Plan B: Avoid these frustrating photography mistakes

Flat battery. Loss of files. Make sure to have a great plan B to avoid these common and frustrating photography mistakes!

Four frustrating and avoidable mistakes

Mistake #1: Low/dead battery

Checking the condition of a battery takes two seconds. A big two seconds that can save a lot of trouble. Make it a habit to check them before and after every photoshoot.

Also, make sure you always have an extra battery or two charged in your camera bag. There is nothing more stressful (and embarrassing) than arriving at a shoot to find that you are out of power!

Mistake #2: Camera and equipment failure

Technology being what it is, it is better to be cautious about its reliability. It happened to me a few times — for reasons totally unknown — that one of my cameras didn’t cooperate during a photoshoot. Have I had a single camera with me, the whole project would’ve been ruined (and so would my credibility).

Keep an extra camera and lens in your bag JUST IN CASE (even if it’s an older model) to avoid an unfortunate … and frankly embarrassing situation!

Mistake #3: Not enough space on the memory card

A bit like for the dead battery situation, nice and expensive equipment becomes totally useless if we can’t save pictures! In addition to formatting my memory cards regularly (read: After each session), I also keep one or two extra ones in my camera bag. Just in case.

Another little tip to avoid breakage or lack of space: Invest in good quality cards that can keep a decent amount of files (ex: 16GB and higher).

Mistake #4: File loss

It’s cool to take all these pictures but if you don’t store them properly, you risk losing the fruits of your labor at any moment. Make a backup of your files by saving them on two hard drives instead of a single one.

A broken hard drive can happen much faster than the months — or years — it took to get the photos on it! Again, this is an additional upfront expense that is really only an investment in your work – and your peace of mind.

Hurray for plan B!

Is preparation an exciting and sexy part for photographer? Not really. Can prepping save our butts? ABSOLUTELY. Having a plan B prevents predictable and frustrating photography mistakes that are entirely within our control.

Moral of the story: Have everything — or almost everything — in duplicate. Yes, it incurs extra costs at the beginning, but I guarantee it’s very little compared to what it might cost if you don’t. And once Plan B is in place … all that’s left to do is have fun and enjoy the moment with peace of mind!