I've been doing photo walks for many years; I find them remarkably giving, mentally, physically, and creatively. In the process, I've developed a routine or modus operandi, if you will. I want to share it with you.

I've divided my workflow into five 5 and 22 steps. I'm not saying it's the best way to carry out a photo walk, but it's definitely a bronze … maybe even a silver.

1️⃣ Planning

Unless the opportunity is once in a lifetime, I don't sit down and plan my walks like I would my taxes. Most of the time, the arrangement happens in my head a few moments before I exit the door. Here's my mental checklist:

🗺️ 1. Design

I start by deciding where to go — neighbourhood, city centre, forest, the Middle Ages … Sometimes, the idea has been in my head for a while; other times the choice is on a whim. Once I know where I'm headed, I figure out the "how" — bus, train, plane, Millennium Falcon … I use Google Maps for transport, but Apple Maps for walking because of the headlight-like triangle indicating the direction.

🎒 2. Pack

Next, I approach my photography shelf and choose my setup. I only have one camera, so that's easy. The lens choice depends on the location and the time of day. I keep accessories to a minimum too: extra battery, memory cards, wrist strap, lens pen, and a tissue pack. As for storage, I'm a slinger whenever possible. If I'm travelling abroad with my main camera bag only, I'll leave all surplus equipment in a safe at the accommodation.

🧥 3. Dress

It's time to open the wardrobe — or suitcase. But before choosing my outfit, I swiftly check the weather forecast; things like temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation. Using this intel, I'll either go casual or layered; cap or earflaps; umbrella or parasol.

2️⃣ Walking

This is the main attraction, where I move one foot in front of the other and press clicky buttons. Beware, this section may or may not include some of the most mind-blowing methodologies you've ever heard of.

🚍 4. Leave

This doesn't necessarily imply public transport; it could be on foot, bike, or the back of a Hungarian Horntail. I don't have my camera out during commuting as I tend to treat photo walks like a ritual; starting before arriving at the location doesn't feel right — it has caused me to miss a few good moments though …

📸 5. Prepare

Once I’ve arrived, I remove the lens cap, screw on the lens hood, and secure my camera to the wrist strap. As for settings, I use the Aperture Priority mode, Auto for ISO and White Balance, and minimum shutter speed varies — 1/250 for daytime and 1/60 for lowlight.

👟 6. Explore

I get strolling and immerse myself in my surroundings. This is one step out of many, yet it makes up the entirety of the photo walk itself. Once I see something interesting or visualise a frame, I raise my camera, compose, and take the shot — are you taking notes? The first few photos are usually just to warm up, but then again, I'm not out here pursuing greatness. Another thing: I don't stage things, but if I come across a scene I like, I might wait for a subject to enter it.

📷 7. Store

If I stumble across a camera store, I stop by the window and drool over the equipment. I'm just pulling your leg, by "store" I mean the verb. Once I arrive at my end destination — sometimes back where I started — I put the lens cap back on, screw off the hood, unclip the strap, and return my camera to my bag.

🚌 8. Return

Similar to the first point of this stage, I don't summon my camera as I'm likely tired and out of the "photo mode" or flow. Some like to rate their images during this step; I prefer to lean on the window and pretend to be a leading man in a historical drama.

3️⃣ Organising

Once I'm back home, at a hotel, or dying from allergy while at an irresistible cat café, I remove my bag, stretch my shoulders, and press my buttocks against a soft surface; it's time to put things away and ready the equipment for the next outing.

🧹 9. Clean

I grab a dust blower and roughly clear the camera and lens from any debris that it may have gathered during the walk. You might find this unnecessary after each outing — it most certainly is.

🪫 10. Charge

I remove the battery from the camera, put it to charge and load the device with another, fully charged one. Once the used battery is charged, I store it where the new one was so it's ready to relay it after the next walk … You're already regretting reading this post, aren't you?

📥 11. Import

Like all the cool kids, I use an external SSD to edit my images. Once connected to my laptop, I extract the SD card from the camera, import the photos, and return the card. Since my camera has two card slots, I format one and leave the other untouched until it comes close to being full — for safety.

📁 12. File

On my SSD, I create a folder inside my "Photography" master folder, move it into the pertinent by-year subfolder, and rename it by the date and location of the walk. Inside it, I create two subfolders: "Raw" and "Edit".

✂️ 13. Select

If I have the time, I'll cull my images right away, at least a pass or two — I use Adobe Bridge for this. Once done, I select all the photos that didn't make the cut and delete them forever. I'm a minimalist monster, I know.

🧬 14. Rename

While still in Bridge, I locate the Raw folder and rename the batch of photos using my custom File Naming Convention. (You can learn about this in my dedicated essay — I spent a good two weeks writing it.)

4️⃣ Editing

I'd love to shoot in JPG and leap gracefully over this stage, but it appears I'm too nitpicking. Editing usually happens on another day for me; sometimes years later. I aim for naturalism, so my process is fairly straightforward.

💡 15. Lightroom

Inside my image-manipulating software of choice, I locate the folder with the raw files. Since I don't use third-party software for photo management, I opt for the Local feature instead of the Cloud one.

🪄 16. Preset

I select the batch of photos and apply a very basic preset crafted by yours truly. After that, I spend some time fine-tuning each major knob. This is where my perfectionism tends to creep in; one way to combat it is to limit my values to multiples of 10; another is to glance at my schedule.

🎛️ 17. Custom settings

Similarly, I adjust all the settings that the present doesn't affect; things that vary too much between images like Exposure, White Balance, Color Mixer, and Defringe. To keep the nitpicking gremlins at bay, I take another good look at my deadlines.

🎭 18. Masks

To conclude, if I sense the image demands the light to be reshaped or emphasised, I'll bother myself a little longer and apply radial and/or gradient masks. Usually, I subtract the light instead of adding it — not sure why though …

✨ 19. Polish

After this first round, I abandon the edit for a while and come back to it with fresh, unbiased eyes. After mourning my bad edits for a minute or two, I make a quick polishing pass and throw in the towel.

5️⃣ Exhibiting

It's time to give my photos an outlet, a proper resting place, somewhere to be seen by other eyes. This is the second most rewarding phase for me — can you guess which is numero uno?

📦 20. Export

While in Lightroom, I select all the finalised images and export them as full-quality JPGs to the Edit folder on the SSD. To keep my future self out of trouble, I maintain the same nomenclature for the JPGs as I do for the raw files.

🗄️ 21. Backup

Once all the media is finalised, I copy the completed photo walk folder onto two separate hard drive and the cloud. I may keep a few completed walks on the SSD for added safety, but eventually delete them to make room for the next ones.

🚀 22. Share

Since I don't print my images, this step counts as the final one. The way I exhibit my photos is through a photo walk newsletter called Earthshine. Someday I'll venture into the print world — I've heard good things about it.

That's it; that's my entire process in five stages and twenty-two steps.

🎁 The End? Not quite …

You may or may not have noticed something odd about the feature image … The truth is, I clandestinely wrote a brother post to this one in which I outline 28 tips and tricks regarding photo walks. Interested? Click here.