Check list

Hi all
Just wondering, do any of you people use a mental check list before you print or post an
image ie some sort of acronym that might help avoid dumb mistakes like sloping horizons etc
:aureola:
Pete

The mental checklist usually starts well before print/post for me. Once the card is downloaded I'll go through the photos from the shoot and immediately edit out (delete) any that simply will not work (really bad exposure/noise/blur/bad composition/etc) keeping in mind WHY they're on the delete list and what I might have done to prevent it. Once those are gone, I'll go back and rate the rest on 2 factors: likability and workflow. I find that as I shoot more, I've gotten much more prone trying to get the shot right in the camera to reduce post processing time. When you're only taking a few shots at a time, it's not such a big deal to spend an hour apiece in photoshop, but when you're doing a studio or location shoot, and firing off 200-400 images in less than 2 hours you DO NOT want to spend an hour apiece on them! (nor do you want to walk away with only 5 or 6 "good" images). Once you get the feel for what tools do what jobs in your editing program, it's easier to determine how much and what kind of work your images will require to get them ready to print/post and just like the horizon thing, it all becomes second nature after a while. So to answer your question, yes there is a complex mental checklist, but no it's not a conscious thing that I could write down for you to follow like a cake recipe because each photo is a little different, so the recipe changes every time.

I've been known to not check the horizon, too.
Only part of my checklist is the very last thing which is to sharpen image.

Start with the basics... Don't forget to get your battery out of the charger - I forgot mine the other day like an idiot! One of those days! Always have backup cards for your camera, they tend to go bad at the worst moments! On heavy shoot days I sometimes get a little frazzled and now have a car charger for my camera battery as well as a backup that i keep in my bag, and 4 cards! All my shoots are on location. I keep those anti-moisture packs in my bag too, especially during humid summer - grab them out of your shoe boxes! And don't forget to take the lens cap off! LOL Not that you'd see much with it on! ;)