Blog | 28 - Be Prepared

July 14, 2017

bokeh photographic (Alistair Grant): Food & Drink Photographer; Commercial Photographer, Product Photographer & Packshot Photographer; Event Photographer; Portrait Photographer; Corporate Photographer & PR Photographer; Engagement Photographer & Wedding Photographer and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Bedford, St Neots, St Ives and London. Freelance Photographer & Freelance Photography Services in Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and across the UK.
			Alistair Grant Freelance Photographer Cambridge & London


bokeh photographic: Blog No: 28 → TIP: Click any image to view in LightBox




Be Prepared ‘Be Prepared’ - on reflection I reckon it must be a throwback to my days as a Scout. Perhaps figuratively not literally given that Lord Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scouting movement, defined (to) be prepared as always in a state of readiness in mind (by having disciplined yourself to be obedient to every order, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that might occur, so that you know the right thing to do at the right moment, and are willing to do it) and body (by making yourself strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and do it) to do your duty. In case you are wondering I most definitely did not remember all this detail from my Scouting experience – I had to look it up. Anyhow, I adopt a ‘Be Prepared’ approach for each and every photographic shoot whether I am working in a studio or on location. Essentially, this breaks down into doing two things. Firstly, to be prepared means packing appropriate photographic kit. This sounds obvious. Clearly a food photography or product photography shoot will require different lenses (for instance, a 100mm macro and a 90mm tilt-shift) to say an event photography shoot where I would allow for a broad range of shots by packing short/wide-angle (e.g. 24mm), standard (e.g. 50mm) and telephoto (e.g. 200mm) glass. And these kit decisions don’t cover other important considerations such as continuous vs. strobe lighting or choice of photographic backdrop. However, feedback from clients who have previously used other photographers suggests most other photographers don’t ask the questions that I do in advance of a shoot. I just don’t get this. Knowing what a job entails is essential for selecting the right equipment to complete that job. Not asking questions, or the right questions, means only one thing - the photographer is inadequately prepared for the shoot. Whilst I concede this is perhaps less important in a studio - although it’s worth pointing out that whilst equipment may be close at hand the kit will need to be setup and time is money - it's absolutely essential when working on-location. Given the investment in kit that is required by professional photographers these days there’s no way everything can be transported to a shoot. Secondly, to be prepared means ensuring any ‘bits & pieces’ that might conceivably be needed on a given shoot make it into the kit bag. I’m referring to things like spanners, screwdrivers, rubber twist-ties, clips, gaffer tape and good old WD40. Crucially, having established that I am a Food Photographer, it’s important to note that unlike most other food & drink photographers I don’t pack WD40 in order to give food products a sheen. Why a spritz of olive oil won’t suffice is beyond me! I can’t claim to pack WD40 on each and every location shoot but – through serendipity and a degree of foresight – whenever the one of the many applications of WD40 is called for I generally have a can to hand. Whether you regard packing (the right) bits & pieces as an art or a science it seems that my time as a Scout wasn’t wasted!

Call Alistair Grant on 07775 365507, Email [email protected] or click Booking Enquiries if you have any questions or would like to make a booking.

bokeh: "the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens" Freelance Photographer offering Food & Drink Photography Cambridge; Commercial Photography Cambridge, Product Photography Cambridge & Packshot Photography Cambridge; Event Photography Cambridge; Portrait Photography Cambridge; Corporate Photography Cambridge & PR Photography Cambridge; Engagement Photography Cambridge & Wedding Photography Cambridge and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge. Also covering: Huntingdon, St. Ives, Ramsey, St. Neots, Peterborough, Bedford, Stamford, Newmarket, Sawtry, Alconbury Weston, Brampton, Hartford, Warboys, Houghton, Wyton, Godmanchester, Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Hemingford Abbots, Fenstanton, Whittesley, Yaxley, Needingworth, Somersham, Chatteris, Ely, Bar Hill, Grafham and Buckden.
bokeh photographic - Alistair Grant \| Freelance Photographer \| Cambridge, London, UK Food & Drink Photography \| Commercial Photography & Product Photography \| Corporate Photography & PR Photography \| Portrait Photography (inc. 'Active Portraiture', 'Naturally You' & 'Poptraits') \| Event Photography \| Engagement & Wedding Photography \| Photography Training Courses & Camera Tuition \| Videography & Film Production Tel: 07775 365507 \| Email: [email protected]

Keywords: advance preparation, be prepared, decision making, food & drink photographer, location photography, lord robert baden-powell, photographic studio, photography kit, scouts, serendipity, wd40