First Assignment - Due at beginning of next class

Here are the details for your first DAM assignment:

At the beginning of next class, deliver between 50-75 images on a DVD that were:

• Ingested with Image Ingester Pro
• Renamed according to the naming setup discussed in class
• Bulk Keyworded on Ingestion
• Batch Captioned on Ingestion
• Copyright, Contact, Rights Usage Terms etc embedded
• Location information embedded,

then moved on to Bridge CS4 where they were:

• Rated & Labled
• Ratings & Labels backed up as keywords
• Further Keyworded (Higher Metadata for Individual High Value Images - ie 2+Star images)
• Best (1 to 2+Star - your choice) images Corrected in Camera RAW
• Converted to DNG with full size JPG preview

Only the Final DNG images need to be delivered, NOT YOUR ORIGINAL RAW FILES (NEF, CR2, etc). Images should be delivered on DVD - no exceptions will be made!

Please label your DVD with your name & “DAM Assignment 1”.

Questions? Post 'em here.


Cheers, Josh
Copyright © 2010 Josh McCulloch.

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Backups & Drive Considerations

I just had a question from one if you regarding bootable backups, so I thought I'd put a quick post together on the subject. Here goes...

Question #1: I'm just trying to get my DAM system all in place and I am wanting to get a bootable back-up drive for my operating system (based on your recommendation from 1st class). I have got the trial of Chronosync in which I noticed they have an option to set up a bootable hard drive, is that all I need in addition to a hard drive?

Answer: Yes, that is all you need! Follow the on-screen setup in Chronosync and you're good to go. Note that I have links to backup software for Mac and Windows on the WAPDAM blog, or the right side of any page. Chronosync is a Mac-only program. Read the chapter in the DAM Book for more info on backups.

Question #2: Is it a particular kind of hard drive I need and how many GB can I get away with?

Answer: If you are on a recent Mac, any USB 2.0, Firewire 400 or Firewire 800 can be used as a bootable drive. Older Macs were unable to boot from USB drives - only Firewire worked. Note that for Macs, Firewire 800 is the fastest connection for external drives and is recommended over other connections whenever possible. Windows users should (generally) stick to USB 2.0.

As to drive size, the bootable backups must be that same size or larger in GB as your laptops internal drive - smaller drives will not work!

Question #3: Which on that topic, is there any brands that you can recommend to go for and those to stay away from?

Answer: As a general rule, I have always found Seagate Drives to be very reliable. Western Digital, and LaCie are also reputable brands, though I have heard of issues with certain models from all the brands I've listed here. I have been extremely happy with my LaCie "Rugged" series external drives. They have a "Triple Interface" - they can connect via USB 2.0, Firewire 400 or Firewire 800, and can be "pigtailed", allowing multiple drives to be connected together to occupy only one port on my laptop, and they are "Bus-Powered", meaning they are powered off the port on my computer and do not require a separate power cord. Note that they aren't the cheapest external drives, but like everything else, you get what you pay for. Avoid cheap drives - you will likely regret buying them when they suddenly die on you...

Questions regarding backups? Post 'em here in the comments.


Cheers, Josh
Copyright © 2010 Josh McCulloch.

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Third Class Requirements

Next class (this Thursday and Friday), we'll be moving on to use Adobe Bridge & ACR to review, rate, keyword & adjust our images. Here's what you'll need:

1) Bring your laptop & hard drives

2) Bring along 50 or so images on your computer or Hard Drive that were ingested with ImageIngester and have been renamed, had bulk metadata attached, including copyright info, contact info, batch keywords & captions, etc.

3) Make sure you have Adobe Bridge installed on your computer. Ensure it is up to date! Run the Adobe Updater on your machine to ensure you have the latest version.

4) Install the trial version of Microsoft Expression Media on your computer. Links are as follows:

Expression Media 2 (MAC)
The Mac download is the combined updated version. Mac users, this is all you need to install.

NOTE Windows Users: You will need to install EM2 Service Packs 1 & 2 in addition to the software, and must be installed in order. These are critical updates. Links are as follows:

Expression Media 2 (Windows)

Expression Media 2 (Windows) Service Pack 1

Expression Media 2 (Windows) Service Pack 2

Drop a note in the comments if you have any questions or trouble installing the software.

5) Finally, read Chapter 10 in the DAM Book to review what we'll be covering in class this week.

Cheers, Josh
Copyright © 2010 Josh McCulloch.

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DAM Class Catchup

For those of you that have missed one (or both) of the DAM Classes so far, here is a quick recap of what we've covered so far...

In the first class, we went over the basics of DAM, including what DAM is & why you need a DAM system, and learned about different types of DAM software. We learned about about Metadata, including the different types of Metadata & how they are stored & used. We also covered how we set up our Archive (image storage), considering both the Information Structure (file & folder arrangement) & the Hardware Structure (the Hard Drives & Computers we store our images on). Finally we covered the basics of image backup. If you missed this class, make sure to download the PDF of my lecture from my FTP server. Ask a classmate for the login details. Also make sure to read Chapters 1-6 in the DAM Book.

In our second class, we covered the beginning of the DAM system: Ingesting our images from our cameras & memory cards. We used ImageIngester Pro to do this - make sure to see the blog posts related to that topic here & here. Also make sure to read Chapters 7&8 in the DAM Book - most everything we covered in the second class is covered there.

If you have any questions about what we've covered so far, please post questions in the comments here. If I don't hear anything, I'll assume we're good to go...

Watch for another post shortly about requirements for our third class.

Cheers, Josh
Copyright © 2010 Josh McCulloch.

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Class 2 Recap

Hey Everyone, Thanks for hanging in there in the second class, we had a lot of material to cover and you all did really well! If you have any questions specific to what we covered in this class (Image Ingester, or the ingestion process in general), post them in the comments here...

For you Group 3 folks, this post is a bit premature, but it will give you a chance to see a bit about what we'll be covering in your upcoming make-up class this Tuesday.

As promised in class this week, here are a few screenshots of some of my ImageIngester settings for your reference...








Note here the text under the "Keywords" field is:

{@QF.keywords}, {@client.name}, {@project.name}, {@QF.country}, {@QF.province}, {@QF.city}, {@QF.location}

This will fill the IPTC keywords field with all the keywords you enter into the keywords "quick field", your client and project name, as well as all of your location information you enter into those quick fields. Slick.




Note the text for the "Rights Usage Terms" and the Instructions" field are the same. Mine read as follows:

{@QF.rights} All rights reserved except those specifically granted herein. Please contact Josh McCulloch at (250) 216-8028 or josh@joshmcculloch.com to inquire about any reproduction rights.


Watch for another post soon with details on what you'll need for next (our third) class.

Cheers, Josh
Copyright © 2010 Josh McCulloch.

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Classes Cancelled this week (Jan 14 & 15)

Hi everyone,

I've been fighting a cold over the last couple of days, and it seems to have finally gotten the better of me. I woke up this morning without my voice and won't be able to teach this week. These classes will likely be re-scheduled - I'll let you know as soon as I know.

In the meantime, make sure you've got everything ready to go for our next class as I outlined in our previous class. See the other posts here on the blog for details.

Cheers, Josh

Copyright © 2009 Josh McCulloch.

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Thinking about becoming a Staff Photographer? Read This.

This is especially important for you WI folks: 10 Things all staff photographers must do right now.

Cheers, Josh

Copyright © 2010 Josh McCulloch.

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Requirements for the Second Class

It's time to start this DAM process. Here's what you'll need for the second class...

1) Make sure to review Chapters 1-6 in the DAM Book and ensure you have a solid grasp on that content. Post any questions related to the first class to this blog post: Summary of the First Class.

2) Read Chapters 7 & 8 in the DAM Book

3) Read the following two posts (including the comments) on my main blog:

- Post Production Workflow

- Post Production Workflow Follow-Up

These posts summarize what we'll be covering in our next two classes. Read them over a couple of times and try to wrap your mind around what what we'll be doing and why. Don't worry if you don't understand everything, we'll be covering it all in the next two classes. Note that my current workflow is somewhat modified from these as they are written, but the majority of it is still very relevant.

4) Bring your laptop, memory card reader, and a memory card with approximately 50 RAW photos (no more, please) to class. The photos should all be from the same location, with similar subject matter. Subject matter is up to you. We'll be using these images in class to learn the DAM workflow, and they will be used for your two class assignments. Images must be on a memory card, not stored on your computer.

5) Make sure to have the following software installed on your computer for the next class:

a) Image Ingester Pro (Version 3.2 - Demo links below)

Macintosh Download Link

Windows Download Link

Note that this Demo is limited to 25 ingestions, so please don't go over this limit prior to class!

b) Adobe Bridge CS4 - This should have been installed automatically when you installed Photoshop on your computer. Double check that it is. If not, you should be able to install it from your Photoshop CS4 install disc. Make sure to run the "Adobe Updater" to ensure you have the latest version installed.

c) We will NOT be needing Microsoft Expression Media until the third class. As it is a 30-day trial, please don't install it until just before the third class, otherwise your trial may expire before you need to hand in the final class & assignment.

See you next week - enjoy your weekend.

Cheers, Josh

Copyright © 2010 Josh McCulloch.

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Summary of the First Class

Hey guys,

A few notes about the first class...

First, the full PDF of all the slides from the first class are now available for download from my FTP server. Go and get 'em. (Friendly reminder: this is copyrighted material, please don't share these notes)

Second, any questions related to the first class should be posted in the comments here. I will not be responding to comments left on any other posts that relate to the topics covered in the first class. Let's keep them together for everyone's benefit.

Watch for another post soon detailing what you'll need for the next class.

Cheers, Josh

Copyright © 2010 Josh McCulloch.

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Welcome to the WAPDAM Blog - Start Here

Hello students of the Western Academy's Professional Photography program! My name is Josh McCulloch, and I'll be instructing your Digital Asset Management class. Check out my website to learn a bit more about me and the work I do. Hit the link below for the rest of this post...

To say I'm excited about teaching this course would be an understatement, partly because I'm a geek and really get stoked on stuff like this, and partly because it is such an important part of being a working photographer these days, and I would have loved to have learned how to manage my files properly back when I first went digital in 2001. My buddy Chad and I were the first Western students ever to switch to digital, we were so pumped to be sporting our new 5.47MP Nikon D1X's, scoffing at those suckers still paying for film! Of course, we didn't bother to tell them our cameras cost almost $7k for the body alone, and that we spent more time developing our images than they did because we had no clue how to work with so many images at once on a computer... So here I will be sharing what I have learned since then, and things have certainly changed. But that'll have to wait until the course starts.

When I was first approached by the school to teach this course, I pretty much knew I a) wanted to teach it, and b) wanted to have a corresponding blog to go along with the course. I am going to pack so much information into your heads in four classes that this blog will become the hub for all things related to the course. I'll be posting re-caps of classes and assignment details, answering your questions, posting various links of interest, etc.

While I would hope all of you are familiar with what blogs are and how they work, some of you may not be. Check out this post and video on my main blog to learn more about blogs, RSS, etc. Understanding what blogs are and how to use them will make this blog more valuable to you as we progress through the course. If you still have questions, place a comment at the bottom of this post and I will comment back to answer you as best as possible. As this blog will be your access to me throughout the DAM course, you will (hopefully) be posting lots of questions for me to answer, so you might as well get started!

On a related note, I would appreciate you signing your name to each comment, either by adding it to the bottom of your comment if you are not logged in to a blog account (first name & last initial is fine), or better yet, by signing in to your account to comment.

If you'll look to the right of this page (and any other page in this blog), you'll see I've added a bunch of links for your reference. These relate to the software we'll be using, different forums and support groups related to DAM and DAM software, as well as industry trade groups related to DAM. Check them out, there is lots of great information there for you.

I'm sure you hear this from most, if not all of your instructors, but you will only get out what you put in to this course. I want to see all of you succeed in your careers as professional photographers, and guess what? Properly managing your digital assets is a key component to making that happen. You either need to learn it (and learn it WELL) and then implement it, or hire someone to do it for you. And I'm guessing right now not many of you have the budget to do that (and neither do I).

The days of being "Just a Photographer" are gone. Today, you need to be your IT department, your Digital Asset Management department, your marketing department, your legal department (along with a good attorney), your bookkeeping department (along with a good accountant), and more. I'm looking forward to helping you get your DAM department off the ground.


Cheers, Josh
Copyright © 2010 Josh McCulloch.

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