159 ☼ A Breakdown of a Photographer’s Time
+ My Office Tools
Dear friends,
In this week’s letter, a run-down of the tools I use in the office and how a professional photographer’s time breaks down between shooting and office work.
📸 We're just one week away from the next Process Photo Walk in Amsterdam on September 15th. Only four spots remain, so RSVP today to join up alongside the Analog Club Amsterdam and Nora Lalle, founding editor of Pamplemousse Magazine! (There are also upcoming walks in Madrid, London, and Paris.)
🎥 More updates at the end, including a BTS shot from a short movie I acted in.
Process is a reader-supported publication, and I want to say thank you to everyone who has joined the Process Photo Club. Your support is incredibly energizing, and working on the perks has been a lot of fun. Much more coming! If you’re interested, click below. <3
A Breakdown of a Photographer’s Time
Most people I speak with assume that as a professional photographer, I spend most of my time out in the field taking pictures. But my reality of being a freelance photographer, especially one who tries to balance personal projects with client work and my curatorial roles, looks a bit different.
My time breaks down roughly like this:
30% — Working on Process and making photo books
20% — Taking Pictures
20% — Finding clients and funding
20% — Generating creative ideas for projects, books, and collaborations
10% — Admin tasks
This means I’m in my office—whether that’s my kitchen table, my backyard table or a café—more often than I’m out photographing. Since I spend so much time at my desk, I take my tools seriously. And, honestly, I’m a bit of a nerd for them. Here’s a breakdown of the tools I use, which help me stay organized and creative.
Office & Desk Tools
Hama Glassine Negative Sleeves — This hold all my negatives and are archival and safe. My father’s 40-year-old negs are in these sleeves and they’re still in great shape.
Ars-Imago Negative Binders — I take my archiving very seriously, and I hope you do too. These are easily my favorite binders to keep my negatives dust-free and safe.
To read a lot more about my archiving process and tools check out Process 048.
Holdfast Canvas Tools Bags — To store cables, filters, and other important items that are not in daily use. I get easily overwhelmed by disorganization and this has been my way to manage that. Since they’re meant to store hardware tools, they’re extremely durable and easy to carry if need be. (see below)
MUJI Notebook — Any notebook will do, but I love these Muji ones. I use them for note-taking during meetings, to jot down new ideas, and to write my way into clarity when I am planning a new project. (see below, one page away from filling this one up.)
LAMY Safari Fountain Pen — My favorite tool for handwritten notes—simple, smooth, reliable, and super affordable. (see above)
2000 Plus Printer P-30 Self Inking Stamp — You can put anything on this stamp that you want and I use it for my returning mail address. Makes mailing packages and letters easier. (see above)
Trodat Printy 4810 Date Stamp — To stamp dates in my notebook during meetings and for tracking to-do lists. I also just love the way it looks. (see above, and below)
MacBook Pro — Couple of years old now. The workhorse that powers all my creative and business tasks. I hope to add an external screen again in the future.
Logitech K380 External Keyboard + Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse + Roost Laptop Stand — I’m tall (6'4"/193cm), so I have to be mindful of my back and neck. These three tools help me maintain good ergonomics at the kitchen table.
Redo Papers To-Do List Notepad — These to-do lists are made from recycled paper, and I love their format and size. For some reason, I prefer writing my tasks on these instead of in my notebook. I even keep them after I finish, for some strange reason.
Ziplock Bags — I love me some ziplock bags! These transparent bags are perfect for taking film through airport security without hassle. Transparant means no mystery, which is what the airport people love.
Software
Adobe Bridge & Photoshop — Essential for organizing and editing my work.
Excire — A new tool that helps me manages my digital archive, making it easy to find images quickly.
Calendly — Keeps my scheduling streamlined, from shoots to mentor sessions.
1Password — Keeps all my logins secure without the hassle of remembering everything.
Squarespace — Where I host and update my portfolio website and webshop
Backblaze & Dropbox — Backups are non-negotiable. I use both to ensure my digital archive is safe. I always keep two cloud-based and two physical archives maintained. I wrote a bit more about this in an early days issue of Process 004.
aText — Saves me time by expanding shorthand codes into full text—super useful for emails and pitching.
Apple Notes & Notion — My go-to for jotting down quick ideas and managing larger projects with my interns and collaborators involved.
I hope this peek into my office setup was helpful. These are the things that help me stay organized, inspired, and focused. Every creative’s process is different, and the tools that work for me may not be the same ones that work for you.
NEXT WEEK: A brand new set of medium format analog pictures from Tuscany, and a key realization I had this week about the next twelve months as a photographer.
Also next week: the launch of the Process Photo Club members-only area, where all special membership perks will be available in one place. To kick things off, members will get exclusive access to an eBook version of the long out-of-print "Making of NOTICE" Zine, originally a limited edition bonus for those who pre-ordered my photo book "NOTICE".
Keep shooting and take good care of yourselves and others. <3
Wesley
PS If you’d like to support what I do here, consider ordering the brand new Process Work Book (free for members, €8.99 for non-members) and my photo book "NOTICE" (€39 for members with use of their Process Photo Club coupon, €69 for non-members).
Housekeeping + Updates
Next Project: The Best Medicine — This October, I’m hosting a two-day studio shoot at Studio 13 to document the Amsterdam comedy community. My goal is to photograph 100 individuals who use humor to positively impact life in the city. You can see a preview of the test shoot in Process 135. If you're a stylist, videographer, or other creative professional interested in collaborating, feel free to reach out!
New Movie Coming! — Here’s a still from an upcoming short film by writer/director Joseph Frank, where I was cast in one of the lead roles. It was a new and exciting experience for me, especially since the film was shot on actual film!
Interview — Alison at Feature Shoot asked me some excellent questions about what it takes to publish a newsletter as a photographer. You can read the interview here, and be sure to explore their other interesting articles and awards.
Gear & Tools Used
Camera: iPhone 12, Contax G1
Film Stocks: Fomapan 200, Agent Shadow 400
Shout out to MPB.com, my go-to place to buy, sell, and trade used cameras and lenses. I love their service and am a paying customer. MPB caters to over 625,000 visual storytellers and provides a 6-month warranty. Thanks for the support, MPB! <3
Lab: All my analog work is developed and scanned by my friends at Carmencita Film Lab. They’re my favorite lab in the world. Use code “PROCESS” to get a free upgrade.
Hey Wesley, great post, thanks so much for sharing. What made you choose Excire over Peakto? I'll try both, but thought you might have a very clear POV from experience already. Thanks!
Thanks for sharing this Wesley. Archiving and storage of negatives is one area that I constantly fall behind in. Always ending up with a huge collection of film stacked on the desk waiting to be filed.