders respectively. I never give the client the origianl un-edited images unless we specifically agreed upon that prior to the shoot.

This process is a lot of folders and file management, but it's saved my ass a few times. I would say using this sorting process, I can then edit and complete the turn around of the media to the client in 3-5 days depending on how many images I shot originally, and how many I actually edited.

Xine, if you're going to be shooting wedding and events on a regular basis, you need to come up with a workflow strategy. The strategy depends on the application you're using to import, organize, manage and proecess your photos. It also depends on your output in terms of what you're promising the client--wedding album, proofs, etc.

I'm for example starting to use Apple's Aperture program--a free trial version is available for download. My strategy includes importing all photos. Keywording, organizing, rating them using smart folders. Next create a DVD back up for all the project/client's photos. I also have back up on my a second hard drive in which backups all the adjustments I make to the the photos. I work through each folder, organize by subject: ceremony, dancing, formal portraits, details, etc. I try to focus my adjustments on 5 and 4 star photos that I think the client will like and the would be good for an album. I weed out of course all the bumbers as I go along. Using the smart folders, the rejects and 1-2 rated photos get taken out automatically. My over-all workflow is put all the good processed photos on a DVD for my clients. From there we work on photo selections for their albums. I'm trying to get away from selling individual pictures. I rather give the photos to my clients and charge them on the front in for any picture sales I might have made. I do however put their photos on Printroom.com so they can make pictures there if they want.

Anyway, that's my workflow in a nutshell. As a photographer, you have to create that works for you. Constantly refine and work it to the point of getting jobs done as good possible but at the same time maximizing your profits. I still spend too much time processing photos and am working to speed up that workflow as much as I can. Having your workflow outlined (with screen shots and notes to self) really helps you think about you're doing. It may take three or four jobs figure our your flow, but it helps in the long run. Even being able to import your photos a laptop computer while you're on the jobe can save you time. That's why I decided to put Aperture on my laptop. I figure I could probably get at least two cards uploaded during receptions. I also the laptop for a quick slide showl

Oh, and finally, look for a good book on workflow tips and strategies for Photoshop. I'm reading Conrad Chavez's Working Smart in Adobe Photoshop CS2 which offers some very good suggestions for getting into and through Photoshoped projects.

Gee I posted that thread about 8 months ago and I'm still struggling. I wish someone could help me. I do think that another person doing the edit would be the biggest help. Let me see if I can be more clear about my problem.

I'm shooting action. There's little time to carefully compose a shot. People are constantly moving, lighting situations change. My composition and technique continues to improve so I have more good images to choose from. Take less images? Maybe.

I'm shooting photodocumentary style. I'd love it if every image was perfectly composed and lit *AND* fit into the story I'm trying to tell. If that ever happens, I will have reached Nirvana. Until then...sometimes the composition is less than perfect but it fits well into the story. I bring up the photo (in Windows Explorer because I want to see it big) and don't love it. But it's not bad so I don't file it right away. I then go to the next image. Similar but slightly different body gesture. I go back to the first one. Still don't love it but I might like the gesture better than the first. Back to the second again. Hmm, now I'm thinking I really don't love either. Back to the first one...but it's a long shot and it's a wedding and couples want long shots from their wedding. Ok, keep it. Then delete the 2nd one. It's *this* process that I just described that takes a long, long, long time. If I was simply evaluating for "is this estetically a good photo?" it would be much quicker and easier. Or would it? I am super critical and look at the most minute details and seek perfection. How do I stop this and make things go quicker?

C1 pro.
best editing software ever hands down. I earn a living as a freelance photography tech for some of the best in the biz. I have very high end clientell & some not so high end clientelle (geez hope I spelled clientelle properly LOL). anyway, I am well known in the digital tech world in NYC (by many anyway not by all). So I get to work with several softwares & test some of the newer ones out. nothing even comes close to C1pro. apereture is a piece of garbage, don't even think about it. it handles files like iphoto which is a joke for workflow. those programs are great for prosumers, or serious hobbyists, but not for professional workflow. Bridge has a tendancy to clip image information with Leaf files, therefore making me a bit skeptical how it handles other files. also, you can't multiprocess. In C1Pro, you can set up several batches simultanieously to different folders which is neccessary to my busy workflow. for Ex: you can shoose a few images to process out adobe 1998 to folder A as 16 bit tiffs, & as soon as you hit process, you can set up 5 more images to process as srgb jpgs to folder b at the same time. the others are running in the background, so you don't have to wait for them to finish before you set up the other process batches. If for some reason you set up a slew of images, but find that you need one processed right away, then you can pause all other images so the one you want will process 1st., even if it's in the middles of the batch que. no other software does that that I've seen (Imacon might I haven't seen it in a while & Leaf 10 may also, but those two softwares a proprietary anyway