It’s important to say at the outset that none of the things I discuss here take the place of a well executed backup and archiving strategy for your business. What we’re talking about is helping your clients keep track of the images you deliver to them. If they’re able to extend the lessons you impart to them for more, all the better.

Since each client has their own needs and abilities no cookie cutter solution will work for everything but a few basics apply.

1. Keep everything. Keep your raw files, keep your working layer psd files. Keep the emails they send you, and of course, the final deliverable files. You don’t have to have all of this stuff available to the client but if you’ve got the raw files somewhere, you can always re-deliver the job.
2. Keep your client informed. If you intend to keep image files on your server for 30 days, be sure to send them a reminder email a couple days before you take them down.
3. Use meta data. Embedding your copyright and usage license information in the file helps the client. In my experience unauthorized use by a client almost always comes from an error and not malice.
4. Remember your clients level of sophistication. Just because you know to right click on an image to save it off of the web doesn’t mean your client does.

Depending on the type of work you do, your delivery methods will vary. Since most of my work is low volume, I’m able to use an online delivery system. My personal choice is photoshelter.com. I like Photoshelter because it allows me to easily create password protected galleries from any image type. I can upload tiffs, eps files, movie files as well as jpgs. The service will automatically generate thumbnails and convert to the proper format for web viewing, while keeping the original file format intact for download. I realize these probably are not earth shattering capabilities for many of you, and that there are several other services similar to Photoshelter, this is the direction I’ve found works for me, your mileage may vary.

When I deliver a job, I create a new Photoshelter gallery specific to that job, upload the files to it and send the client a link via email. In the email I make sure to tell the client they can download high resolution files directly from the gallery, no disk necessary. I tell them that the gallery will stay active for 30 days, and that they should immediately download the images from the gallery and archive them on their end. One nice feature about the online gallery is the ability for the client to easily share files with others. Many times I’ve been hired by the end client. The client is also working with a graphic designer or (eek) “Graphics person” who puts together their collateral materials. The client can simply forward the link to whomever needs the images.

For many of my clients I maintain a master gallery of all their work. Many clients come to me on a regular basis to shoot new products and I would regularly get calls that went something like, “Hey Steve, you remember that desk we shot last November, I can’t find my file, can you send it over again?” Of course being the service oriented guy I am, I’d get right on it and they’d be happy. Sure, I could start charging for these but my mantras is “Don’t be a dick.” Now that client has a master library on my Photoshelter account that only they can access. The library contains every image I’ve ever shot for them. I’ve already set them up with the password and link so they don’t even need to call me, they just go get the image.

I personally do this for free for my large clients. I chalk it up to customer service. It may be a revenue opportunity for some though, so think it through. My thinking is, storage is cheap and the goodwill it builds is priceless.

Something else I’ve done in the past is to help clients build a graphic library using commercially available software. There are several good programs for this purpose (Portfolio, Expression Media.) that I would install on site for the client on a consultant contract. Although I haven’t done this lately and if a client requested it, I’d probably refer it out since software changes so quickly, but if you’re up on the current systems this is a great way to solidify your relationship with a client.

Regardless of whether you use an online system or a local system to help your clients manage what you’ve delivered, you have to help them. After all, you’re the expert.

If you’re looking to learn all you ever wanted to know about DAM and then some – I highly recommend  The DAM Book by Peter Krogh.

Fast forward 20 years. I’m no longer in my early career, but in the heart of it. I have a family, a mortgage, bills, a dog, bills, a lot more clients than I used to and a whole lot less memory. I don’t know if it’s simply a function of getting older, not having enough sleep, or having too much on my mind, but to be honest, I don’t really care. The long and short of it is I need to get stuff done. If I can’t remember it, I need to write it down. So now I’m a firm believer in the power of the pen. I have to do lists all over the place: on my desk, in my wallet, on the computer. iCal and I are new best friends and I probably couldn’t function without my Blackberry.

One of the new methods I use for keeping things straight is what I call the lesson log. It’s a simple three ring binder that sits on the book shelf in my office. At the conclusion of every job I try and make and entry of something I’ve learned. It might be a lighting diagram or a technical trick I’ve used. It might be something specific about this client or this type of work. The point is to write it down. First off, (as my 9th grade history teacher said) the act of writing something down can cement the knowledge in your brain. Second, even if you don’t remember it, the log book serves as a reference.

Of course the best written information in the world is useless if you can’t find it when you need it. I keep all of my notes chronologically and listed by invoice number (which is the same system I use for backups). My memory might not be what it used to be, but I can usually remember the fact that I’ve worked for this client before. Using that info, I can search my invoices and come up with a list of past jobs.

The systems I’ve set up are specific to me and the way I work. They may or may not work for you but the point is: have a system in place. Whether you use pen and ink, journal entries on your laptop, private pages on a blog or some other system, the goal is the same. Getting the information into a permanent format that won’t fade with time is important, no matter the system you use. After all, you know yourself best.

I generate an invoice for all work related images I shoot, even internal ones. A job for a restaurant gets a number, a portfolio shoot gets a number, that headshot I did for my banker in trade gets a number. Each job gets and invoice, even if it’s for zero. All information related to that shoot is filed by invoice number and I use the accounting program as a database to search if needed. For example, if I’m looking for a lemonade image I shot for Glory Days Grill, I can go to blinkbid, select that client and it will list all of the jobs I’ve shot for them. By reading the job description I know that job number 10344 is the one I want. I go to the bookshelf, pull down the appropriate binder and pull out the dvd (more on archival storage later.)

Step one – Shoot the job. I’m a Mac guy, always have been, and I use Aperture as my viewing program while shooting. There are others, Lightroom is the big guy on the block, but there’s also Capture One and a couple of others, I like Aperture. Again, it’s a personal preference kind of thing. I have a plugin (Aperture Hot Folder) that allows me to monitor a designated folder for new images. As new images appear in that folder, they are automatically imported into Aperture for viewing and processing. At the end of the shoot I’ll back the images up to an external drive or if I’m in the studio, send them over the network to the color correction workstation.

Step two – Process the job. Most of my image processing is done in Aperture but I’ll still use Photoshop for minor retouching and sharpening. I’m not a big retouching guy so I don’t spend a lot of time in Photoshop, it’s just not my thing.

Step three – Deliver the job. Seems pretty straightforward but it’s important to ask new clients how they want the job delivered. Since most of my jobs are commercial I deliver digital files, either via disk, ftp or lately, photoshelter. I’m liking photoshelter because my clients can share the password protected galleries with their colleagues if needed. Just remember to educate them on usage issues.

Step four – Bill the job. Without fail at least once a year I’ll get busy, start shooting, uploading and archiving and forget to send a client and invoice. Most times the client will send me the ‘hey, I didn’t get your invoice’ email, but sometimes I think, ‘hey, they never paid that bill, let me check on it’ and realize I never sent it. I send almost all of my invoices through email, a couple of clients still request paper bills. I also will accept credit card payments via paypal. Since I don’t do retail work it’s not really worth it for me to keep a merchant account for credit card processing.

Step five – register the copyright. I’ve written about the importance of registering your work with the copyright office before but it bears repeating. I keep a copyright folder in my jobs folder. I make a 1500 pixel sized copy of every image I’ve put out into the world, whether it’s final files, proof images published to a proof page or images on my blogs. Every two months that folder gets burned to 2 disks and sent to DC.

Step six – Scour for stock. Since most of my work is food based, I have a relationship with Stockfood to rep my stock work. I keep a folder for submissions in my jobs folder and anything I see that might make good stock I’ll place a copy in there. Every six weeks or so I’ll send it off.

Step seven – Archive and delete. I subscribe to the 3-2-1 method of archiving. Three copies, two media types, one off site. I burn one copy of everything (raw, working layer files, finals, emails, etc.) to dvd and file those in three ring binders on my book shelf. I place a copy of that job folder on a 1TB hard drive that’s mounted on my desktop. I keep that drive active and running for quick access to archived jobs. Finally I place another copy of dvds in a binder and store those at my parents house. If ever my house should burn down, I’ve still got the disks offsite.

The MacOS allows for color coding of folders. Each of these steps has a color associated with it, so I know that all jobs high-lighted in yellow are at step three, orange are step four, etc.

These are procedures that I’ve developed over 14 or so years of losing stuff, spending too long looking for stuff, sounding like and idiot in front of the client, or spending hours recreating something that should have been backed up. It’s certainly not a perfect system and I’m open to suggestions to making it better. It’s also not going to work for everyone. One of the great things about being your own boss is you get to change procedures that don’t work for you.