I’m getting ready for tomorrow’s 40 mile jaunt across the Peak District to Sheffield’s Meadowhall shopping Centre for Infiniti Cars.
First and foremost: check the equipment! Batteries for camera and flashgun charged, memory cards formatted, spares for each, clean lenses, check camera settings such as white balance and ISO. Why? My last shoot was in a studio and I don’t want to shoot in a shopping centre with my camera locked down at 100 ISO, 125th at f8. Change it when you arrive then? Yes I can but sometimes when you turn up at a venue a shooting opportunity presents itself immediately and I won’t get the time to change the settings or I’ll shoot and get a horribly exposed shot. Ok, how will you start? Keeping it simple: 24-105L lens, AV mode, Auto ISO, Centre point focusing, flashgun set to bounce. That combination should cover most eventualities for a grab shot, should I need it. Once settled in I can change my camera settings for the environment in which I’m shooting.
Secondly: read and understand the client brief! Remember the photos I’m shooting are for my client, not for myself, so pay attention to the details. People deep in conversation, external and internal car shots, people inside cars, shots that include Infiniti branding, the event staff engaging the public, people’s expressions and reactions to what is around them.
Lastly: don’t let anything spoil the shooting experience! Making myself known to Meadowhall staff and confirming my permission to shoot, checking if model release forms are required, particularly if photographing children, creating a rapport with event staff so they co-operate when being photographed, making sure I have backup equipment in case of failure, and of course to have fun on the day!
Pretty standard stuff really…
