Just when you think you are an accomplished photographer able to meet any demand, you suddenly find yourself wondering what could have gone wrong with your most recent shoot. Maybe you purchased a new piece of photo equipment and it had a surprise or two up its sleeve for you! Or maybe the lighting conditions were atrocious and left you totally bewildered.
These things happen to all of us. Believe me, humility goes a long way in photography and it does a photographer good not to get over confident. Adaptability and a yearning to keep learning is the name of the game.
There are a couple tips worth mentioning to help avoid a major catastrophe. First, check your camera before you leave for a shoot. It may be stating the obvious, but be sure your batteries are charged and the memory card is formatted. Also be sure to check the menu settings to be sure they are exactly where you want them. While this is blatantly obvious, all it takes is forgetting to do this one time and you’ll be sure to never forget this again.
A second tip is practice before the big day. Practicing a technique before applying it is imperative. It is much easier to experiment on your own instead of in front of your client. Use a stuffed animal and attempt to replicate similar lighting conditions. Take your time and practice, practice, practice. Go over each and every detail. Take notes, too. This will be time well spent and will perhaps save you some bad surprises later.
One final tip is evaluate your photos as you go. In other words, take a peek at your photos now and then during the shoot. This is the beauty of digital photography. You can see if what you are doing is working or not. And if it’s not, then you can make the necessary corrections.
The photography learning curve can be steep at times. The effort to keep learning is definitely worth it. So, keep learning; curves and all!