This is my first time posting on here and I saw a few "never say this to a photographer/model" and saw people saying they were guilty of it so it made me wonder what lessons people have learned the hard way.
I just learned a lesson lately when doing the "Ice Princess" shoot (my current avatar). I learned that you should have the model put on her panty hose before you have the nail technician attach the super long nails.
Blue Ash Film Group wrote: I just learned a lesson lately when doing the "Ice Princess" shoot (my current avatar). I learned that you should have the model put on her panty hose before you have the nail technician attach the super long nails.
If you've just bought your first DSLR, learn how to set the shutter speed *before* your first shoot.
Be sure to take as many cables as PocketWizards for your strobes. A PW without a cable is useless.
If you go to a wedding as an assistant to keep the photographer supplied with film holders and flashbulbs, be prepared to shoot the wedding - just in case the photographer trips, falls and breaks his arm on his way down the aisle. (It happened when I was 14.)
Don't wear your best suit on a newspaper assignment to shoot a kids' fishing derby. If you do, don't try to squeeze through a barbed wire fence.
If someone tries to grab you from behind during a riot at a high school football game, spin around and hit him with everything you've got - just in case. (I was 15 or 16. The cop I knocked down apologized after he saw my credentials.)
If you're at a news conference with the Undersecretary of the Treasury, ask him if he was the mastermind of the Watergate break-in - even if everyone else is asking when LA is going to get its mass transit funding. Just ask, okay? (Woodward and Bernstein named Egil Krough as the one who coordinated the operation about two weeks later.)
If a cop sticks his hand in front of your lens while the goal posts are being torn down after Oklahoma defeats Texas at the Cotton Bowl, shoot the cop - even if all you can see is his hat badge and badge number between his fingers - *before* he starts to rough you up. I recommend a 28mm lens. (The photo made dozens of front pages around the country. The Dallas police chief apologized to the managing editor - but not to me.)
If you're present during the arrest of bank robbery suspects and a cop gets shot, get out of the car and start shooting - even if the sergeant in charge has told you to stay in your car. (The sergeant was leaning with his back against my car door and talking over his shoulder to me when he was hit in the stomach by a stray bullet as two cops wrestled the gun from the suspect. Actually at the moment he was hit, he was repeatedly shouting "Somebody cuff him!" as one suspect's girlfriend was handing him an S&W .38 Special through the suspect's car window. I scooted over and got out on the passenger side.)
Camerosity wrote: If you're present during the arrest of bank robbery suspects and a cop gets shot, get out of the car and start shooting - even if the sergeant in charge has told you to stay in your car. (The sergeant was leaning with his back against my car door and talking over to his shoulder to me when he was hit in the stomach by a stray bullet. Actually he was shouting "Somebody cuff him!" as one suspect's girlfriend was handing him an S&W .38 Special through the suspect's car window. I scooted over and got out on the passenger side.)
My worst mistake was not checking the quality setting on my camera. Ended up with scrapping a full day worth of shooting because the quality was set on a resolution of 640 x 480.
If you think you're forgetting something, you probably are.
If you charge your battery before a shoot, it's best to put it back in the camera.
The strength of a gust of wind is always inversely proportional to the stability of your light stand.
If, when viewing your portfolio, a potential client asks, "Can you make me look that good?" what they might be telling you is that they don't like looking at pictures of themselves. EV-er.
When someone asks you if you're a god, you say "Yes!"
Unless you have confirmed a date with who you are working with it is not always definite on here. I have spend money on wardrobe only not to hear from them again, especially at the time when I could of used the money on something else. Thankfully, I have been able to make up those shoots with others or sell the items on EBAY.
Accept rejection as it is part of the game, per say. Don't take it so personal. <----This took me a long time to realize and I wasn't use to it. I mean I get constructive criticism with dance, but it is about my technique and not my looks; so I had to remember it pretty much is the same thing just different type of work.
rejection/criticism is a hard one for me but I'm slowly learning to separate myself from it. My portfolio review in art school was pretty tough to take (luckily I passed) lol.
If a Secret Service agent accidentally walks behind you and you find yourself right next to the vice president, be VERY docile as you're being whisked away. Explain the mix-up in a whisper, and the agent will look very stern and say, "It's OK, this is for show."
If somebody's shooting (bullets) keep you head down. If somebody's threatening to hit you during a demonstration, grab your Nikon by the 300mm lens and offer to find out which is harder, the demonstrator's head or the camera. Works every time.
If you're shooting two hot girls in the heat ... be prepared with cold water in case the one from Hawaii was dehydrated 'cause she didn't appreciate mainland heat. That's true especially out in the countryside.
If you're shooting nudes in nature in the desert, realize those cacti just might be more dangerous to you than to the model, and don't back into anything you're not willing to extract piece by piece from your butt.
Follow your gut, especially when it comes to shoots. If something feels off, walk away. Only had to do this twice in two years of almost constant shooting, but I'm still glad I did.
Camerosity wrote: If you've just bought your first DSLR, learn how to set the shutter speed *before* your first shoot.
Be sure to take as many cables as PocketWizards for your strobes. A PW without a cable is useless.
If you go to a wedding as an assistant to keep the photographer supplied with film holders and flashbulbs, be prepared to shoot the wedding - just in case the photographer trips, falls and breaks his arm on his way down the aisle. (It happened when I was 14.)
Don't wear your best suit on a newspaper assignment to shoot a kids' fishing derby. If you do, don't try to squeeze through a barbed wire fence.
If someone tries grab you from behind during a riot at a high school football game, spin around and hit him with everything you've got - just in case. (I was 15 or 16. The cop I knocked down apologized after he saw my credentials.)
If you're at a news conference with the Undersecretary of the Treasury, ask him if he was the mastermind of the Watergate break-in - even if everyone else is asking when LA is going to get its mass transit funding. Just ask, okay? (Woodward and Bernstein named Egil Krough as the one who coordinated the operation about two weeks later.)
If a cop sticks his hand in front of your lens while the goal posts are being torn down after Oklahoma beats Texas at the Cotton Bowl, shoot the cop - even if all you can see is his hat badge and number between his fingers - *before* he starts to rough you up. I recommend a 28mm lens. (The photo made dozens of front pages around the country. The Dallas police chief apologized to the managing editor - but not to me.)
If you're present during the arrest of bank robbery suspects and a cop gets shot, get out of the car and start shooting - even if the sergeant in charge has told you to stay in your car. (The sergeant was leaning with his back against my car door and talking over to his shoulder to me when he was hit in the stomach by a stray bullet. Actually he was shouting "Somebody cuff him!" as one suspect's girlfriend was handing him an S&W .38 Special through the suspect's car window. I scooted over and got out on the passenger side.)
Anything I was going to add now seems rather... redundant.
Koryn Locke
Posts: 31,831
Boston, Massachusetts, US
The lesson I learned was to TRUST people, and believe that the vast majority of people are good and safe (unless there's a pretty obvious reason to convince you otherwise).
Don't trust what you see on TV, as a depiction of the larger population and what constitutes actual *risk*.
Yes, I am being 100% serious.
Traveling and shooting - sleeping in the homes of strangers, having people pick me up at airports, people I'd only really ever spoken to online -- I met the most awesome people ever.
Marco Vallentin
Posts: 1,108
København, Hovedstaden, Denmark
Keep your backup drive in your suitcase:
NOT your shoulder bag / computer case.
While on a train between Amsterdam city and Schipol Airport
I once had the hard learned experienced of trick thieves
stealing my shoulder bag, with laptop AND backup drive
( - and camera and lenses ... ), so keep your drives
in separate pieces of luggage !
you have to be careful with sexy banter, even if the model is a willing participant or initiates it. but sometimes you don't know where the line is until you cross it and get your nose smacked with a newspaper. just how it goes.
cropping photographer's photos to put up as my facebook profile pic is a no-no. one photographer contacted me after i did it and asked me about it and i felt horrible. oops! i'm glad i learned early.
If you're driving somewhere that you've never been before, even if its in the same city, leave the house 2 hours early. This I actually learned from a friend.
Invest in a good GPS, and just in case also print out Google Maps AND Mapquest directions, and maybe even get GPS on your phone too. No lie I've had to use all four before. My GPS got confused and took me to a Taco Bell. In the wrong city. I got back on track with the GPS on my phone, but then I went into an area where my phone had no service. I had GM directions but there was construction which held up traffic, and Mapquest had the alternate route. I was there on time.
Bring extra pantyhose and eyelashes. Always remember to bring food and water in case you feel faint.
Don't ever forget baby wipes and Purell. I recently shot in an abandoned parking garage where some homeless people live and there was poo all over the walls and floors and stuff like that. Rubbers and moldy food lying around... I had some dried out wet wipes in my dashboard and I had to use my bottle of water to refresh them so I could clean up afterward!
Jordan L Duncan wrote: Invest in a good GPS, and just in case also print out Google Maps AND Mapquest directions, and maybe even get GPS on your phone too. No lie I've had to use all four before. My GPS got confused and took me to a Taco Bell. In the wrong city. I got back on track with the GPS on my phone, but then I went into an area where my phone had no service. I had GM directions but there was construction which held up traffic, and Mapquest had the alternate route. I was there on time.
If I may touch on this...
If the person you're working with gives you directions, please consider them a primary source of information.
Often online info, which can be what is used in a GPS also can be WRONG, so be sure to give adequate weight and consideration to what the person you're working with recommended.
Sometimes road information is wrong, sometimes there is road construction, or terrible traffic those other sources may not disclose.
It amazes me how often people are given directions, which they ignore and get lost because they insist on following the electronic directions instead.
For a photographer, learn how to do makeup. Reasons why:
1. Better communicate your needs to MUA.
2. MUA doesn't show, it's not a complete loss.
3. Its a great way to break the ice and build trust with a new model!
Because if they let me put a pencil with a sharp point extremely close to their eyeball, then you won't have any trouble with those oddball requests that make no sense.
1. Always advance the film after pressing the shutter release on a Brownie Hawkeye.
2. Slide film is very unforgiving.
3. Have a back-up camera, flash, batteries, cards, film.
4. While out and about and an attractive woman comes up to you and comments on how "large and in-charge" your camera is, you might not want to dismiss it as idle chit chat.
5. If you set up a TF session with a new comer (with only cell pics) to MM and after she asks you to friend her on FB you see she has over 5,000 friends/followers, dont be shocked when she is an unannounced no-show.
6. You have to be able to laugh about yourself and imperfections.
8. Learn to count.
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