Digital workflow?

This subject seems to keep some photographers up at night wondering if they are doing it right. So I thought I describe my workflow from start to end.

1. Shoot pictures
   Actually this is the hardest part, forget skin retouching, print matching etc. It's all about the light and the model. If it comes together you get great stuff if, if you screw it up the rest is almost pointless.
   
2. Download images from flash to computer
   Well this is a simple bit, but takes forever. In a 2 hour shoot I’ll usually get through 4GB of images. This takes about 30 minutes to copy over but doesn’t need any intervention.
   
3. Set the RAW conversion
   Take a look over the images, select them all in Adobe Bridge and set the correct white balance, contrast and brightness. This is usually just resetting them to those in the camera. I then store all the settings and begin to go through and decide which make the first pass.
   
4. Batch convert
   Take the first pass images and batch convert them to pdf and apply my preferred BW conversion routing. This creates a new folder with the PDF files in so they are ready to go. If I want any to be in colour I will remove the BW conversion later. Everything is stored as layers from here on in so at any time I can switch between colour and BW. The conversion is done to 16bit PDF which are large but make the most of the 14bits in the sensor. It also means that, if I apply a curves change or similar effect, the results look better due to the extra bit depth available.
   
5. Dust bunnies
   I now open the files and correct and dust bunnies from the sensor or backdrop imperfections.
   
6. Retouching
   If the images require retouching I will open them up and perform my ‘brand’ of retouch. I don’t like plastic skin so I never use blurs and I avoid it if I can.
   
7. Final selection
   I now make my final selections for print and upload. I work with the full size files with all their layers and have a custom java-script to convert them to the correct sizes for my web. I also add a copyright logo to the web images.

So this is my workflow. Its probably not perfect but it does what I need.

Thats too dry a topic, we need to lighten it up.

Some advice for models; please don't use spray tan before a shoot. You may not know it but under flash lighting it turns bright ORANGE and you will look like the Orange Tango woman. It takes a lot of photoshop to fix (or conversion to B&W) and doesn't look that great.

I nearly forgot to post an image.. What shall it be. How about the gorgeous Lee