Setting up a home office

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Name
Nick
Edit My Images
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Morning all,

Just wondering if I could get some feedback from other photographers in regards to where they do their editing / work.

I am in the process of buying a house with my girlfriend and have been looking at 3 bed houses, with the idea of converting one of the bedrooms to an office, where I would do my photography work.... Ok, great.... but then I got thinking... On average, per-wedding I photograph, that involves somewhere in the region of 10-20 hours physically sitting infront of that PC. Multiply that by 20+ weddings a year, and you start to realise that I spent a lot of time infront of the PC!

Add to this, I would no doubt be converting the smallest bedroom of the house to an office... so basically I would spending hundreds of hours in the smallest room in the house, locked away, while my girlfriend is on her own probably downstairs doing her own thing - not an ideal situation.

I am just wondering what others do?

Somethings which I can't really change:

  • I currently use 2 monitors.. While I could possibly downsize to one, I would really like to stick to 2 screens
  • I use a PC and would not want to use a laptop - love the idea of being able to do it in the lounge on my knee... but I cant see this happening
  • My PC also is a bit of a media server for the home-entertainment lounge we would have, films, music etc.
In my head, I am basically thinking how can I setup my PC (2 screens), mouse, keyboard etc in the lounge without it looking messy, and taking over the room!

Any advice or feedback really appreciated!
 
Emptied.
 
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Set up an office that's designed to allow you to work quickly and comfortably (and accurately without distractions). Get your work done quicker, then actually spend time with your girlfriend when you're not working.

Shoving half an office into your lounge is going to result in a bad office and a bad lounge. That probably means work done slower, and less real quality time spent with your girlfriend, as you find yourself half working, half communicating with her.
 
Set up an office that's designed to allow you to work quickly and comfortably (and accurately without distractions). Get your work done quicker, then actually spend time with your girlfriend when you're not working.

Shoving half an office into your lounge is going to result in a bad office and a bad lounge. That probably means work done slower, and less real quality time spent with your girlfriend, as you find yourself half working, half communicating with her.

That was my worry! I know what I am like for working constantly... if the PC was just there in the lounge I would be inclined to "just do a few more pictures" all the time. Having it separate is likely the best approach... but I dont want to be locked away in Bedroom 3 (smallest room in house) for hours on end either.. its a no-win
 
I am just wondering what others do?

Involve your other half by teaching her to edit? Our output improved no end when my wife took over the selection of snaps from our weddings, simply because she's not a bloke. Her colour correction was better/quicker than mine too, and for the same reason.

...Somethings which I can't really change:

I currently use 2 monitors.. While I could possibly downsize to one, I would really like to stick to 2 screens

Why? If you really need both because of the faffing about you do with each picture, you're doing too much of that for weddings.

IMO the way forward is to get the very best monitor you can (because your eyesight will thank you for it), get yourself an Aeron chair (your arse and your back ditto), then learn to spend less time editing/processing each wedding :)
 
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Morning all,
  • I currently use 2 monitors.. While I could possibly downsize to one, I would really like to stick to 2 screen!

Using two screens is a more productive workflow. I use 3. But being able to see one image full screen when sorting through in lightroom and comparing images etc I think is a must.
 
Working hours i.e 9 to 5 that is the only way.
 
@futureal33 : Where do you do your editing now? How much time do you spend on it and how much extra/less time would you be spending away from your girlfriend compared to now?
Would being locked away in an office be so different to what you do now? Is this your prime method of earning a living or just a paying hobby?
 
@futureal33 : Where do you do your editing now? How much time do you spend on it and how much extra/less time would you be spending away from your girlfriend compared to now?
Would being locked away in an office be so different to what you do now? Is this your prime method of earning a living or just a paying hobby?

Steve

Currently living on my own, so have free reigns to do pretty much what I want, when I want! I have my PC setup in my lounge, as I never watch TV anyway. I spend pretty much every night on it, between 5-10pm ish. Weekends usually working weddings at least one day per weekend.

Being locked away not ideal due to the amount of time I would be in there! Reducing the amount of time spent x wedding isnt an option either, as that is how long it generally takes me to properly get a wedding edited.

Would be ideal to somehow integrate into the new lounge, without taking over the room... but conscious that this is going to be difficult with 2 x 27" IPS monitors, and various external HDDs etc!
 
Would be ideal to somehow integrate into the new lounge, without taking over the room... but conscious that this is going to be difficult with 2 x 27" IPS monitors, and various external HDDs etc!

Forget the "fitting things in" side of it.
It's your work, not your GF's.
Keep it separate.
If you're working on the images, you're still not spending that time "together" with your GF, even if you're in the same room, (and it she's a TV watcher, and the TV is in the lounge, then that will distract you, and you will distract her....nightmare and bloody annoying.) so you go do your thing, and she'll do hers. It's not a bad thing.
 
Put your office in the second smallest room, get sky multi room and a bean bag, then you're fitting some lounge bits into your office, you can do your work and your partner can watch tv. It also means you can have stuff on in the background too
 
... so basically I would spending hundreds of hours in the smallest room in the house, locked away, while my girlfriend is on her own probably downstairs doing her own thing - not an ideal situation.

Hope you have an unbelievably understanding girlfriend because what you have described is a recipe for disaster!

Also if you use your home as a part office you may run into various problems - can you actually do that - does your mortgage and insurance allow it?
.
 
Forget the "fitting things in" side of it.
It's your work, not your GF's.
Keep it separate.
If you're working on the images, you're still not spending that time "together" with your GF, even if you're in the same room, (and it she's a TV watcher, and the TV is in the lounge, then that will distract you, and you will distract her....nightmare and bloody annoying.) so you go do your thing, and she'll do hers. It's not a bad thing.
This ^^^^^

It is your job, it is work. I work from home, often strange hours due to global contacts and timezone differences. I've got a dedicated office in my house when I got to work I go to work. I would not and could not combine it in the lounge to be together with the wife and children and dog. That would cross over in private time way to much for me.
 
I would setup a comfortable office in the small room as you suggest and just get on with the work and power through it.
Having a custom office well laid on will enable that, you can then get done quicker with less distraction and get back to your missus.
 
Take it from me , a space where you can get away from your partner for some of the time is pretty much an essential for succesful cohabitation ... no matter how much you love her, some 'man space' is pretty much an essential .. (and equally for her to have space /time while you are editing to do her own thing )... time apart makes the time together better

also its not practical to edit effectively while she's talking to you about unrelated stuff or watching TV etc as you'll either get distracted and the editing will suffer or you'll wind up agreeing to a new kitchen or whatever by saying "thats nice dear" without really comprehending what shes on about

The office is the way to go and although i'd agree that picking the second smallest bedroom might be a good idea, chances are high that your partner will want that as the 'guest room' (at least until you've got kids)

Another option is the garden office, which has the benefit of actually leaving the house when you 'go to work' and also not being distracted by hearing noise through the walls, floor etc
 
Each to their own, but from my experience, you are better off having an office space just to edit without either a) distracting you from working b) getting in the way of time with your girlfriend.
I used to have a desk setup in the living room, but it was a compromise because the desk was smaller and it still didn't mean I spent quality time with the wife. I tried working on a laptop, but I got fed up with the weight and heat on my lap and I much prefer a proper screen at the right height (very important if you're spending hours working on it, neck/back strain anyone?) and the use of a proper mouse and keyboard.
I now have a proper desk space not in the living room, so when I'm editing, I'm not distracted but also it means I'm not distracting the wife from whatever she's doing. It means that when I go into the living room, I'm there with her fully, not 50%.

If you currently don't live with each other, you're in this relationship phase of making sure that when you spend time together, you actually spend it together (fully, 100%). Once you live together this changes, you'll see each other at all times of the day, but you can't possibly be so intensely involved with everything each other does 24/7.
For example, if you currently spend 4 evenings a week together, you're not spending those 4 evenings editing, but you may spend the other 3 evenings of the week editing, while she is doing other things. Once you live together, you no longer have that time apart, but you are allowed to do separate things with your time.
So yes, set up an office, perhaps not the smallest room, then manage your time well. Assuming from what you've said that you have a day job, when you get home from that, spend an hour or so relaxing with the GF and having dinner, then spend 2-3hrs editing but don't do this every night. Be strict with your editing time. Edit without distractions for 3hrs 3 or 4 nights a week, but on the other nights, don't go in the office. Spend the time with your GF. She will appreciate this much more than you editing in the living room, not being fully "with" her and your editing taking longer.
Apart from anything, unless she is a computer nerd, she probably doesn't want a dual screen PC setup dominating your living room. Remember that you've got to compromise, bringing both your interior design tastes together.
But if she is a nerd, you could go down this route, creating his and hers reclining workstations: http://www.ikeahackers.net/2016/06/dahl-vader-home-theatre-gaming-workstation-boss-chair.html ;)
 
Take it from me , a space where you can get away from your partner for some of the time is pretty much an essential for succesful cohabitation ... no matter how much you love her, some 'man space' is pretty much an essential .. (and equally for her to have space /time while you are editing to do her own thing )... time apart makes the time together better

also its not practical to edit effectively while she's talking to you about unrelated stuff or watching TV etc as you'll either get distracted and the editing will suffer or you'll wind up agreeing to a new kitchen or whatever by saying "thats nice dear" without really comprehending what shes on about

The office is the way to go and although i'd agree that picking the second smallest bedroom might be a good idea, chances are high that your partner will want that as the 'guest room' (at least until you've got kids)

Another option is the garden office, which has the benefit of actually leaving the house when you 'go to work' and also not being distracted by hearing noise through the walls, floor etc
After 34 years of marriage I can tell you that this is correct. Ideally, buy a four-bedroom house so your GF can have her own space too.
 
We have a dedicated office in the house, plus I built a garden room as an office as my wife now works from home and has taken over the main office. You're allowed to go 2.4m high and 15sq m if less than a metre from the boundary line. We got ours from dunster house
https://dunsterhouse.co.uk/log-cabins, they do garden fixes only but we went for a log cabin. Fully insulated, double glazed,sitting on pads rather than a concrete base, amazingly warm in winter. It got turned into a teenage hangout with projector and screen across one wall, Xbox, PC, monitors on a desk, sofa bed. Now it has a large l shaped desk with a PC and monitors. It'll be reclaimed as am office when youngest leaves for uni in September.
Cheap way to add an extra room, ran power into it from the garage with its own consumer box, lots of sockets, led lights and heaters.
 
After 34 years of marriage I can tell you that this is correct. Ideally, buy a four-bedroom house so your GF can have her own space too.

Wife in one bedroom, GF in another? :p

I have my main computer and printer in a separate room (smallest bedroom) but rarely use it other than for editing for printing. Mrs Nod has her little workstation in the spare bedroom but doesn't need to use that much either. I usually browse/post etc. from a lappy or netbook and Mrs Nod uses her phone for most things other than creating/printing posters/flyers and invoices.
 
I currently split the work between an office (laptop plumbed into a big monitor) and the sofa (my lap!)- I tend to do the picking in the front room which works for me and enables me to be a little more social and then for the edit I am back in the office. I think for me when I need to be 100% working/focused on stuff I make sure I am.
 
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