As I’ve described in the past I do a lot of work for a local newspaper. They know what they like from me and as a result I’m usually assigned similar assignments. For instance, i cover almost all the basketball for one of our three local high schools and cover every football game for this school.

As a result I’ve got a pretty nice routine down for these events that i do frequently. But it wasn’t always like that. I can’t count how many times I’ve gotten to a shoot only to realize that there were no batteries for my flash. One time, while taking a family portrait for a friend, I actually forgot the battery for my camera. There simply is never an excuse for this. You must be prepared in every aspect that way when it comes time to start taking photographs, the only thing on your mind is clicking the shutter.

1. Make sure your gear is ready. The night before a photography shoot, make sure you have your gear in order. Get your flash cards formatted and your batteries charged. Clean your lenses and make sure that you’ve packed the lenses and lighting equipment you need for the shoot.

2. Know why you are photographing . It doesn’t matter if it’s a wedding or a football game. You are going to be there for a reason and more than likely it’s because someone has asked you (hopefully paid you) to be there.  You should have an idea what they are going to use and what they need. Sometimes my editor will explicitly tell me that he needs a vertical shot, for example. If the only good shot I captured was a horizontal photograph, I have failed. Getting your client what they need is the only way you can gain respect as a photographer.

3. Know what you are photographing. I can’t tell you how many great photographers I’ve seen show up to a baseball game only to come up short because they didn’t understand what was going on.  This doesn’t just apply to sports photography though.  A wedding photographer needs to know when things are happening. A photojournalist covering a political event needs to know who the important speaker is.  In short, you must do a little research before you dive into a shoot. Understanding the subject allows you to photograph it more effectively.

4. Have a plan. Now that you know what you need to get, and you know your subject, try and plan how you’re going to get the shot.  I recently had to gather some photographs of some local landmarks.  The one shot of the series that I planned the most was of the tunnel in town (page 7).  This is a tunnel that only allows for one car at a time to go through, and is mostly used as a train is coming through town as it avoids waiting at the crossing.  I thought a bit about how to capture all of this in one photograph.  The only way was to get a picture of a train crossing the tunnel and two cars coming towards each other.  I looked at the train schedule and picked a time that correlated with a lot of automobile traffic. Having a plan allowed me to get the shot I was hoping for and it only took one try.

5. Be Flexible. Nothing ever goes to plan. Camera gear breaks. Batteries die. You may fail to follow rule 1. The star athlete may be hurt. The priest may not want you on the alter. What you envisioned in your head may end up looking like crap. It doesn’t matter how it happens but it’s going to happen–something isn’t going to go to plan  and you simply have to be prepared to switch gears.

To Conclude…

Photography is never easy and it is isn’t usually routine. However, simply having a routine to prepare yourself is a surefire way to ensure that you will consistently get quality results for yourself and your clients.

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