I´m Chrissy Donadi, ask me anything

[Chrissy_Donadi]

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Hi everyone! I’m Chrissy Donadi—a nature photographer, educator, and someone who’s often described (accurately, I think) as a coordinator of chaos—especially when it comes to organizing Lightroom catalogs and raising two young kids.

Like many, my obsession with landscape photography started through travel. I spent years chasing grand views and faraway places with no real strings attached. But as life shifted—trading planes and passport stamps for playgrounds and snack times—my photography evolved too. I still often photograph solo, but most of my scouting these days is with kids in tow. Watching them discover the natural world has helped me see it with fresh eyes—finding magic in the tiniest details, fleeting light, and seasonal change.

For the moment, I’m based in Northern Virginia, though I’ll always consider the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania home. Consistently showing up to photograph my backyard, local trails, parks, and what some might consider “ordinary” places has taught me to slow down, follow the light, and notice how a familiar scene transforms throughout the seasons and the years. While I still love to travel when I can, that steady practice close to home has pushed me to grow in ways I didn’t expect—revealing lessons I might have otherwise overlooked.

It’s also what inspired me to deepen my understanding of the natural world. I’ve completed one Master Naturalist program and am now working through my second, focused on the ecology of my new region in Appalachia. That knowledge has completely changed how I approach photography—helping me understand the relationships within ecosystems and how to better position myself to find incredible moments in nature, especially when I don’t have the luxury of heading out to explore every single day.

In addition to my personal projects, I also work with commercial clients and teach photographers how to better organize their thousands of images in Lightroom. While I won’t be able to tackle individual troubleshooting here, I’m always happy to talk about catalog organization strategies, building creative habits at home, or balancing photography with life’s many demands.

Looking forward to connecting with you—ask me anything!

Website: https://chrissydonadi.com

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[Mark_Seaver]

Hi Crissy, I spend 2/3 rds of the year across the Potomac from you in MD. I totally agree what “seeing nature” through the eyes of young children is very enlightening. Did you do anything special in making your firefly photo? Given how wet this year has been and how many fireflies are around, it’s an idea that I’ve been thinking about trying, so any advice will be helpful.

Thanks,
Mark

[John_Barclay]

Hello Crissy, If you had to pick your favorite photographer with the name of either Cole or John which would it be? HA!

[robin3 (Robin Watson)]

Hi Chrissy. I completed your “Let’s Get Organized” course and have started my journey on flagging, starring, and keywording on LrC. I’m currently working off a desktop at home and a laptop when I travel. I’m still very much a noob! Is there a way to work off one instance of LrC so that I can continue editing a file on my PC that I started on my laptop, while having all the same LR settings? Having the same keywords seems to be my biggest current challenge, but I know I can import the KW list from one device to another (following instructions from your course). Thanks!

[Chrissy_Donadi]

Hey Mark—I’m going to start waving to you when I’m at the falls now! And one day, I will make it over to that side, but gosh, it takes so long to get across the river with the traffic.

I’ve been photographing their glow for about eight years now. It’s one of my favorite summer rituals, and it still feels like magic every time. First, I think it’s important to know that you should only use a red light when photographing them, not to interfere with their mating process.

Here’s how I typically approach it:

Scouting is key. I look for areas where fireflies are active in high numbers (a bit of hiking or local tips can help here). It’s especially helpful if the spot has a good composition that includes some natural framing, like trees, a trail, or an open meadow.

I arrive during blue hour, or even earlier, to dial in my composition and take a base image before the fireflies emerge. This clean shot gives me the best sharpness and color, and a faster shutter to freeze any leaves. Then, I leave the camera on the tripod and it’s time to wait, usually 1-2 hours until the darkness sets in and the fireflies become active.

Once the fireflies begin their dance, I start capturing their movement. This is when I switch settings to time lapse and want to collect a series of long exposure images (typically 15–20 seconds at a higher ISO). Depending on how active they are, I’ll gather anywhere from 20 to 60 frames. The goal of these images is a mostly black frame that only captures the glow and trails of the fireflies. Later, I stack the images in Photoshop to combine the flashes and build the final image.

Also, different species are present (some flash early, others later) at different times throughout the night, so typically, I keep the camera rolling longer to capture their distinct rhythms and then blend them creatively in post.

If you want more details on the full process, I documented the whole thing from start to finish here:

How to Photograph FireFlies and Lightning Bugs

Let me know if you give it a try—I’d love to hear how it goes!

[Chrissy_Donadi]

Hey John! I’m so sorry that your question was cut off and you didn’t get to finish adding “and why is it John?”

[beth_young]

Hi Chrissy, how do you feel your training as a master naturalist has impacted your nature photography? As a result of this training, do you seek out new locations or subjects and do you find your observation skills have improved as a result? Thanks!

[Chrissy_Donadi]

Hey Robin! Congrats on diving into flagging, starring, and keywording! It’s a big effort but pays off in huge dividends once your system is up and running.

The simplest way to keep everything consistent between your desktop and laptop is to store both your Lightroom Classic catalog (the .lrcat file and its helper files) and your image files on the same external hard drive. That way, you’re always working off the same Lightroom catalog no matter which computer you’re using. Just make sure the external hard drive is an SSD (they’re much better for travel) and large enough to accommodate your growing image library.

When you plug that external drive into either computer, you’ll be opening the same Lightroom Classic catalog with all your keywords, edits, and settings already in place, no syncing or transferring needed. It keeps your workflow seamless and avoids version conflicts.

That’s exactly what I’d do if I were in your shoes. Hope that helps, but let me know if you need more direction. Happy organizing!

[David_Hunter]

Hi Chrissy, I love your organization course and still need to work through finishing it. A question I had is about backups and also old catalogues that are still on my computer. Over the years I’ve updated and renamed things so I imagine I can delete the old catalogues and LR backups (I do backup the whole computer monthly, which backups up all my images) just not sure what I should be keeping from the Lightroom files and of course I don’t want to mess anything up.

[Larry_Greenbaum]

Hi Chrissy, I enjoyed your article in NPN’s nature Vision Magazine - a nice introduction. Your forest and water images resonate with me. Thanks. Larry

[ken9 (Ken Wickham)]

Hi Chrissy - I have a Lightroom question that after I use the develop module then finish editing in Photoshop and saving as tiff when I go back to the same Lightroom catalog I get a message the file is not found. And not every file only occasionally and usually the one’s I want to work on again. Any suggestions ? Thanks - Ken

[Chrissy_Donadi]

Beth! Great question! Becoming a Master Naturalist has completely sharpened my observation skills, especially when it comes to recognizing subtle seasonal cues and knowing what they might mean. I now look at a landscape beyond just the visual elements. I’m paying attention to bloom cycles, tree species, insect behavior, animal tracks, even the shape of the forest floor. All of that deepens not just how I see, but when I show up with my camera. And that timing is everything, especially now that try to be home as much as possible with two little ones at home.

Because of that, I get “lucky” far more often. Whether it’s stumbling onto a patch of ephemeral wildflowers or stepping into a perfectly intact cove hardwood forest scene, I find myself in the right place at the right time more frequently these days.

Additionally, it’s expanded my creative curiosity. I’ve started photographing things I never thought I’d be drawn to. Last month alone, I was in creeks and under logs at night photographing turtles, salamanders, snakes, and frogs during a herpetology intensive. Sometimes it’s just a new obsession. Other times, it leads to unexpected opportunities, like when a commercial client asks if I have any fun, kid-friendly wildlife images for a nature center (cue up those herp images with the normal deer, bears, raccoons, and foxes).

So 100% it’s changed what I notice, what I pursue, where I want to go, and how I tell stories with my camera. But I think everything we do in all aspects of our lives works its way into our photography, right?

[Chrissy_Donadi]

Hi David, thank you for the kind words! I’m so glad the course has been helpful!

Yes, assuming you’re using one main catalog for your images (which I recommend), there’s no need to keep every single old catalog backup. These backups don’t affect your photos themselves, just your ability to recover an older version of your Lightroom structure and edits if needed.

Here’s how I manage mine:

Set your backup frequency: In your Catalog Settings, I recommend changing the option to “Every time Lightroom exits.” That way, you can consciously choose when to create a backup, like after a big import or an long editing session. Your monthly full-system backup works well too, so no need to follow my system exactly. The goal is to find the best system that works for you.

Clean Your Catalog: When Lightroom prompts you to back up your catalog, always check “Test integrity before backing up” and “Optimize catalog after backing up.” These help prevent issues and improve performance to ensure your catalog stays healthy and running smoothly.

Store catalog backups on a separate drive: Make sure your Lightroom catalog backups are being saved to a different drive than your main catalog. That way, you’re protected if one drive fails.

Keep it tidy: There’s no need to keep hundreds of backups. I usually keep the most recent 3–5, especially if Lightroom recently upgraded and renamed my catalog. I always hang on to the backup from just before a major Lightroom update, just in case something goes sideways. That gives me a solid safety net without cluttering up my hard drive.

Verify your backups: Every once in a while, I open an older backup catalog to make sure it actually works. It’s a quick check but gives me peace of mind that my safety net is doing its job.

Hope that helps—and hopefully frees up some storage space too!
(one day I’m going to be able to write a simple - “yes, you can” as a reply )

[Chrissy_Donadi]

Nice to meet you @Larry_Greenbaum! Thank you so much for taking the time to share that. That article was probably the closest I’ve come to putting into words why photography is such an integral part of my life. It really means a lot that it resonated with you, and that the photos did too. I’m grateful you took the time to read it. All my best to you!

[Chrissy_Donadi]

Hi @ken9 ,
This is such a common and frustrating issue, so you’re definitely not alone! When Lightroom shows a “file not found” message after editing in Photoshop, it usually comes down to one of a few key hiccups in the workflow. At the risk of opening a can of worms , here are the most likely culprits based on what you shared:

1. Saving Location Mismatch
When you finish in Photoshop, if you’re using Ctrl+Shift+S (Save As), it may be changing the file’s location or filename—causing Lightroom to lose track of it. If that’s the case, take a look at the External Editor settings in #2 below and make sure they’re aligned.

2. External Editor Settings
Lightroom’s External Editor preferences might be pointing to a different location than your RAW files, which can break the link. To check or update this, go to Lightroom > Preferences > External Editing. These are the settings I recommend for TIFF workflows:

• Format: TIFF
• Color Space: ProPhoto RGB
• Bit Depth: 16-bit
• Stack with Original: (I recommend checking this so the edited file stays grouped with the RAW)

I also put together a walkthrough and short video that covers the Lightroom-to-Photoshop workflow in more detail. (Just substitute TIFF for PSD in the example.)
How to Send a Photo from Lightroom to Photoshop and Back

When you’re ready to edit in Photoshop, always right-click the image in Lightroom and choose Edit In > Adobe Photoshop. After editing, simply choose File > Save—not Save As—and close the file. That ensures Photoshop saves it where Lightroom expects it, keeping everything linked properly.

3. File Naming Conflicts
If a file with the same name already exists, Lightroom may append something like “-Edit” to the filename. That small change can sometimes disrupt how the catalog tracks the file.

---

For your missing files right now:

• Find the image with the “?” icon in your Lightroom catalog
• Right-click on it and choose Locate Missing Photo
• Navigate to where the TIFF is actually saved and relink it
• Once you reconnect one file, Lightroom will often auto-locate others in that same folder

Fingers crossed this clears things up! But if I’m missing a puzzle piece here, feel free to let me know.

[ken9 (Ken Wickham)]

Thanks Chrissy - I figured there was a disconnect in my processing routine

[MadeleineGallagher (Madeleine N Gallagher)]

Hi Chrissy, I’ve watched many of your LrC videos! My favorite is the one on color. So helpful! My question is related to the one above on deleting old LrC backups. Can you share exactly which files to delete and where in LrC you go to do this job? Thank you so much!

Madeleine Gallagher

[Chrissy_Donadi]

We all experience a disconnect at some point - hopefully, it’s solved for you now to have a seamless experience. Hope all is well!

[Chrissy_Donadi]

Hey @MadeleineGallagher, so glad you found the videos helpful and that’s a great question! Adobe actually added a helpful update earlier this year that makes managing backups a lot easier! Here’s how to find it:

1. Open your Catalog Settings from the top menu bar:

• (Mac) Lightroom Classic > Catalog Settings
• (Windows) Edit > Catalog Settings

2. You’ll see four tabs: General, Previews, Metadata, and Backups. The Backups tab is new, so many may not realize it is even there.

• The General tab shows where your main and active Lightroom catalog is stored (assuming you are working with one main Lightroom catalog and not multiples), with a Show button to open that folder. You’ll also see helpful details like the catalog size and last optimized date.
• The Backups tab is where you can now view and manage your catalog backups. If you don’t see it, make sure you’ve updated to the latest version of Lightroom Classic. This tab shows:
  • The location where your backups are stored
  • A date-sorted list of existing backups
  • How often Lightroom creates backups
  • Options to Show, Delete, or Remove backups directly from LightroomIf a backup is stored on an external drive that’s not currently connected, it will show an asterisk (*) to indicate it’s offline.

3. Lightroom doesn’t delete old backups automatically, so it’s up to us to clean them out. I typically keep the most recent few (plus one from before a big update), and remove the rest to save space.

Hope that helps!

[Amy_Aiken]

Hi Chrissy,

Thank you for doing this AMA! I will start by saying that I love your newsletters and always find them informative and interesting, so thank you!

I wonder if you would be willing to share a little about the business side of your photography? What has been the most successful aspect of it (however you want to define that)? And/or what is one thing that you tried and it didn’t work?