I always shoot RAW files with a Canon 5D, then import from camera using Canons own Image Capture, because it is simple and easy to choose exactly what you want to import, RAW files get imported to -
Photography>Work>Client Name>
Raw Files
Image Capture -
From there I open CS3 Bridge, and go through the shoot, deleting any unwanted images, and selecting the ones I want to edit further. After I have selected what I want, I open them in Camera RAW which is built into Photoshop, here I make minor adjustments to the RAW files which then get processed into Tiff files that go here -
Photography>Work>Client Name>
Original Tiff
CS3 Bridge -
Next I take files into Photoshop for Global and Local editing, and if necessary I'll save a layered version as well as a finished, flattened and sharpened version into -
Photography>Work>Client Name>Finished>
Large Tiff
Most of my work is for the web so I also use "Save for Web" in photoshop to save a Jpeg version of the finished files which end up here -
Photography>Work>Client Name>Finished>
100k Web
This may all seem irrelevant, but its very important to have a well organized work flow if you shoot RAW files, as you will end up with anywhere from 4 to 8 different versions of each file, it also pays to have lots of external storage!
iPhoto is a very, very basic photo viewing program that does everything in the background, which teaches you bad habits and can end up in a shambles. Its better off you start early and start organizing your files how you want them. Everyone shoots photos for different reasons, so my workflow may not necessarily apply to the next person, but its crucial to get a well thought out folder structure in place early on. You may remember where you have that photo of the cat you took last week, but in a year's time when he rolls over and dies, where's that photo now?
To simply view files I use iView Media Pro, and because I have an easy to follow folder structure, its easy to create catalogues in iView for different clients or my personal shoots. Catalogues are simply just sets of images that you determine, and once in iView you can scroll through catalogues very easy and change/create new catalogues easily. Similar to iPhoto, but much more advanced, and according to most, one of the fastest image viewers available, which is crucial when some folders may contain 10-20 images that are over 200mb each.
iview Media Pro -
Anyway, I hope I made sense and that you can see how important it is to be in control of your image files and also have a personalized way of sorting them.