Being a professional is less about what gear you have and more about how you prepare for a shoot and how you handle yourself during the shoot.

Whenever I shoot a wedding, I scout the location several days in advance, at the time the wedding will take place. This shows me how and where the light will be at the wedding, and I know to prepare for sun or shade. I get familiar with the venue layout which helps me find good angles to shoot from and move between locations faster. Scouting the location also allows me to start thinking about the photos several days in advance. That way I can go into the day with a game plan. I know all the cool, interesting spots for photos and how the light will be for the ceremony. On the day of the wedding, I show up early, and I can change my plans to work with any changes at the venue. Spending the extra time preparing allows me much more freedom to make great photos on the day.

Scouting the location allows me to become familiar with the venue and aware of any environmental obstacles I’ll have to deal with. As a professional photographer you should always be aware of your environment. I repeat, always be aware of your environment. I did some volunteer work for a community theater several years ago and getting the shot often required me to shoot from the edge of the stage. One wrong move and I’d fall anywhere from 6 to 10 feet. So I’ve learned to always be aware of my environment. I don’t think I can stress how important this is. I can take a quick glance at my feet and see what’s a few feet behind me. Being aware of my environment puts me at a huge advantage when navigating around guests, aisles or other obstacles as I get the shot.

I’ve seen this video circulating around the internet of the past couple days.

My first thought was, “Wow! I would never allow that to happen to me.”