Where to begin - until the book arrives?

[pvonk]

After many years of collecting jpeg and tiff photos (and countless gif clipart, pdf files, and png files used for web design and archived documents), I've now turned to digital photography and have just realized the need to organize all my digital data.  In the process I've accumulated CS2, Elements, iView MediaPro (just upgraded to ver 3), and I'm now experimenting with Lightroom.  The problem is this...

I ran across discussions of the DAM book on the web and decided this might well provide the template of bringing order to my accumulated files - so I've ordered it.  In less than a week I leave for a three week vacation in which I'll bring along the camera equipment and the computer gear.  The book has just shipped today, but UPS estimates it will arrive after I've left    My question is this - what can I do for now until the book arrives?  It seems that reorganizing the directory structure of the photo portion of my data can be done later.  I could go through the RAW files and convert them to DNG.  I could begin going through old photos and add keywords.  I could also process RAW files (tweaking saturation, etc. in Lightroom or Photoshop).  This and other activities would keep me busy and would not interfere with the later reorganizing (e.g. filenames, folder structure, etc.) that I would perform once I've read the book - at least I think I could do these activities without shooting myself in the foot.

What advice do you have?  What can I safely do now without yet having an overview and details of the DAM philosophy?  When I get back and read the book, I'll proceed to do all the other things I'll need to do.  Thanks!

- Pierre

[peterkrogh]

Pierre,
It's impossible to know where to start, sorry.  It all depends on where you are currently.
Peter

[pvonk]

Okay...  Remember, I'm trying to find some work I can do on the photo files while on vacation before your book arrives in the mail.

1)  Directory structure - I suspect, from what I've read in the posts, that I need to read the book before restructuring.  The same goes for file names. 
2)  Converting RAWs to DNG - I have a year's worth of RAWs (but not all that many), some have been keyworded, others not yet.  I suspect I shouldn't convert until I have finished adding keywords to the RAWs.
3)  Keywords - this seems to be the only area I might be able to work on before reading the DAM book.  I have many years' worth of jpeg photos, mine and those sent to me from family.  Many are keyworded (about half), and I could spend time finishing this process.  CAN I DO THIS NOW?  Or does the book have a specific methodology for designing a keyword space?  If it does, should I go back and remove the old keywords (am I really suggesting this??)?

- Pierre

[Rick McCleary]

Pierre -

You mentioned that you leave in less than a week.  I'd suggest that you spend that time doing whatever you need to get ready for your trip.  Put the digital imaging stuff on the back burner until you've had a chance to read the book through, ponder what you've just read, and then read it through again.

This stuff ain't brain surgery, but it is reasonably complex to think through an entirely new workflow, all the while trying to anticipate every eventuality that might come down the road.  Ideally, you'll set up your system and have everything in place before you start actually running files through it.  Any work you do now may well have to be re-done once you start using the "real" system.

I'd just chill and concentrate on taking good pictures. 

One thing you can do is take along enough storage capacity for all the images you'll shoot.  Best practices suggest that you have three copies of each file on three discrete devices at all times.  On the road, I download the RAW's to my laptop (copy 1), back them up to an extenal Firewire drive (copy 2), then back them up again to a second external Firewire drive (copy 3).  I use 300Gb Seagate drives in single external cases.  They flt right into my camera case.  When I'm done with my shoot, I'll give one of the external Firewire drives to my client for them to carry back in their carry-on luggage and retrieve it when I get back home on the theory that it doesn't do any good to have three copies if you can lose them all at once!

Happy trails.  You'll have lots of homework when you get back home.

[peterkrogh]

Rick, as usual, is right on. 

You can add keywords if you wish, but I'd hold off.  No, you won't want to strip out old keywords when you start a comprehensive system.
Peter

[pvonk]

Well, color me happy!  UPS just delivered the DAM book today, a week faster than they predicted.  Originally I couldn't understand why it would take so long, perhaps their software had a senior moment!

At any rate, I'll have the computer and the book with me on vacation.  The way it's been raining here lately, it'll be good to have a book for those days I can't be out taking pictures!