Bill Wadman (@BillWadman) is a portrait photographer based in Brooklyn, NY. This conversation discusses his portrait work, how he got started in photography to begin with, and how he processes photos. We also talk about computers — a mutual interest of ours — monitors, hard drives, and how to build a Hackintosh.

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Show Notes & Links

“Sometimes I make the subject come to me, rather than me going to the subject.”

—Bill Wadman

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  • Lightroom to catalogue, Photoshop for precision work
  • 16-bit TIFFs with many layers? Use PSB file format.
  • DNG file format to preserve metadata, shrink file size, and remove XMP companion files.
  • Some photographers take 4,000 a day (Bill doesn’t take that in a month)
  • Chris Anderson’s philosophy, as described in his book Free
  • Bill is a monitor nerd

“The screen is the lens of your computer”

—Bill Wadman

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Tools

Techniques

  • Be more involved with the subject than with lighting
  • Research your subject before photographing them
  • Push Back against frustrated subjects
  • Explore the PSB file format (Photoshop Big)
  • Use the star-ratings, for a first cut especially
  • Share, don’t merge, photo libraries with your partner or family members
  • Go for quality over quantity; show less work but make it better
  • Shoot only 24 pictures, as if it’s a roll of film

Habits

  • Keep folders for different categories (clients, etc.)
  • Convert to DNG
  • Import, process, backup
  • Swap backup drives and sync once a month
  • Export full-res JPG to Dropbox as a backup of the final
  • Do part of your craft every day, but not the entire piece
  • Go to the gym daily, but not for very long
  • Delete photos you’re not going to use

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About the author: Prescott Perez-Fox

Prescott Perez-Fox is a graphic designer, brand developer, and educator with 18+ years experience in branding, packaging, graphic design, and web design. He runs The Busy Creator.

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