Really, really nervous about a photo shoot.

[CannedHeat]

I'm basically a landscape, architectural, whatever photographer. I can successfully shoot people when I need to and do a decent job of it. However, I prefer climbing mountains to pushing my way thru crowds.

However, tomorrow I have an assignment that I'm nervous about. It's an event that will attended by event board members who are politicians, radio, tv personalities, etc. The assignment is 20% event, but 80% those people in the context of the event.

Frankly, this is out of my comfort zone, but I love challenges. I'm just wondering if anybody has some advice. Perhaps from a similiar situation. /Dan

[Ricko of Fla]

take a pill

[12345Michael54321]

Dress appropriately. If everyone there will be wearing suits, don't you show up in shorts and a t-shirt. "Fitting in" should help ease your nervousness. It's also the professional thing to do. (Yes, even a business suit can be comfortable. If it isn't, maybe you need a new suit, or a new tailor.)

Comfortable shoes. (Yes, even dress shoes can be comfortable.)

Have complete faith in your camera gear. Make sure you have everything you need, that all batteries are fully charged, that all CF cards are formatted, that your cameras aren't still on some wierd setting (extremely high ISO, bizarre white balance, etc.) that you used the other day. If there's anything about which you're at all unsure, go look it up in your owner's manual today. NOTE: A professional assignment is not the proper venue for getting familiar with some new piece of equipment. Test out and familiarize yourself with new gear on your own time.

Spares! Bring spare batteries, spare CF cards, a spare pair of eyeglasses if you wear 'em. A small notepad and pen - along with a spare pen - is a good idea, too.

You wanna bring a cell phone? Fine. No problem. But set it to "Silent" beforehand. Because having your phone ring every few minutes is annoying and unprofessional. (Okay, if your wife is 9 months pregnant, set the phone so a call from her will result in an audible ring. People will cut you serious slack if the situation involves childbirth.)

Less is more. Unless you have a Sherpa hauling around your gear for you, maybe you could manage without the 600mm f/4 IS USM _and_ the 500mm f/4 IS USM. (But note that "Less is more" doesn't mean you fail to bring those spare batteries, CF cards, etc., I mentioned.)

Get a good night's sleep. Have a light meal before you leave for the shoot. Don't let yourself even begin to get dehydrated. (Related to this - no booze. Not even if everybody at the event and his dog is drinking.)

Unless you've been there a zillion times before, go to mapquest.com today and print out detailed driving directions, with maps. And leave yourself plenty of time to get there. Believe me, it's better to show up 30 minutes early and have to kill some time before the event, than it is to show up 30 minutes late and miss something important.)

You're there to take pictures, not to be a witty conversationalist. That doesn't mean you ignore someone who is talking to you, and it certainly doesn't mean you're ever less than polite, but it does mean you shouldn't be getting into extended conversations with guests when you're supposed to be taking pictures.

If there's anything that hasn't been nailed down in writing, contact whomever is responsible for tomorrow's shoot and get it spelled out in writing, on paper, ahead of time. You should have done this a week or two ago, but better late than never. Having responsibilities, expectations, time frames, etc., clearly defined in advance can greatly reduce stress. Really.

Remember, you should be concentrating on picture taking - not on gear settings. If you're sufficiently unfamiliar with your gear, and/or with photographic concepts like exposure, focus, shutter speed, etc., that these technical issues will occupy more of your attention than will "artistic" and compositional considerations, there's something wrong.

Relax. This isn't brain surgery, and you're going to do just fine.

[Radtech1]

Frankly, this is out of my comfort zone, but I love challenges. I'm just wondering if anybody has some advice. Perhaps from a similiar situation. /Dan

I would put myself in the same category. My experience shooting the LA March for Peace earlier this year taught me a couple things -

1) Shoot more than you think you need. WAY MORE. Mountains don't step out of frame. People do. Bring the 8 gig card.

2) Torque down on the aperture. Even though I love the creamy bokeh you get a f/2.8, depending on your focal length your depth of focus might be less than an inch. You want the whole face in focus, not just part of it. Shoot at f/11 - give or take a stop.

3) Be prepared for complex shadows across someone's face. Or someone in the shadow with the background in the sun. Either way - shoot RAW so you will have as much information to start with as you can.

Good luck.

Rad

PS, Try all this first, if none of that works, then take a pill and call it a day.

[Jon, The Elder]

The last 2 comments are absolutely perfect. They should be rolled in to a 'sticky'.

[CannedHeat]

The last 2 comments are absolutely perfect. They should be rolled in to a 'sticky'.

I agree! Thank you both Radtech1 and 12345michael54321. Both comments were extremely helpful. It's great how people in these forums actually try to help people. Thankfully gear familiarity will not be a problem. I am proficient with the hardware to the point of knowing how many clicks on any button gets me what I want without even looking. The 580ex flash is relatively new, but I think I've mastered it (using A Better Bounce Card setup.)

Funny you should mention dress. Got into that discussion with my wife just last night. It's an outdoor event and supposed to be mid 80's and humid. I was planning on wearing shorts. My wife said "No you're not. You're going to dress like a professional." And that settled that.

I'll be fine. Luckily I'm the type of person who always sees challenges and obstacles as fun rather than "dreads." (But I would still rather be hiking up the side of a mountain ;)) thanks again. /Dan

[CannedHeat]

Something occured to me I would like to add for anybody else reading this thread.

Make sure you have some business cards stuffed into your pocket. You never know who you're going to meet. /Dan