That title’s a stretch. I don’t know any rich photographers personally. But time is money and this is a time saving post. So the title MIGHT be true. I know the opposite is true. Shooting in automatic has made me NOT-rich. I believe more science is required to prove it either way.
For those of you that are photographers, were you drawn to this expensive hobby because you like to edit photos or because you like to take pictures? I’m guessing the vast majority of you prefer shooting over sitting in front of a computer. That’s certainly true for me.
Something I’ve unwittingly discovered through my experience of building a photography business is that if I shoot more consistently, my editing time is reduced significantly. REALLY significantly. If I shoot manual, use a specific white balance and ISO (and don’t change their respective settings) then all of my images will have the same characteristics (good or bad). The exposure, color and noise will all be the same. I can then correct or enhance large groups of images in one motion in Lightroom (with the possible exception of cropping and straightening). I’ve done portrait sessions that take all of 20 minutes to edit. Conversely, I’ve shot events in aperture priority that required multiple hours to correct what the camera thought was the proper exposure.
Shooting manual may not always be the best approach. But if you have the option of shooting manual, the improvement in editing time is a good reason to choose it over aperture or shutter priority. The point is to lock down as many variables as you can. You drive the camera, don’t let it drive you. Your reward is faster editing. Just think, if you choose the wrong settings, you might not have ANY good pictures! Zero editing time! How awesome would that be?! No need to thank me, I’m just paying it forward.
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I cannot agree with this post any more, I’ve learned this the hard way! I shot photos that I thought were going to be great and turned out that I had to spend so much time editing, what’s the point right? Keeping it on auto doesn’t always give you a good picture either, I’ve learned that lesson the hard way as well.