The Digital Photographer’s Notebook: A Pro’s Guide to Adobe Photoshop CS3, Lightroom, and Bridge

Chapter 7. The Naming of Digital Negatives

NAMING DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHS runs the gamut of conventions, from a date-based system to one using subject names. The real purpose of naming is to make certain the physical results of a shoot—DVD archive discs, model releases, receipts, and other paperwork—are never lost, and to ensure that the photographs can always be found.

Naming Conventions

The system used to name and keep track of anything is its naming convention. There are several. The Dewey Decimal System used in libraries is one. Making a file drawer with the year on it and twelve folders inside (one labeled for each month) is another. Alphabetical organization by a supplier’s name is a way to organize a file drawer by vendor. In bank statements, ...