Pre-Shoot: Physical and Mental Check List

If you are a professional photographer with a studio and staff, perhaps you leave the packing to the employees… after, of course, you have trained them properly and have full faith in their abilities. But what if you are on your own?

Niche photographers, wedding, event, portrait and so forth, usually have no problems packing their kit; the choices remain pretty much the same from one booking to another. Commercial and stock photography can be quite different. Each job is a one-off and requires a variety of setups.

Prior to the assignment date, it may be best to sit down and construct a checklist of cameras, lenses, accessories and props you’ll need. Preparing days in advance can eliminate stress and panic—we’ve all been there, on a shoot and realizing we’ve forgot something important.

As you write the checklist, one advantage, besides creating a list of equipment, is in visualizing the shoot. Like athletes see themselves performing prior to an event, you can see images you want to capture and note the equipment needed. Visualization, besides helping you create a checklist, can also be practice. As an athlete sees themselves taking each step and positioning their bodies, you can see each shot, where you stand, the lighting and, if you want, the exposure settings.

Later, when at the set, you have these mental cues, created during the visualization, which act as a mental checklist during the shoot. There is a phenomenal advantage to preparing in this manner. Besides a lower stress level, you can easily concentrate on your subject, being present--in the moment—and see your shots happening. You are not reacting, as much as acting in concert with what’s taking place in front of you.

Both the physical and mental checklist work the same. They clear the need to put your attention somewhere else besides the shoot, leading to less anxiety and better images.

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