Streamlining Travel Photography: My 5-step iPad Workflow for On-the-Go Editing
Traveling light is essential for a hassle-free photo trip, especially when you're limited to just one backpack. On a recent weekend trip, I made sure to pack my camera gear, clothes, and toiletries efficiently. To lighten my load, I decided to bring my iPad Air (64GB) instead of a laptop for on-the-go culling and editing. This way, I could avoid the overwhelming task of sorting through photos at the end of my trip, which I tend to procrastinate. Here’s how I developed this proof of concept iPad workflow that worked for me, though it might need tweaks for client-based work.
1. Photo Shooting
This part is straightforward—pack everything you need need and enjoy taking pictures! Here are a few shots I captured on a recent trip:
2. Preparation
At the end of each day, I connected my SD card to the iPad using an SD Reader to USB-C adapter. I reviewed and imported my favorite shots, then quickly returned the SD card to the camera to prevent losing it.
What Could’ve Been Better:
External SSD: Bringing an external SSD to copy all the RAW files before doing anything would’ve been smart. It’s compact and easy to pack—I just forgot mine this time.
Adapter/Dongle: A multi-functional adapter that connects the SD card, SSD, and charges the iPad simultaneously would be ideal. This way, I wouldn’t worry about the iPad losing power and risking my files.
Update: I ended up getting an Anker USB hub so that I could connect both the SD and the SSD at the same time, but now the possible limitation is how iPadOS and Lightroom manage files and imports - you don’t have as much freedom as with a computer. So, what I recommend there is connecting everything, copying the photos from the SD to the SSD using the ‘Files’ app, then, in Lightroom importing using the 'Add photos from Connected camera/card’ option. That way you’ll be able to see a bit better what is it that you’re importing and select only some of these photos.
3. Culling & Editing
This process mirrors my usual laptop workflow:
Review and Flag: I used Lightroom to flag photos. After flagging, I deleted all 'rejected' photos as the first round of cuts.
Keywording: I added specific keywords to the photos that made the cut. Keywording on the iPad takes longer since doing it in batches isn’t possible, so this also can be done at the end or wait until I have laptop access.
Editing: I marked the photos I wanted to edit with 5 stars just to be able to filter them easily. After editing, I removed the 5-star rating and often deleted a few more pictures I didn’t like in the process.
4. Exporting
Consider for where are you exporting your photos:
Instagram: I used these settings by Reggie Ballesteros, then imported to apps like Unfold or VSCO for final touches before posting. After posting, I usually delete these images.
Backup: To protect my edits in the Adobe cloud, I exported the DNG files (which include my edits) to my SSD. That way they will be in two places.
5. Cleanup
I cleared the trash bin in Lightroom to prevent storage issues.
Final Thoughts
The process is straightforward but requires keeping an eye open regarding storage capacity. My 64GB iPad is still holding up, but I’m mindful of the looming storage limit. This workflow is slower than using a computer, so I embraced the extra time during my flight home to work on photos. Note that while Lightroom Mobile is similar to its desktop version, it lacks some features.
Overall, I enjoyed the process, and this trip served as a great proof of concept. I’ll continue refining this workflow for future trips. Follow me on my social platforms if you want to see my journey.
