Some remarks on the steps in the above process

1. After each session, I return to the media center and move images from my CF cards onto a SSD in my laptop. I do this by copying files in the Finder rather than importing via LR because I copy data from multiple CF cards at once. I import files into a folder named with the day’s date inside a folder named for the event (Documents/MotoGP 2014 01 Qatar/2014-03-19). Once all files have been copied, I Import them into the LR catalog and sort by Capture Time.

2. I select all images in the previous Import and apply keywords for the round, series, and location.

3. If I have multiple classes included in the Import, I select all the Moto2 images, for example, and apply ‘Moto2′ keyword to those, then do the same for Moto3 if needed. Because ‘MotoGP’ applies to all images, I use the keyword ‘1000s’ to the premiere class images. This step only takes a minute because all the Moto2 images will be together as long as I’ve sorted the View by Capture Time AND my cameras are all set to the correct and identical (or nearly so) local time.

4. Similar to classes, shots from pit lane or the grid will often be grouped together by Capture Time. I like to be able to find all pit lane shots, so I add this keyword to all images made in this location.

5-6. I use the keyword ‘1000s’ to collect all premiere class images, select them, and add to Quick Collection. I now have all images to be keyworded first in the oh-so-useful Quick Collection mode. The reason this is so vitally important is this: As keywords are applied and those keyworded images are removed from the QC, the number of images that must be scrolled through decreases. The first passes through the Quick Collection take the longest, but as each rider’s images are keyworded and removed, the next pass is faster, as is the next and the next. This is also why I do riders with the most images in the Quick Collection first.

7-10. For example, I almost always shoot Marc Marquez when he passes by, so any Import has lots of Marquez images in it. He shows up frequently, which means that each time I scroll down I am likely to see images of him that require application of his Keyword Set. It also means that by the time I’ve reached the end of the Import and removed all Marquez images, the Quick Collection is noticeably smaller, often by several hundred images.

After Marquez, Rossi, Pedrosa, Lorenzo, and Hayden have been keyworded and removed, the Quick Collection is be MUCH smaller. That makes it easier to find riders of whom I have fewer images, apply their Keyword Sets, return to the top and start again.

11. After all of this work, you sure don’t want to have to do it again, so before I leave to shoot the next session, I start a back up. Back at the hotel, I will set a third back up to process while I’m sleeping.

The Weak Link

Applying keywords from a Keyword Set can be done several ways. The slowest is by clicking on each individual word in the set. Faster is by holding Option (ALT for PC-users) and typing the number that corresponds to the keyword you want to apply. This works well, though at the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome when processing many images at one sitting.

For some time, the best way I’d found to apply key words from sets was to use a program for MacOS called QuicKeys to apply all keywords in a Keyword Set with a single key stroke. I used Control-R to tell QuicKeys to type Option-1, Option-2, Option-3 — Option-9, and thus add all of a Set’s keywords to the selected images.

QuicKeys worked beautifully for many years. MacOS Lion caused problems and ever since then, this wonderful and much-needed application’s publisher has allowed it to flounder. In Mavericks I have had little luck getting it to do more than work intermittently and thus, it is no longer something I can rely on for my work. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. When it stops, I switch to the Opt-1, Opt-2 method. This is very frustrating, especially since the developer is still selling a product that has not been properly supported since 2011. Caveat emptor, indeed.

I am still searching for a macro/automation app to help with this crucial part of my key wording process. I welcome suggestions for alternatives.

Exceptions

Sometimes you have images with more than one rider that you want to contain keywords from multiple sets.

Here’s how I handle this situation. I decide which of the riders is the true subject and apply all keywords from his Set. I then add number, name and team from the secondary rider(s) if I think someone might want to see this rider in this particular image. When processing the Import, I simply don’t remove images like this from the Quick Collection after adding the primary rider’s Keyword Set. Then when I make a later pass through the Import and encounter the secondary rider, I add the smaller set of keywords for that rider. If it’s only one more rider, I then press B and consider that image completely keyworded. If there’s another rider to include, I wait until that rider’s pass through, and so on.

In this example, to me this is an image of Casey Stoner and Karel Abraham is secondary enough that I would not add his keywords. This is simply because I don’t think that Karel’s fans would want to see him receiving this look from Casey.

For group shots, I prefer not to over-keyword by adding too many for the entire group of riders. I simply use my judgment for which keywords to include based on what I think viewers will be looking for in order to want to show them this image.

You should customize your own system to suit your way of thinking. I organize the Keyword Sets by rider number, but there’s nothing that says you have to do the same. If last name makes more sense to you, that’s fine, too. You can use any method of organizing that speeds up your ability to get the appropriate keywords to the selected images.

Conclusion

Key wording is only part of a successful workflow. Please watch for a coming post on workflow as a whole.

For key wording as with other parts of the editing process, I’m always looking for ways to refine this system, so if you have any ideas about how to improve it, or wish to share your own system, please do so in a comment below!

To see more Motorsports Photography Tips, check out this page!

Adobe Lightroom keyword sets