Tips for dealing with pre-shoot jitters
I remember when I got my first ever paid photography gig–it was with a poet I met at Kaiser Gallery last April. She asked me to take some headshots for her because she was building up her modeling portfolio. I was so excited to have my first ever paid photography job!
The excitement quickly turned into nervousness as we got closer to our scheduled date. I felt confident enough in my photography skills, so that wasn’t the issue. I was nervous because:
I wanted to do a good job, and I was worried I wouldn’t do a good job
We were going to be outside, and I was worried that people might interrupt the shoot
The weather was looking very questionable
Technology is fickle. Extremely fickle.
Ultimately, the shoot ended up going very well, and after that shoot, I started pursuing more paid gigs. As I reflect on that shoot, I think there are three things I did that helped me be successful:
MOCA Cleveland
Scoping out the location early
A week before our shoot, I headed down to our planned location: the corner of Mayfield and Euclid Avenue, near the MOCA. I purposely went on Saturday morning because our shoot was going to be on a Saturday morning. Going around the same time meant I could see what the light would be like and how many folks would be around.
I’d recommend the same thing for any new photographer: get to the location a few days in advance if you can, or at least get there early so you can scout the location. Do you notice any nice pockets of light in the area? Are the lights extra harsh in one room? Take some time to observe the location and write down a few notes if you can.
By the time you’re ready to start shooting, you’ll already know which areas to go to and which areas to avoid. Ultimately, you’ll feel a lot more confident when on the job.
Found this frame while ghost shooting
Picture the person–literally
This advice is a bit more specific to portrait work. But, after you finish scoping out the location, start thinking about the shots you’d want to take. For example, you might notice that there’s a tree with pink cherry blossoms, and they’re hanging in a way that could make a nice frame for a portrait.
Take the photo, imagining that your subject is in front of you, and think about the photo you want to create. Do you want more flowers in the frame, or less? How tight is the portrait? Would you want to take the photo from a certain angle?
Thinking about this can also help you feel more prepared and confident the day of the shoot. Spending some time “ghost shooting” can help you identify ideal poses and angles for your subjects.
(It seems a lot of work, doing this stuff. Over time, you eventually get to a point where you know which angles and poses work best for the work you do. But when you’re first starting out, I personally don’t think there’s anything wrong with overpreparing, especially if it helps you feel more confident.)
Testing out the Sony A7RIIIA!
Don’t trust technology
I’m joking.
A little.
But after you scope out the location and identify some possible spots, spend a few minutes actually testing out your gear to make sure everything works as it should. Do some test shots with your lenses, take a few shots with your speedlight, make sure all of your memory cards work. I can count at least two times when I arrived at a shoot and discovered that one of my lenses wasn’t working. There’s nothing worse than arriving on location and realizing that you don’t have reliable technology. So spend some time making sure your gear works.
Here’s a real life example: on Thursday, I photographed a poetry event. I got there a bit early to do some test shots and discovered that my camera kept telling me an empty memory card was full. Cue panic. But I had a solid half hour to troubleshoot, and I solved the issue before I had to start shooting.
Final thoughts
Nerves are very normal, especially when you’re first starting out. What matters is how you manage them! For me, knowing my location, planning my shots, and testing out my technology helped me calm my nerves before a shoot.
And being prepared allowed me to actually enjoy my time with my client. When you’re all wrapped up in worrying about technology, trying to come up with ideas on the spot…it can be nerve-wracking. Doing that prep work means you can focus on having fun. And I do think it’s important that we have fun when working on our creative projects.
So the next time you book a shoot, try booking some time to visit the location and plan out your shots. Let me know how it goes!
