For Alanna Rose, owner of Iron City Studios in Birmingham, Alabama, volume photography isn’t just about taking pictures—it’s about efficiency, consistency, and customer experience. “We started Iron City Studios because we kind of saw a gap in the industry here and thought that there needed to be a better way to do volume photography in the Birmingham area,” said Rose. “We started the company back in 2015, and today we service about 85,000 kids. We've got over 40 contracts, lots of high schools, all the way up through rec teams."
Their growth and reputation come from high-quality work, efficient processes, and great service, with tools like the LUMIX S5II and GotPhoto playing key roles in optimizing their volume photography workflow.
Why Iron City Studios Chose the LUMIX S5II
Previously using Nikon camera systems, Iron City Studios switch to LUMIX S5II and its volume photography firmware solution was driven by the need for advanced automation features to improve their workflow—from capture to delivery. “We chose the S5II particularly for the custom programming, having barcode scanning, and those photo grid lines,” explained Adam Jones, Sports Director at Iron City Studios. “It really helps smooth out our post-process, editing, and cropping. Before LUMIX, we had a very manual process—going in and making sure every photo was aligned correctly. The grid lines give us an in-camera guide, so we know exactly how the final image will look.”
For sports photography, consistency is key. “We pride ourselves on consistency, and the frame markers really help with that,” said Jones. “When photographing a team, we need every player’s pose, positioning, and even the placement of the ball to be identical. Before, we had to catch small details manually, but now we can adjust on the spot using the guides.”
Frame markers ensure consistency in sports photography, helping Iron City Studios photographers align poses, positioning, and ball placement for every player.
For school portraits, precise framing is essential to maintain consistency. In the past, misalignments such as off-center or tilted photos required additional corrections in post-production. With the S5II’s portrait guides, photographers can accurately position head and frame alignment during the shoot, reducing the need for adjustments afterward.
Another major advantage is the ability to save custom shooting presets, allowing for quick adjustments between different types of shooting sessions. Iron City Studios has configured custom modes for sports, school portraits, and senior sessions, ensuring a consistent look while eliminating the need for manual setting changes between shoots.
Iron City Studios' Sports Director Adam Jones frames his subject with the S5II.
Barcode Scanning & GotPhoto: Eliminating Sorting Errors
Before integrating barcode scanning, matching names to photos was one of the most tedious parts of volume photography. “In the past, we lost kids in the system—put them on the wrong team or in the wrong grade,” explained Jones. “Having a secondary way of sorting through barcode scanning takes a lot of burden off our shoulders and makes everything more accurate.”
The system integrates seamlessly with GotPhoto, automating the entire process from shoot to delivery. GotPhoto is a volume photography software company that provides an end-to-end solution for school and sports photographers, offering automated image sorting, online sales, and secure gallery management to streamline workflow and maximize efficiency.
Iron City Studios' system seamlessly integrates with GotPhoto, automating everything from image sorting to online sales for a streamlined workflow.
Before the shoot, student names are uploaded into GotPhoto, which generates a unique barcode for each individual. During the session, photographers scan the barcode into the LUMIX S5II, ensuring that each image is correctly linked to the right student. After the shoot, the photos are uploaded, and GotPhoto automatically sorts them based on the embedded data, eliminating the need for manual matching. The result is a fast, accurate, and highly efficient workflow that saves time and reduces errors.
“It’s probably the single biggest efficiency boost we’ve had,” said Trent Hutchins, Head Photographer at Iron City Studios. “Instead of spending hours sorting and double-checking, everything is matched instantly.”
Photographers scan barcodes into the LUMIX S5II, seamlessly linking each image to the correct student.
This system also enhances accuracy by eliminating human error, ensuring that each student’s photos are correctly assigned. Once a barcode is scanned, the image is automatically linked to the student’s private online gallery in GotPhoto, allowing parents to easily view and order prints without any confusion.
High-Quality Imaging & Real-Time Adjustments
Beyond workflow improvements, the LUMIX S5II’s image quality has made a noticeable impact. “The S5II is crisp,” revealed Jones. “That was my first impression when we got them. We do on-site color balancing, and the S5II’s customization options give us more flexibility than ever before.”
For portrait sessions, achieving consistent skin tones and exposure is crucial. “With the S5II’s advanced color settings, we can fine-tune everything in-camera, which means less work in post-production.”
The transition from Nikon to LUMIX required some learning, but the benefits outweighed the challenges. “We watched all the tutorial videos and worked through the differences between the systems,” explained Hutchins. “One adjustment was high-speed sync, which LUMIX calls Flash Pulse (FP) mode. But once we got used to it, it was a huge improvement.”
Another benefit of LUMIX S5II is its programmable function buttons, which speed up workflow during high-volume shoots. “I love the Return [Function] button—it lets me quickly reconnect the Opticon scanner, saving time. The custom buttons help lock down settings, so we don’t accidentally change exposure or shutter speed.”
“We used to spend hours sorting photos, manually cropping, and fixing mistakes,” says Rose. “Now, with LUMIX and GotPhoto, our workflow is faster, more accurate, and higher quality than ever before. It’s been a game changer.”
Iron City Studios Owner Alanna Rose
GotPhoto & LUMIX: A Seamless Integration
For Rose, integrating LUMIX S5II and GotPhoto has transformed the way Iron City Studios operates. “Moving to the S5II allowed us to load the names list into GotPhoto, generate barcodes, and embed that data into the photos. The crop marks in the S5II ensure consistent head sizing across all images. Once my pre-production team crops the photos using the in-camera guides, they upload them to GotPhoto, and it automatically sorts and generates private galleries for each student.”
This ensures privacy for parents and speeds up delivery. “Before, we had to do everything manually. Now, it just works. It has saved so much time for our pre-production team.”
For any high-volume photography studio, efficiency is everything—and saving time ultimately means saving money. With LUMIX S5II’s in-camera tools and GotPhoto’s automation, Iron City Studios isn’t just keeping up with the demands of volume photography—they’re helping to set a new industry standard. By minimizing time spent on sorting, cropping, and correcting errors, they have significantly streamlined operations, allowing them to shoot more and deliver faster without sacrificing quality. “We used to spend hours sorting photos, manually cropping, and fixing mistakes,” says Rose. “Now, with LUMIX and GotPhoto, our workflow is faster, more accurate, and higher quality than ever before. It’s been a game changer.”
For more information on Iron City Studios, visit their website https://www.ironcitystudios.com/.
For more information on the LUMIX Volume Photography Solution, click through here.
