The Master Catalog: How I Keep 40,000 Images Ready to Send
If a client reached out right now and needed a custom portfolio by tomorrow, could you pull it off?
I learned this system from a photographer I worked for early in my career, and it has saved me more times than I can count. The best test came shortly after I signed with my first agent. I was on a flight to Mexico for a family trip when a project came through, and she needed a custom PDF of relevant work. First project with a new agent. No pressure.
I pulled out my drive, built the PDF mid-flight with zero cell signal, and sent it the second we landed. Organized, prepared, able to deliver fast. On vacation, last minute, because it's almost always last minute.
Here's the system. After every shoot I pull the top ten percent of images, edit them, keyword them, and add them to one master catalog on a single drive. Right now it holds over thirty thousand images, the selects from every job I've ever shot, organized by rating and keyword.
When I pull a selection for a client, say Applebee's, that pull lives in its own folder inside the catalog. So when a similar brand comes along two years later, I start with the Applebee's folder and then widen out to the whole catalog. I almost never have to touch an archived drive.
That's the difference between scrambling and looking like you've it together. Beach chair, airport, wherever the ask finds you.
Next I want to break down how I actually build the treatment. Follow along on Instagram for that one.