When you go out to get a photograph, there are two ways you can set out. Prepared and unprepared. When I was in Basic Combat Training (Basic for short) I heard all about the “7Ps.” At the time, I thought it was just my instructors being, well – you know….difficult :)
But it turned out, they were trying to (and did) save my life.
As a photographer, my circumstances aren’t quite so dire. If I fail, it just means I missed a good photo. But I hate to fail. So, I prepare.
How about you? Do you prepare or just rely on luck.
Here are a few tips for Prior Proper Preparation that Prevents Piss Poor Performance…
a. Check and double check your gear. Are your batteries charged? Are your memory cards formatted? Do you even have your memory cards with you? Do you have a memory card in the camera – ready to shoot? How about your sensor? Is it clean? Also make sure to be familiar with your camera. Bring the manual.
b. Make a packing list. One of the worst things you can do on a photo field trip is get to your pristine, beautiful location, only to find out you forgot ______ (fill in the blank.) I like to keep a list for each type of trip I am likely to take. For instance, if I am going out into nature to photograph birds, I check my bird list. If I am going into the studio to photograph a model, I check my model list. In any event, I check the list just like a pilot does. I check it – and then my assistant checks it – to make sure we leave nothing behind.
c. Know your subject. If you’re about to photograph people, places or things that you know nothing about, you might find yourself unlikely to succeed. Study your subject. If it’s a person, try to meet them first and learn something about them. If it’s a place, try to research the local hot spots. Look at maps, and check Flickr for shots of the area taken by other photographers.
d. Meet the elements. Check the weather forecast for the area you’ll visit. Be sure to have layers of clothing so you can adjust to warming and cooling temps. Make sure to have a first aide kit with you. When traveling in backcountry areas, bring along a survival guide and remote communications gear in case you are lost.
There are lots of other things you can do to prepare for any photo shoot. These are just a few idea starters. Feel free to share others in the comments section.
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This post sponsored by the Digital SLR Store
I completely agree Scott. Last night I forgot my memory card was in my laptop card reader, but I had the camera out and ready. Lucky, I had my laptop with me, so it wasn’t a big deal. There have been other times where I forgot spare batteries. Very good suggestions.
For most assignments, or even simple shooting trips, I’d add “know what you want to photograph”. Draw/Sketch (at least in your mind) the 2-3 shots you absolutely want to take. It’s especially true if you’re out to photograph someone, as improvising instructions to a model or client will make you look unprepared and unprofessional. It doesn’t mean you CAN’T improvise or find the best angle on site, just that you should be able to get started on to the 2-3 first pics without having to “invent” them on the spot.
I have always heard this as Prior PERFECT PRACTICE Prevents Piss Poor Performance. Perfect, because if you practice something the wrong way you are going to perform like that when it comes time. And Practice – because practice means to continually do something over and over and over.
I think in this case the sayings are slightly different, but both apply.
This was illustrated in a most exquisite photography FAIL of mine at my fiancee’s MBA graduation.
Accomplished Checklist:
– Camera battery fully charged
– Flash batteries fully charged
– Perfect framing, focus and light settings from where I was sitting.
Things that should have been added:
– Knowing she would be graduating from the management college instead of the business college like I’d assumed. 10 seconds of research in the graduation pamphlet would have told me this.
– Paying attention when the correct college for her graduation was called to the stage so that I would have noticed she was the second person in line, and not in alphabetical order.
– Leaving the flash and camera ON so I could wake it from sleep mode and get the shot, instead of fumbling through “OMG WHY WONT ANYTHING WORK?!”
– Zooming out first (70-300mm lens) so I could find her quickly on stage and zoom in to quickly frame, instead of trying to find her with a super-zoomed-in 1-person-at-a-time frame.
So yeah, lack of proper prior preparation resulted in piss poor performance. I missed the shot which would have looked great framed next to her diploma. For me, heartbreaking; for her (luckily) a funny story of what a camera geek I am.
And to think, before all of this I was kicking myself for not bringing my 70-200 because I thought I’d need the extra reach of the crap 70-300. Everyone’s said it a million times, the best gear int he world doesn’t matter when you miss the shot.
Lesson – learned!
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If you’re going indoors, check what type of lighting you will need and what settings will work best for that situation. It often helps to take some test shots before the action starts, if you’re photographing an event.
Good post here Scott – I guess it’s the military mentality, but I’ve always been a proponent of checklists too, I have routines, rituals and checklists for pretty much everything from preparation, cleaning gear, and work flow transitioning (card to computer to archive). Here’s a couple posts that may also be of interest:
http://www.canonblogger.com/2008/08/22/photowalk-checklists/
http://www.canonblogger.com/2008/06/13/rituals-cleaning-your-gear/
http://www.canonblogger.com/2009/01/23/the-meat-is-in-the-maintenance/
:) Goes for nearly anything. “Make your own luck”. Anyway, even though I have read the manual and am fairly familiar with my camera body, I like to keep a manual handy for reference. I have an iPhone, so I like to keep a pdf version of the camera manual on that just in case I need to refer to it.
Packed in about four miles and forgot…..the camera. Yes, I took it out briefly to repack. Duh! It was still on the floor of the truck when I got back. Fun hike anyway. That will never happen again.
Scott,
Excellent post as usual. Any chance you would post your checklists? I would love to see the different equipment you take for different types of shoots. I’d also like to see if I could tweak the lists I use currently. Always appreciate your good advice.
SECONDED. And might I add, if you’re shooting in poor indoor lighting conditions, don’t be too quick to blame poor photos on the light. If something looks wrong after those test shots, leave enough time (and make sure you remember!) to check all your settings. This is a problem I’ve had with digital, where ISO is hidden in a menu somewhere and can be changed mid-shoot…sounds stupid, but I’ve forgotten to check this before and wondered why I just couldn’t get rid of that grain. Thank goodness for Camera Raw.
I have a little tripod I carry to such occasions, just in case, but it’s also good to scope out some objects in your environment you could use to steady the camera if using flash isn’t an option.
If 7Ps is just too many, you can cut it down to five.
Poor planning precludes poor performance.
A coach said that too me one time and I have used it to bug my friends ever since.
But it reads sexier as 7Ps!
Rented a Mamiya 6X7 for a trip to SFO and loaded all 6 rolls of film wrong side out.
I feel your pain. I would bother me to miss a shot too, but likewise my wife would just laugh at being a camera geek.
There are so many things to keep track of all the time when out shooting. I guess it will only get easier in time and after taking thousands more shots in a variety of situations.
Living in Tokyo and having to be mobile all the time without a car, I really have to think carefully what I bring with me and what I don’t, as everything has to be carried all day. Can’t just leave some stuff in the car and go and get it when needed.
I’d also be interested in seeing Scott’s checklists.
Great Post Scott,
Before going shooting I always check my WIFE:
White Ballance. (Back to Auto)
Iso. (Back to 64 / 100)
Focus. (Back to Auto / Multi, Single.)
Exposure. (Metering mode – Back to Multi, / Exposure Compensation – back to middle, Flash Compensation, back to middle).
Cheers, Rob.
Shouldn’t it be ‘Proper’ Planning precludes poor performance, or Poor planning precludes ‘good’ performance. Maybe poor planning precedes poor performance. Anyway, my military training echoes Scott’s recommendations and we used to say if you have time to conduct nothing else, that you rehearse actions on the objective. Basically this means, that actually practice what you plan to do, prior to getting there. I have found that prior to a photo shoot or opportunity, practice using your camera, zooming, setting ISO/aperture/shutter speed and changing memory cards. Think about angles that you want to capture and figure how your subject will react to the camera.
I spent several years working overseas in various areas and many of my opportunities for photos occurred while travelling quickly in vehicles with bullet-proof glass. It took some practice, but prior to getting into the vehicle, I made sure that my settings were on shutter priority, I had an empty card, and full batteries. I figured out the areas where we had to slow down enough to get steadier shots and took opportunities to use those.
Again, proper preparation creates opportunities for you to capitalise on when on-location.
Sorry, forgot to add the link to an example on Flickr.
I started shooting Northern Lights with my polarizer on….ugh. Missed some shots and time before I realized it.
Oh, I did that once, leave the card in the reader! Ouch it sucks. So here’s my two tips which would cover most people, unless you have 50 bags and are very specific about each kind of shooting…
Anyway, keep all your photo stuff in one are and ALWAYS have it together. When your done uploading photos but the card reader in the bag and the card in the camera. If your battery is dead 2 weeks before an assignment charge it then, and put it back. Even if it loses a little power, you don’t want to run out while it’s plugged into the wall. Keep your gear together and ready!
Couple other things: Backup right away so you’re not afraid to format the card. Have multiple cards so there’s always one in the camera. Hopefully it won’t be full, but it will at least reduce the chances of problems. It’s just like the tip to reset your specific camera settings at the end of a shoot. Exposure comp and white balance won’t do you good the next time!!!
Get a 12 volt car DC power converter. They’re less than $30 and you can plug anything into them. If you forget to charge a battery it makes a good fail safe. Besides powering / charging any number of gadgets is useful and it’s MUCH MUCH cheaper than specific car adapters for laptops or cameras. The same goes with both USB 12v adapters and USB power plugs like the iPhone’s. Ok, I’m a nut and go through lots of power…. :) But my devices rarely aren’t charged!