Cherry Blossoms at the Nations Capitol

Waking up at 5am to go do a new photo shoot is incredibly energizing.  I woke up several times before 5 with anticipation of it being 5.  

I also wanted to include the different things I find myself doing getting ready for a shoot.  Being as I get excited, I have to write things down, or I'll forget something.

I'm pretty good at creating the list, but sometimes I'll forget to check things off after I do them.  A minor clerical error at this time, but I'm going to work on this.

The next big step is to label a map and roughly plan my shots.  Thanks to The Photographer's Ephemeris App I was able to learn the orientation of the sunrise.  This gave me a visual on a map to plan my shots around.  I marked it on my notebook so I could have a quick reference.

Also in this section is the rough list of gear I wanted to bring.  Like I mentioned previously, I usually write it down, pack it, and forget to mark it off.

Along with calling my shots, I try to think ahead in logistical ways.  Especially in terms of food and bathrooms.  These are those few things you want AND need.

When I find I have a free moment, but I don't want to move, or get a new shot, I like to write down notes before I forget.  The information at the beginning of this post was pulled from the notes page listed here.  It's also my future planning tool when I bring my family.  If I know it takes me 20 minutes alone, it's going to take at least 35 minutes with 2 kids, a wife, the stroller, bags, etc...












I also write down lessons learned for setting up the next shot.  For example, with the sunrise coming from behind the memorial, the Cherry Blossoms were underexposed.  If I were to shoot with the sun behind me, I would have missed the memorial.  As usual, it's all about location, location, location.

I setup two extra cameras to do timelapse sets.  This was pulled  from the GoPro Black Edition controlled by my iPod touch.   This is the same configuration I mentioned previously in this post.



Happy Friday and Mannr Cheers!
-Billy