Roswell Fire Department [Nikon D5, Sigma 24-105mm ƒ/4, ISO 7200, ƒ/4, 1/100]
I have two fellow photojournalists that I love to hire when I need help. One is Robin Nelson, and the other is Michael Schwarz when meeting tight deadlines.
What all three of us have in common are newspaper and wire service backgrounds.
I have realized that we have a lot in common with Fire Fighters over the years. Have you ever visited a Fire Station? I know I did as a young preschooler.
You will notice they are ready to go at a moment’s notice. They have firefighter pants [Heat and Flame Resistant Clothing] with suspenders over their boots. Jacket hanging with their helmet and breathing unit nearby.
They are not there when they come back from a fire. Once they return to the firehouse, their first mission is to get everything ready to roll. They clean their uniforms; they tend the trucks, and any of the supplies that need restocking are done.
99% of the photographers I meet, if they were firefighters, would not have their boots and uniforms ready to go out the door.
What A.S.A.P Means to Wire Service
Shooting for a wire service like Associated Press means you get a shot, and as fast as you can get it out of the camera to your computer to caption it and upload it to the Associated Press server is expected. This “fast as you can” usually means less than 15 minutes, not like 2 or 3 weeks.
Each of us asks the client, “When is your deadline?” What surprises us is when they say A.S.A.P. each of us finds ourselves asking what they mean. Do you want it right after the event, the next day, or when?
When they say A.S.A.P., we all think we are ready to bring our laptops and turn them around in minutes, not days.
Why turn it around right away?
When I shoot about anything, I try my best to edit those images and get them to the client immediately. When I shot some weddings, which I rarely do, I had 2,500+ ideas for the bride and groom before leaving for their following honeymoon.
You see, my goal is to be ready like a firefighter. Too many photographers I have called to do assignments that have been too busy to take on another job. They were dynamic editing.
If you approach being a professional photographer the way firefighters do, you come home from a job and maybe go to bed, but the first thing you do is get that job edited and off the computer to the client.
The first thing I do is pull all my batteries and recharge them while editing. Once I have ingested the cards and have a backup, I reformat them so they are ready to shoot a new job.
I have different lighting kits ready for a various types of jobs. I have a speed light kit, studio strobe kit(s), and a video light kit prepared for any kind of jobs.
Once those images are delivered, I also scan all those receipts and create an invoice that goes to the client.
You could rarely call me, and I am not ready at that moment to walk out the door for any assignment. The only thing I can think of that would delay me getting on the plane anywhere in the world is only if the country requires a visa.
If you were to approach your business by getting your photography to the clients immediately and having your gear fresh and ready to go, your business would be on fire for the right reasons.