Journalling your photoshoot

[ChrisN]

How many of you actually take notes about the pictures you take?

If this is common practice, what do you guys right in there that seems to be helpful back at the computer or in retrospect?

I have been given the advice of journalling the pictures that I take to better help me understand the choices I make and learn from my previous experiences.

So, come on, speak up. Tell me what you all right in your little black books :)

Thanks in advance.

[Scottes]

In the short time I did film I used to take all sorts of notes. But all of that has been replaced by EXIF. I now get all the info on shutter & aperture, etc etc. I also get the time of day, so I can look at the picture and know how the light was hitting it if it's not so apparent from shadows and such. Otherwise the auto white balance can tell me a lot - depending on time and temp I get a good idea if it was cloudy or simply overcast or what. About the only thing it won't tell me is where I was, or what I was thinking at the time of the shot.

But I've actually been using this place for journaling, in a way. I got tired of just posting pictures, so I started talking about the pictures or the events of the day when I post. I then save a copy of the topic off to my hard drive.

I will say that I wonder if my method really works, but I won't know for years. It seems to work for now.

[ssim]

I carry a small notepad with me where ever I go. More often than not, I don't end up using it because I can recall the location, etc.

If I do make notes, its more about the location, time, date and such rather than the technical stuff.

When I was in India last year I would take a short period of time at the end of the day and make notes in laptop on the days shooting. I was taking an average of around 500 images a day and that is alot to remember when you get home.