Every photographer has a few best practices or rules which they follow religiously on every shoot to avoid disaster. Today I am going to share my best practices which can save you from getting into trouble. The purpose behind sharing these tips is to keep a backup plan ready before you realize you are in deep trouble. Prevention is better than cure.

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• Create folders in the camera for every new shoot.

There’s an inbuilt option in almost every camera to create a folder. So whatever photos you shoot get stored in that particular folder. Benefits of using this option.

1.    You get all images in one folder related to that particular shoot.

2.    Easy to copy. You just have to select that folder and copy it to your hard disk or computer.

3.    You don’t browse through earlier images looking for what you shot on that particular day.

 

 

• Have at least 2 backup copies of all images of a shoot.

Always have your photos stored on at least two different devices i.e. one could be your computer hard disk and other an external hard disk. This creates a backup of backup just in case something happens to your computer and you can no longer retrieve images from your computer’s hard disk.

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• Save images on Cloud /Drive.

Always create an extra back up of important photos or final edited version on Cloud or Google Drive. So that you can have them handy, even if you misplace or damage your hard disk or computer.

 

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•  Format card before every new shoot.

After every shoot when you are done with taking back up of all photos. Always format your memory card before you go for your next shoot.

 

• Charge batteries overnight before every shoot.

Always charge all your camera batteries i.e. main battery/back up battery also batteries that will be used for your external flash/speed lite the night before the actual shoot.

• Carry extra memory cards.

Always carry extra memory cards while going for a photo shoot. You may never know if the card you were using for your previous shoot might get corrupted. Or you may just end up clicking photos that you may run out of memory and need an extra memory card. It’s always safe to keep a few memory cards handy during a photo shoot.

 

 

• Pack your bags before a shoot.

Pack your camera bag one night prior to the actual date of the shoot. Check for all the equipment you might need and pack accordingly. Lenses, Flash/ Speed lite, batteries, and chargers all other stuff to be carried along with your camera. So that you don’t end up looking for stuff while you are doing your photo shoot. Avoid carrying unnecessary stuff so that you don’t make your bag heavy to carry around. I personally prefer moving around with my camera bag so I pack it light and just carry the stuff which I will be using during the shoot.

 

• Check for any missing item after a shoot.

Last and most important point. After the photo shoot is over, check for all your equipment.

Pack your bag the same way you packed it when you left for the shoot from your home.

Usually, camera bags have dedicated slots for lenses and camera body. So pack as per the slots so that they stay well protected during your journey.

 

Following all these points discussed above had made my life a lot simple. I strongly believe that if you follow these best practices, chances are you will rarely face any problems during your shoot. Making every shoot stress free and you can focus more on clicking great photos.

How did you find this piece of information do let us know so that we can come up with more such topics for you so that your journey as a photographer becomes a joy ride.

Blog courtesy: Harshad Pawaskar