Staying Sane While Editing Photos

The first thing I need to say before we get into this blog is that I believe photo editing is a fantastic way to enhance the creative vision you had in you head when you took the photo. For that reason I love editing my photos in Adobe Lightroom/ Photoshop and I think editing can be the cherry on top of any well crafted image. But, if we’re being completely honest I do have those days where I’d rather gouge my eyes out with a spork than sit behind my monitor for 6 hours straight.

I have been editing photos in Photoshop professionally since 1999 and in that time I have had many a day where I caught myself staring blankly at a box of sporks thinking “In the valley of the fed-up photo editors, the no-eyed man is king”. In order to save you from becoming a pale shell of your former self that hoards sporks and calls them “my precious” I’m going to throw you a lifeline. Here are my 5 tips to keep from going crazy while editing photography. I have developed these “sanity hacks” over many years and I use them daily. I’m using a few of these tips right now as I write this blog.

Editing can be extremely bad for your body

Before we begin, I really want to beat the dead horse so you guys understand just how bad extended photo editing sessions can be to your long term physical, mental and hormonal heath. According to the Mayo Clinic sitting for long periods of time has been linked to the following health issues:

Increased blood pressure
High blood sugar
Excess body fat around the waist
Abnormal cholesterol levels

They went on to say that too much sitting overall and prolonged periods of sitting also seem to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Read the full article by The Mayo Clinic

Now that I’ve scared the hell out of you, let’s get to my list of tips to help you be happier and healthier while editing your photos.

Tip 1- Get yourself a record player.

High-fidelity audio with Bluetooth wireless technology. Record players are a great way to save your sanity.

As I write this blog I’m listening to Weezer on an honest to goodness vinyl record. I started listening to records while editing my photography because I think records just sound better than digital. My decision to listen to records was purely fueled by nothing more than audio snobbery but I quickly discovered a hidden health benefit. Records can only fit about 20-30 mins of music per side before you have to get up and flip them over. That means that twice every hour I have to stand up and walk over to the record player, giving me a much needed break. Of course while I’m up I do things like visit the restroom, talk with my coworkers, grab some water and so on. All of this adds up to about 5-10 minutes away from my desk twice every hour. Can anyone guess how often the Mayo clinic recommends you take a break from sitting at your desk? Yup…every 30 mins.

I’m currently listening to a Bluetooth record player that connects directly to my noise canceling wireless headphones. This is the only way to edit because I get the intoxicating pop and crackle of vintage vinyl while my state of the art headphones filter out distractions like traffic, ringing phones and annoying coworkers. If you work at home the same set up filters out dogs, children and annoying spouses. When I really need a break at home I pretend to be editing my photography while listening to David Bowie and sipping a nice Merlot. Daddies need breaks too.

For those of you interested in picking up a Bluetooth record player here’s a nice entry level player. Don’t forget to include some records with your order so you’ll have something to listen to when it arrives.

Tip 2- Learn the lingo, gringo

There is nothing that’ll turn your brain into a giant quivering pile of tapioca like than a marathon Photoshop session. If you’re about to punch in for a six hour shift of editing and are at all concerned about pudding brain, then you need to stay mentally engaged. One of the best way I found to stay mentally engaged while photo editing is to learn a new language.

This is something I discovered this year and I’m kicking myself for not thinking of it sooner. Every time I sit down to edit photos I simply ask Alexa to open the Daily Dose app on my Echo Dot and I learn Spanish while editing. It’s a brilliant way to stay mentally tack sharp while utilizing the otherwise wasted time I’d be spending sitting at my desk. You’re stuck there anyway, you might as well learn a new skill. The best part, aside from being able to communicate with millions of more people on the planet, your brain won’t ooze out of your ears... Oh, and did I mention that the Daily Dose language app is FREE? (Free is our friend!)

For those of you that don’t have an Amazon Alexa you can pick one up for around $25.

Keep Your Hormones in Check

So far we looked at tips for keeping your body and your brain healthy during epic editing sessions. But what about your hormonal health? This is often the most overlooked aspect of health when it comes to the negative effects of a prolonged photography editing. Many of you have probably suffered from the effects of a hormonal imbalance due to prolonged photo editing and just didn’t realize it.

When we edit photos our computer screens are adversely affecting our body’s Circadian Rhythm. The National Institute for General Medical Sciences describes circadian rhythm as “physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle. They respond primarily to light and darkness in an organism's environment.”

Without going to deep down the rabbit hole: our body uses the light around us to decide when it’s time to be awake and when it’s time to sleep. It does this by taking in how much light is available and what color that light is. As photographers we all understand that the color of natural light changes throughout the day from blue light to golden yellow at sundown. By bombing our eyes with blue light from our computer screens at all times of the day or night we are confusing our brains and really screwing up our hormone levels.

Every feel restless, depressed or irritable after a long Photoshop session? Now you know why. To get the whole scoop on your Circadian Rhythm check out this blog by Mental Health America.

Fortunately there are a couple of things we can do to combat the side effects of screen gazing and the first one just happens to be FREE. (I love free)

Tip 3-take a short walk in the sunshine.

I do this once every day and it really helps me feel more grounded during marathon editing sessions. (Makes the puppy happy too.) Combine this with flipping over your records every 30 minutes and it will really help you keep your sanity.

Tip 4- wear blue light blocking glasses when editing at night.

When you edit at night your computer screen is telling your body that it’s daytime and I find it hard to sleep after a nighttime edit session. So I simply wear a pair of cheap blue light blocking glasses and when I’m done editing I can sleep like a baby. Just remember to take them off momentarily when doing color correction otherwise your skin tones will be a bit smurf-ish.

Don’t Forget to Keep your business healthy

While the four tips above are designed to keep you healthy, this one is all about keeping your business healthy. It will also keep you mentally engaged so consider it a twofer. The next time you sit down to edit why not spend that time learning new business strategies, or marketing or researching SEO strategies. You know, all of those things you should be learning but never have the time necessary. Well, you’re going to be stuck in that chair for a while so why not have Alexa read you a business book on how to find more clients.

Tip 5- Download audio books on business from audible

Using the Audible app Alexa can read you any book in the audible library. This is hands down one of the best ways to get the most out of your time spent editing. I’ve said it in my blogs many times and I’m saying it again. I believe that for every hour a photographer spends learning photography it is imperative that they spend an equal amount of time refining their business skills. This is a great way to squeeze in those hours while not giving up the little things like…sleep. The best part: when you sign up for audible your first book is free.

I recommend checking out this audio book. It completely changed the way I viewed and approached my work life. The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss

Conclusion

Editing for extended periods of time can be down right unhealthy. Add some fast food on the way to shoots and the next thing you know, you’ll be headed down the path to premature aging, obesity and possibly worse. So now is the time to protect your health by establishing good habits that protect both your mind and body. These are just a few of my healthy editing habits that I use daily and I really hope they help you. If you have any healthy editing hacks that might help other smash cake photographers, please share them in the comment section.

Until next time guys I wish you happy and healthy editing,
Daniel