Tech Tuesdays - Notes

Do you keep notes from your photo shoots? If you don't, you should start. Maybe they're technical notes about locations, lighting setups or scheduling. Or maybe they're lessons you've learned the hard way, either through mistakes you've made or reflecting on how the shoot could have gone better. These notes, when reviewed months or years down the road, not only give you a technical diary of your growth as a photographer, but also bring back memories of past shoots.

I started keeping notes with my first shoot. Like anyone just getting started, I made mistakes. Some were dumb mistakes that should not have happened. Some were just the kind of things you learn through experience. After every shoot, I come home, think about the shoot and write down one or two things that I can improve on next time. The things I've written about range from camera settings to working with different people to the weather.

A few examples of what I've written down in the past:
- Be specific on where to meet. I was standing on one side of the park, my model was standing on the other side.
- Long exposures + kids = blur! This is pretty self-explanatory, but still a good lesson.
- Plans can be changed. We had grand plans for a big shoot with a great theme. No one went with the theme, but we still got great photos.
- Put checks in your wallet, not your back pocket! Ummm... yeah. I put a check in my back pocket, forgot to take it out and washed it. I had to ask the client for another check. Talk about embarrassing!

By now I've got a pretty long list of lessons I've learned, but there's still something I can take away from every shoot. It might take a little thinking before I can identify what I'd do differently, but I promise there is always going to be something.

From time to time I'll read through my list and see how I'm doing at following my own advice. Many of the things I've written down have now become a part of my workflow or technique, but I find that I still make the same mistakes from time to time. I guess that's just a part of being human, though. You make mistakes, you learn from your mistakes, you keep on improving one day at a time. Which reminds me: I've got laundry to do... I'd better check my pockets first!