Rush jobs

Last Wednesday, I was approached by a client who requested that I photograph a special event the next afternoon.  It turned out to be a lesson in putting together a rush job and in cultural sensitivity.

The special event was her grandson’s B’rit Milah, commonly known as a Bris.  (That link isn’t for the squeamish, by the way.)  This is the ritual circumcision done to all Jewish boys on the eighth day of their lives, and it’s a very important religious occasion.

I did a little reading to learn about the event, then spoke with the grandmother about what exactly she wanted to have photographed.  (Mostly, she wanted photos at the seudat mitzvah – the celebratory dinner – afterward.)  As a returning client who has hired me on many previous occasions, I didn’t go over fees and costs; usually, I insist on going over that right away. 

24 hours isn’t a lot of time to prepare for a shoot – especially a shoot at an uncertain location.  There are things I do before every photo shoot, however, and knowing this helped me to get ready without getting too panicked by the short notice:

1. Format all memory cards.  Simple enough, but very important, because you may need every bit of space available on your memory card.  Halfway through an event is not the time to be rushing through your images deleting pictures from the camera menu to make room for new ones.
2. Grabbing my backup camera.  At a photo shoot – particularly a shoot of a religious event fraught with meaning and emotion, and not easily replicated – I try to have a backup camera ready.  If my main camera fails to work for some reason, the backup (which uses the same lenses and accessories) is at the ready.
3. Sorting my camera bag.  When you’re busy at an event, you need to know where everything is, and be able to grab it quickly.  Going through my bag lets me sort out what I need and what I don’t, lightens my load, and I’m certain I have the important things on hand.
4. Resetting my camera settings.  I always try to set my camera to the same basic setup before I put it away.  In my case, it’s set to ISO 100, Program Mode, with white balance set to 5500°.  Having my “default” settings always handy is very helpful in taking that first photo.

By always doing the items above prior to an event(for less important events, I omit step 2), getting ready for a rush job is less stressful and more routine. 

The photo shoot, by the way, was a success.  I always prefer to have more notice before a photo shoot, but it’s comforting to know that I can do a good job with less than 24 hours notice.