Studio Workflow

Video Tutorials

Studio Backup Workflow: How to Archive Photos and Video So You Never Lose a Job

I’ll be honest: I didn’t get serious about my archive system until I almost lost an entire e-commerce shoot. One corrupted transfer, one drive that was “probably fine,” and suddenly I’m on the phone with a client explaining why I need to reschedule a product shoot that involved a rented space and a hired stylist. That was the last time I treated file management as an afterthought. Since then, I’ve spent more time than I’d like to admit refining how media moves from card to archive, and I track the hours that system saves me the same way I track everything else: in a spreadsheet.

August 11, 2026

Video Tutorials

How to Properly Clean Oil Paint Brushes (And Why It's Worth Doing Right)

I spend most of my working life thinking about digital workflows, but I’ve been painting on weekends for about three years now, and I’ll admit I destroyed two perfectly good oil brushes in my first month simply by not knowing how to clean them properly. Oil paint is not watercolor. You cannot rinse a loaded bristle brush under the tap and call it done. The paint hardens, the bristles splay, and what was a precise filbert becomes something that looks like it lost a fight with a ceiling fan.

August 8, 2026

Video Tutorials

Test the Chaos First: Why Pre-Testing Unpredictable Elements Saves Complex Shoots

There’s a principle I’ve carried from studio work into every project I consult on now: the thing most likely to blow up your shoot is the thing you haven’t tested yet. Not the lighting, not the model’s availability, not the client’s last-minute brief changes. It’s the one physical or mechanical variable you assumed would “just work.” I’ve watched shoots grind to a halt because nobody confirmed whether a product would hold its shape under heat, or whether a fabric would move the way the mood board suggested.

July 5, 2026