10MPlayer Loc: California

I use the date-filename format. When I'm done processing a particular image I want to keep I export it to jpeg format in a folder called "jpegs". There's an option in the export dialog to create a folder and keep it in the original folder. So, for example, I have a folder called 2017-07-16 with a folder inside it called jpegs. 2017-07-17/jpegs. All my processed photos are in the jpegs folder. In LR, I go in and change the name to something appropriate to help me find it later like 2017-07-16 Yosemite. I also tag the photos with something like 'family' or 'travel' or 'vacation' so I can create collections later. Lightroom has endless opportunities to catalogue your images any way you wish. The key is to be consistent with how you do it, of course.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

I believe that it is good practice to reformat flash memory periodically...maybe not every time, but certainly occasionally. Flash memory has a limited life span, and although it is lots better now than it was just a few years ago, it is not forever. And the failure mode is usually silent. Individual bits or small groups of bits just quit working. This can be a real problem, and a bigger problem for files that are compressed, whether JPEG or RAW, because the errors can get really magnified by the compression algorithms. Formatting discovers and maps around these bad areas, marking them as unusable. So periodically reformatting flash memory is a good practice, especially as the media gets older. Of course, the formatting process writes to the memory, contributing to a little more use, but life is full of tradeoffs. It just depends on how tolerant you are to having sudden errors appear on your memory devices.

LP

amfoto1 Loc: San Jose, Calif. USA

I do not use a D5500, but most cameras allow you to choose whether the file numbering system resets every time you insert a fresh card, or keeps a continuous, running sequence regardless of what card is used (usually up to some fairly large number such as 9999). Some even let you reset it manually and/or use alpha-numeric combinations that virtually guarantee no duplication could ever occur.

I create a YYYY_MM_DD folder for every day's shoot (sometimes only a few, other times many thousands of images in a day... I shot around 2000 this morning).

Sometimes I append a keyword or two to that YYYY_MM_DD folder, just to quickly remind me what it contains.

Inside that folder I make at least one sub-folder for my RAW files (YYYY_MM_DD_RAW)

Once all my RAW are copied into the RAW folder, I import them into Lightroom. One of the first things I do is sort the images (by time taken), then use Lightroom to rename them YYYY_MM_DD_xxxx, where the last four digits are a simple numerical sequence managed and applied by Lightroom (this gives me everything from 0001 up to 9999 on any given day.... though I hope I never shoot that many because it would mean a whole lot of editing!)

Within each day's folder I also often create other sub-folders for finished JPEGs (or other files types), work in progress, sets of lower resolution/watermarked proof files for clients, thumbnails (if needed), digital copies of model releases or other documents related to the day's work, etc. Sometimes I create several different products from an original RAW file.... each requiring their own conversion file, which I often append with brief info to help distinguish them from each other... for example, I might have YYYY_MM_DD_1234.CR2 (Canon's RAW file designation... I think your Nikon's would be *.NEF). In addition I may end up with YYYY_MM_DD_1235.jpg, YYYY_MM_DD_1234_8x10.jpg, YYYY_MM_DD_1234_download.jpg, YYYY_MM_DD_1234_CMYK.tiff or a number of other possibilities.

That's what works for me. I've got over 30 years worth of photos organized that way now. I create a separate Lightroom catalog for each calendar year and usually shoot 30,000 to 50,000 images a year.

Basil Loc: New Mexico

I really like the flexibility LR has for naming and organizing files. I change the name on import to: (First Initial)(Last Name)_yyyy_mm_dd_(sequence number). The sequence number is not tied to the camera file number and I start over each year with 0001, so each year's pictures are numbered with a sequential number from 0001 to XXXX. They are stored in folders by year (2001, 2002, etc then in subfolders for each day, e.g., 2014-07-28. I use Keywords to designate them by event, people, location, subject, etc.

cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

I have _DIX set-up on the Nikon D800e as a prefix and let the camera number the images sequentially from zero with no limit other than the camera's ability to create the sequential numbers. All images taken and kept are uploaded to my Mac in the Photos program and backed up to an external hard drive. When I select images for editing from Photos, I create a new ID consisting of the date YRMODAY the image was made followed by a short cryptic name such as "170718doedeer" for an image of a female deer taken on July 18th, 2017. These are saved separately in Photos and in a separate file "processed images" which is also backed up externally. This works for me with little confusion since Photos saves everything in a date sequential method.

brucewells Loc: Central Kentucky

In the event my PC dies during (or right after) an import, I'd like to know those images are still safely on the card. Software can be configured to erase the card after import, but I opt out of that. As soon as all images are imported to the PC, I perform a backup of my images. At that point, I have three copies of them. This evening, another automatic backup occurs, and the images will then be in four locations.

The card goes back in my camera with all the images from the last shoot still on it. When I go for the next shoot, the first thing I do after getting the camera in my hand is format the card. That does two things . . . it empties the card for the shots I'm about to take, but more importantly it lets me know the camera is 'talking' to the card and the card is responding.

GoofyNewfie Loc: Kansas City

Sounds like a good plan.