when I first started out i would ask for the entire shoot  on cd...but as I gained my experience..I realized this is not necessary. All I wanted on cd were the final retouched images...but I do like picking out the images.

After suggesting to a photographer to send me a digital contact sheet (@ 200 dpi so I can zoom in on pics and get an idea of which frames would be the finals...I figured out this saved a helluva alot of time. He emailed me the contact sheets and i would send back an email with the final frames and then would recieve a cd with only the finals I chose....

I'm just wondering if anyone else has gone this route?

I know it's old school with a modern twist to it..but I think it makes the most sense...

After a shoot, I make (well, Photoshop makes) a web page with all the photos.  I upload that to my website and email the link to everyone who worked on the shoot.  That way the models, MUAs, hair stylists, and their mothers can see the photos.  All I need back is an email back with the photos they want.  Everybody's happy.

i think it's a great idea

Digital contact sheets are great.  I personally prefer to get proofs of just about everything for a TFP so I can pick the shots I would like retouched and not have to rely on the judgment of someone with very different goals.

I use an online lightbox system (basically a custom built shopping cart). Just FTP a folder of images online. It then presents them as a gallery and anyone with the access code can pick the images or files they want. It displays a running total of the cost too so there is no surprise when they hit the 'order'.

I'm with Brian, in that web galleries (I use iView Media) rather than Photoshop's WPG, though) is fast and easy for those with good net connections. I also use contact sheets as well, with 20 images/page. That makes them large enough to see enough detail without using up a lot of time/paper. (I also make a copy for my files--it's often easier to flip through paper to find a specific image than to do even a well-keyworded search.)

I have just begun working with models, after spending the past 3 years taking pictures of cactus and buildings for my photography and art classes.  When I first started I was shooting 300 digital photos and trying to give the model all of them as we were doing TFP.  In the last couple I have still shot 200 photos, I am going through them and getting rid of the crap I have from either my error, model error, or catching the blink or yawn.

I end up looking through 70 to 90 photos that are the best, and cut that down to the top 50 with help from my assistant.  I send the model via email a proof sheet and get their input and they can select the 20 best, I have been adding in a couple of additional that I like as well.  So they end up with 30 photos all together.

As I get better with using the internet to host my photos and create a photo album for my models I am sure I will have less work to do.  But I think it is important to remain professional and offer everything that is expected and needed to remain that step above the so called photo takers out there in the world.

This is my workflow on TFP shoots:

1) I download images and review them.

2) I decide which images to retouch, and retouch them.

3) I use Photoshop to generate a web preview gallery of all retouched images including variations (crops, desaturations, the very occasional artsy piece using filters.)

4) If the model has high-speed internet access, I post the preview gallery in a private directory for her to review. If she doesn't, I burn it on a CD and mail it to her.

5) The model picks her prints and promo images from the preview gallery by sending me a list.

6) I burn the promo images as uncompressed JPEGS at 1200px and print the prints, and mail her the lot.

I do not release unretouched photos. Period. I do not release RAW or full-size source files. Period. If models don't like that there are lots of other photographers who aren't so persnickety as I.

As far as the numbers, mine are roughly in line with the original poster's at this point.

M