Got a surprise phone call yesterday! - Outdoor Photography Advice

[Tintype_18]

The Caller ID showed it to be a fellow who is a member of an outdoor organization located on Blue Ridge, GA. He asked about my schedule for April 29th. I was OK for that day. He next asked if I would be the photographer for the event. How could I refuse? I attended last year and submitted an article and photos for a Chattanooga TV online news. I was pleased with the photos last year. Will be taking lots of photos, making sure I have charged batteries and extra memory cards but doubt If I will fill the 16 GB card. I guess this would be my first official commission for photography. I plan on experimenting more with my camera to make sure I know what and how to handle certain situations. I have a Canon T7 and the three lenses are: 18-55mm, 75-300mm, 28-135mm. All will be outdoors. Thanks for reading. Any advice is most appreciated.

[rs-eos]

Double-check that you'll be capturing RAW.  Although it may also be beneficial to capture RAW+JPEG in case images need to be supplied quickly for review.

If you have a circular polarizer for your lenses, that may be good to bring along as well.

[Tintype_18]

I can use both RAW and jpg. Good idea as I have found editing in PSE might take a while. I just got a new laptop and the transfer of data wiped out the folders had on PSE.😫 Got the info to start again. Have the CPL, too. Need to practice with it. Used it for photos of a fish hatchery to cut the glare. Worked good. Thanks for your help.

[Tronhard]

Take several cards in case you have a failure or actually do fill one up - better too many than too few images.

[ebiggs1]

"Take several cards in case you have a failure or actually do fill one up - better too many than too few images."

I've done this type work a thousand times. I like this advice but a little further explanation is change SD cards even though it is not full. I generally have a round 6 CF cards when I do these shoots. In others words spread the risk.

There is no coming back with a sorry excuse if you missed that shot because.............fill in the blank. You will never get asked again and word will get around that you can't be trusted to do a good through job. Redundancy is the name of the game. Several SD cards, several batteries and yes dups in lenses and cameras. I can proudly say I never lost a shoot in my 40+ years of doing this work. Lost images, yes, but never a washout and you will too if you do them many, many times.

"that you'll be capturing RAW.  Although it may also be beneficial to capture RAW+JPEG in case images"

Absolutely shoot Raw but jpg as a rule are not necessary or ever needed. However, in your case since the T7 has only one SD card, Raw+jpg could be an extra safety measure. Again although, unlikely to ever be needed since a corrupted SD will lose both the Raw and the jjg. My 1 Series has two memory cards so I save a Raw to each one.

Redundancy, it's the name of safety. Good luck.

[ebiggs1]

" I plan on experimenting more with my camera to make sure I know what and how to handle certain situations."

You mean "before" the shoot? Never, never, ever try new stuff on a job or an important shoot. Stick with what you know.

[ebiggs1]

"I can use both RAW and jpg. Good idea as I have found editing in PSE might take a while."

It is a rotten idea if you think editing the jpg is better because it might be faster.  The thought of shooting Raw+jpg only makes sense in the case the Raw file got corrupted and you have the jpg as a backup. Look its your shoot you can do whatever the heck you want makes no difference to me but if I were you my best would be the only thing I would consider. There are lots of guys that offer, well, let's say "good enough" photos to be kind. Is that you?

Are you in that group?

[rs-eos]

Yea, should have clarified when I added that advice for RAW+JPEG.  I didn't mean in regards of faster editing.  It was in regarding to being able to quickly hand off images for any review process.  i.e. you can just gather up those JPEG images right after the shoot and upload them.

Any later edits should definitely be done on the RAW images.

[Tintype_18]

Trying to make a combined reply here. I take extra charged batteries and have three memory cards in the backpack. I shoot both as if I'm pressed for time, I can tweak a jpg real quick like a bunny. I also have PSE 2021 but I'm having to go back and reload the files is had before I got a new laptop. I'm aware that PSE would give the best for editing and give the best final photo. Lost a bunch of other things including a PP that I spent a lot of time to assemble.😫 The shoot isn't until April 29th so I have some time.

[ebiggs1]

I really don't understand a lot of what you just replied. I often take my laptop to shoots. Actually most of them. Sometimes it is tethered to my camera so I see the images immediately. Look, once again, it's your shoot you do as you see fit but for myself I give my best on every shoot or I don't do it at all. If people put enough faith in me to trust me to do their event, I think they deserve my best effort and nothing less. That is redundant backups, several memory cards, batteries, gear, etc., whatever. Plus a full data Raw image that I will personally edit one photo at a time.

BTW, nobody ever sees the less than the best "bad" ones!