Pre-Shoot Rituals. Going through the steps to make sure everything is up and running.

Bizarre post production flaw. But I liked it enough to keep it.

tomorrow will be interesting for me. An old friend and sometimes video production partner recommended me as a still photographer on a film project he's involved with. The shoot will consist mostly of interviews with teachers and b-roll shots of youngsters who participate in a program and teachers. The majority of the set-ups will be outdoors, in a large, community garden. The priority, of course, is the success of the video footage. The producers would like me to set up photographs between the live interviews to mimic the look and feel of the interviews. They'll provide the lighting and turn the scenes over to me when they've gotten the performances they need. It's a tight schedule and it's going to be chilly but it's nice to be part of a bigger team. And it's almost relaxing just to be a bit player instead of being in charge. 

I'm taking a pared down kit with me. Two camera bodies, three lenses. One speed light. Extra batteries. A warm jacket. Several pairs of gloves (and some extras in case someone on the set forgot theirs...). A big, warm hat and a smaller warm hat. 

At the last minute I thought to bring along a small lighting kit, something to keep in the trunk. Just in case. A couple of people in the loop mentioned that they are "going really light." In my mind, after having done hundreds of these over the years, there's almost always a shot or two that needs just one more light than the crew rented....

I've got a 300 watt LED light, a small octabox, a sturdy light stand and a 50 foot extension cord all packed up and ready to go into the trunk of the car. I won't pull them out unless they are needed but extra stuff always comes in handy. And...I was actually, in real life, a Boy Scout. So..... Be Prepared.

My call time is 8 a.m. and I'm making a scheduling exception for this client in that I'll miss my Saturday morning swim workout. With that in mind I hit the 8 a.m. workout this morning and went back for another hour at the noon practice. I should sleep well tonight... 

The location is about 15 minutes from my house and the producer assured me that there would be craft service on site. Including breakfast tacos and hot coffee. Catered lunch. Civilized. 

My pre-shoot prep process is mostly about making sure each camera body has two formatted cards (the second one as back-up), that the cameras are each set up identically for file format, color profiles, WB, and so on. Each camera has two batteries dedicated to it. All four are relatively new SCL-6 Leica batteries which are about 20% more powerful than the SCL-4 batteries that came with the cameras. I also have stash of four more SCL-4 batteries in the gear case in the event that the cold weather robs the batteries of some potency. Also packed is a power bank since both the cameras can be powered via USB. All the batteries are being topped up as I type this...

My main camera is the SL2-S with the 24-90mm lens. It's probably the one I'll use for everything. The back-up camera is an SL2 and I've packed a 35mm f2.0, an 85mm f1.4 and a 135mm f2.8 for use with that camera and as back-ups for the zoom. The 135mm is a Leica R lens on an R to L adapter. It came via UPS yesterday and was tested all morning today. Nice. Fun. Hefty. 

Just got a note from the director of photography. He suggests wearing my Long Johns because it's gonna be cold, cold, cold. Heading to the closet to find mine.... An unusual wardrobe addition for Central Texas but there it is.

I hate to leave stuff to chance. Every shoot gets a pre-shoot shake down and battery charging session. A good way to prevent anxiety at the location. 

First all day shoot of 2025 for me. Can't wait!!!!