I can walk on stage at Drury Lane in front of 3000 people without a shudder, sit behind a drum kit at The Albert Hall, (even with it's notoriously bad fold-back) and kick it, I can even walk out of my trailer, do 15 takes because of helicopter noise, and love every minute of it.
But ask me to shoot that "I DO" moment and I'm losing sleep for a week.
So how to cope?
I always like to start with a bit research and planning, in fact I love it. In this case meeting the couple, scouting the venue and having a chat with the registrar. Then it's time to have a long hard look in your tool bag and see where you're at. Learning new techniques and challenging yourself keeps you on point and your work fresh.
As an actor, your technique is the foundation on which everything else sits, you forget that at your peril, the same applies to photography. Media photography especially, requires you to adapt quickly to a constantly changing frame in low light conditions, you haven't got the luxury of metering everything as you would in the studio.
You need to understand your gear, what it can and can't do, and how to get the best from it in any situation. Understanding this frees you up and allows you to focus on the storytelling, as the day itself is a living thing; constantly changing and evolving, every bit as demanding as shooting on a film set.
The mantra has to be:
Trust your prep
Know your gear
Make a plan ... but always, always, be prepared to change it.
After all, who could have planned for a fire crew turning up before the happy couple could cut the cake?
laters
good blog Tim, interesting stuff.
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