Learn it at home before you go on location.
This may be the most “duh” post I’ll ever write, but it needs to be written, if not just to remind myself to STOP doing this. Too often, I’ve taken a new shiny piece of equipment on a shoot. It usually ends up with me looking like I have no idea what I’m doing. In front of a client, of course. I can laugh it off with them, but it simply doesn’t look professional. Continue reading Testing new equipment
Be prepared. Measure twice, cut once. You know the drill.
It doesn’t matter what the gig is… you should always prep as much as possible. The last time this really paid off for me, I was having a family over for portraits of their kids. Their young, rambunctious kids. Who never sit still. They’re a lot of fun to play with, but I hadn’t tried to photograph them both at this age yet. Hours before they came over, I set the scene, set up the lights, tested everything, tried a few different angles, and was seriously ready. The pups, of course, were my test subjects, as you can see.
As soon as they came in, the boys were completely distracted by being in a new place. While they were taking in all the details, they were responsive enough that we fired off a bunch of pictures of each of them. As they got more accustomed to their new environment, they became much less pliable. Without my preparation, I couldn’t have gotten anything usable without a lot more effort.
For once, I learned from a success rather than a failure! Woo-hoo!
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55 E. Blake Ave.
Columbus, OH 43202
Attached parking lot, free street parking
Hours
Mon-Fri: 9 am – 6 pm
Sat: 10 am – 3 pm
Sun: Closed
Continue reading Columbus Camera Group
Borrowing (and breaking) equipment. oops.
I borrowed a backpack. And a big lens. I hadn’t really used either before. No big deal, right?
What I learned about the bag: if a big lens is in the main compartment, there are three separate zippered doors from which it can be accessed. Handy! Downside: that’s three separate doors out of which a lens can fall. And now, I make sure everything is zipped up before I move anything. Period.
What I learned about the lens: a UV filter can indeed work to protect the lens when it pitches element-first onto a concrete floor. Even though the lens cap was on, the UV filter shattered. The front element of the lens was fine, thank goodness!
What I reinforced about borrowing gear: be upfront about what happens to any gear you borrow, and assure the owner that you’ll pay to replace, repair, or have checked out anything that needs it.
