Life of a Photographer on a Shoot day
The life of a photographer is often glorified. Photographers are often seen to be travel-enthusiasts capturing breathtaking landscapes or outgoing extroverts attending high-end events and clicking glamorous models. But is that all that is to a photographer’s life?
What goes on behind the scenes on a typical shoot day?
While the final product may appear effortless, the reality is that a photographer’s work is a captivating blend of creativity, technical expertise, and adaptability.
This article will discuss a specific shoot day collaborating with a maternity photographer.
Pre-Shoot Day
I met with the client and had a final requirements meeting to avoid any last minute changes or surprises. We had already finalized the details of the shoot one month prior and prepared to meet it. The location and equipment were all set. I also met with Gaurab – the maternity photographer to blend his strategies with mine.
Shoot Day
We arrived early and started working in the studio – testing the lights, test-takes and everything. As the client arrived, he was astounded by the work me and Gaurab had put in. After a few moments of briefing the client, we started the clicks. I had never partaken in a maternity shoot before. It was tricky.
As the mother feels overwhelmed by emotions, it is difficult to get the right poses and the right cue oftentimes, not to mention it takes time for her to put on the dresses. But that’s where we come in to comfort her that it is all completely normal at this time. I learned proper communication is important in any maternity photography due to the emotional vulnerability of the mother. We constantly communicated with the couple, providing cues and direction to achieve the desired results.
A whole day of hardwork ended after we finished the final clicks. Throughout the shoot, we got to learn what it was like during pregnancy and what is to be expected. Learning about it made me feel special to be a part of their parental journey. The couple were also comfortable sharing their experiences and interested to learn about my professional journey as a photographer.
We backed up all the photos and took our leaves for the day.
Post-Shoot Day
This is the less-fun part of the job actually. Selecting the right photos that encompasses everything is a major challenge. You have to care about the lighting, focus, pose timing, angle, and so many other things that I can’t put to words right away. Then, you work on editing it to perfection. After a few rounds of feedback, we are finally able to deliver the results to the client.
Client Reveal
This is one of the most anxious as well as the best part of the job. Delivering the photos to the client and seeing the joy in their faces is priceless. Seeing the fruits of your hard work bring happiness to them motivates me to never make any complacencies in my work. Even more so for a maternity photography project, because the couple is going through a difficult time to bring a new life into the world.
So that is what a life of a photographer looks like on a shoot day working.