A New Way to Proof Photos (Hint: It’s going mobile!)

June 2, 2015

By Laura Brauer

Sponsored by Proof Picker

Photographers know all too well that the hours spent shooting are only a small portion of the job—behind-the-scenes work is often equally demanding of one’s time and energy. A single shoot can equal thousands of photos, which means countless hours spent proofing and selecting images with clients, editing photos in post and selling photo packages. And that doesn’t even take into account the administrative upkeep of running a photo business.

But what if there were an easier way to manage workflow and the image-proofing process with clients? This is the question that wedding photographer Brian A. Marino of Visual Image Video and Photography was attempting to answer when he developed the concept for Proof Picker, a subscription-based service for photographers to automate the image-selection process after a shoot.

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Marino wants the experience of proofing and selecting images to be as streamlined as possible for the client. He says, “The easier it is for clients after the shoot, the happier they’re going to be and the more likely they will be to refer me to others.” It saves the photographer time, too. The app includes a plug-in for Adobe Lightroom, enabling the photographer to automatically create categories in Proof Picker by embedding images with keywords in Lightroom. The client can then view images on Proof Picker in a variety of arrangements to compare shots, select images and then send the photographer their selections with a single downloadable link. Clients also have the option to purchase images directly from the app. “It allows the photographer to be completely mobile,” Marino says, especially when time is of the essence in processing a shoot.

Because the app was designed
by a photographer for photographers, Marino has also kept the rights of image-makers in mind. While clients have the ability to share their selections via email and social media, or play a slideshow of image selection on any device, images shared in this manner are automatically embedded with the photographer’s watermark. The photographer also has the ability to release the image rights and full-resolution images
to a client once final selections have been made. In addition, there are no file size or storage restrictions, and a photographer can purchase a subscription package based on the number of shoots he or she expects to have.

“If I know my customer is happier, my photography business is going to be better,” Marino says. “This app was based on experience.”

To celebrate the launch of Proof Picker, the app is offering a free 14-day trial with no obligation. Visit www.proofpicker.com.