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Going pro: carry your own equipment if you can
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Take responsibility for your photo gear
This is the first of an ongoing series about what it really takes to be a professional photographer.
Imagine for a moment that you're running a photo session. It could be a wedding, a corporate event or even a modeling shoot, but it takes place in multiple locations. You've got an assistant, and you've entrusted him to carry some of your gear. Wrapping up at one location, all you pile into multiple cars, and your assistant takes off in his. You go in yours. When you arrive, for one reason or another, the gear your assistant had doesn't make it. Either he doesn't get there (he wasn't supposed to be part of this second phase of the shoot) or he left it behind. Either way, there's critical lenses and other stuff that you don't have access to for the rest of the day and you can't just stop. You shoot with what you've got, kicking yourself that you can't zoom in a little closer or that you have to change lenses more often because you're missing a spare body.
Think this doesn't happen often? Think again. More phot shoots go awry because of missing equipment than malfunctioning equipment and much of it could be avoided. Had an assistant simply put the gear in your vehicle for transport, whether he makes it or not, you've still got your stuff. Had you double checked the bags as they were loaded, you'd be good to go.
I know, that's why you have a good assistant. The best photography teams I've seen and worked with travel together unless it's unavoidable, so there's no question of equipment or assistant arriving. And if you've got an assistant you trust, you have no worries anyway. But it's better to be safe than sorry, and if you can't get the shots that you and your client want because of missing equipment, it's your reputation.
So, just like you've tweaked your editing workflow, tweak your shooting workflow too. Label your bags and gear, and insist that specific gear goes in specific bags (Gear labeled with a "1" goes in bag 1, etc.). It will actually make your helpers life easier so that they he or she doesn't need to worry about fit or that they're missing something. Tape an inventory to the inside of the bag so that no one misses anything. Make sure it all goes in your vehicle, unless it's your team's personal gear. Never, ever miss a shot because you're missing a lens.
