i took photos for a family (of 25) this past sunday. though i've been doing little side jobs like this for a couple of years now, i still get extremely nervous before a shoot. i am always afraid something is going to go wrong. i don't do well under pressure but once i get there and get to clicking i cool out, a little.

each time i do a shoot i learn from it. my new plan is: i am just going to tell people (especially in large groups) straight out "no flash!". i got a speedlight for my canon last year, but it's just not enough to cover a group this large in a semi lit room. i don't have the equipment for this and i assume if i just told people from the get go "no", it would save me from a lot of anxiety.

some of the things i learned this time around:

1) gray hair blows, and i don't mean from the wind - especially in front of windows. pa and ma looked like their heads were on fire. 2) these new transitional lenses are lame, don't shoot people in them when they've just come in from a sunny day unless you want ma and pa to look like vampires. 3) large groups .... um, don't like them! there's always someone not looking, goofing around or hiding there little head behind uncle fred's very large head. 4) people who show up with their own cameras need to be banned - this isn't helpful in any means. the subject matter doesn't know who to look at and i get all kind of googley eyes. they're paying me folks, now look up here damn it. 5) there is always some man there who wants to talk about cameras - cameras he has, cameras he once had, cameras he would like to have. i don't care. really, i'm a nice girl, but i'm trying to do a job here, not make friends. unless you want to take me out for coffee and some dinner, then maybe we can work something out ... 6) and the most important thing to remember always - take my time!!!