Building The Ultimate Photo Editing Workstation

Building a solid workstation is critical to photographers and retouchers. We find ourselves sitting at the desk for 7-10 hours a day to meet deadlines. If you dread going to your editing station, it can make post-processing a chore that you don’t look forward to, which means delayed deadlines and unhappy clients.

I made up my mind to build the dream station where I look forward to spending hours on end sitting at. In the above video I showcase my workstation, but here are a few things that are often overlooked and worth emphasizing.

A good chair would be at the top of that list. Invest in a chair that will keep you away from the doctor 10 years down the line. Saving one visit to the doctor pays for a top quality chair.

Another would be a good sound system. I have yet to come across a photographer who doesn’t work better with music. If you’re looking for a good playlist, you can find one I made called Chillstep, Chillout & Remixes. The right music on a good sound system will put me in the mood to work at double the speed.

The last tip I’d give is to keep your drawing tablet at the right height—a height that doesn’t put any stress on your wrist. The best place I’ve found for my Wacom Intous Pro is the keyboard drawer. I have since upgraded to a Mobile Studio Pro that is on a fully adjustable mount, but its total overkill.

I hope this inspires you to go out and build a workstation that makes you proud and look forward to sitting down and editing.

Credits: Dani Diamond is a NYC/CT-based fashion and portrait photographer. You can follow him on Instagram where he shares behind the scenes, raw files and other helpful content!