I’ve been commissioned by a delightful lady to photograph a family gathering tomorrow so earlier in the week I went along to the hotel where it is being held to have a recce and get prepared.
I don’t like to leave things to chance and I’m very mindful of how true the saying ‘fail to prepare, prepare to fail’ can be. So my planning is always as thorough as I can make it. Certainly I find that being organised helps quell the slight nerves that come before photographing someone’s big day, whether it be a wedding or a family celebration. Once I’m at the venue and shooting, the nerves soon disappear and I usually end up having a ball. I often have to pinch myself to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to do something that I enjoy so much. I’m convinced that a few nerves beforehand are a good thing – they keep me on my toes and stop me getting complacent. And a complacent photographer in my book might just slip up.
Back to tomorrow – as always, I found it really helpful to have a chat with the staff about the day’s events and I was keen to have a wander around both inside the hotel and around the grounds. Alongside looking for ideas for interesting shots I also got to check out the position of the sun (nothing worse than guests squinting into the camera!) as well as the interior lighting. So I now feel reasonably familiar with what’s where.
Having found some attractive backdrops in the gardens for the group shots that I’ve been asked to take as well as some wet weather alternatives (although as I write this the weather forecast for tomorrow is looking dry, if not tropical), I came across this van in the car park which I thought was rather delightful. I’m quite partial to vintage things and this means of transport really caught my eye. I took a few minutes when I got home to see what I could find out about Henry Potter and from what I can ascertain he had a family building company in Chelmsford in the mid 1900s
This evening’s job is to sort out my gear, make sure that the batteries (and spares) are fully charged and that I’ve packed sufficient memory cards. Oh and not forgetting that all-important shot list.
If you are having a family get-together, however big or small, formal or informal, and would like to make some special memories to keep forever, please get in touch. I’d love to hear from you and have a chat about how I can help.
Image © Carol Street
