Humbled*

Apparently every now and again I need a reality check. Something to make me stop, think and learn. Last night Shawn's band Mis-Fit had a gig at the good old rock club Jaxx. Jaxx is a great place to get photos of the band because they have a decent light show that makes it possible to shoot without a flash. And this band doesn't play that often, so it's important to me to get some great photos. Well, I had been on a roll of getting some great photos without having to put a ton of planning and thought into the whole thing. And for a gig, I am there to have some fun too.

For last night's gig I decided to use only the zoom lens. I was trying to not be up in the guys' faces, right in front of them with the camera, so I thought I would give the zoom lens a try. There was a slight nagging in the back of my mind that this lens just wouldn't be fast enough in the lower light, zoomed all the way but the desire to not lug a bunch of gear won over. Lesson 1: ALWAYS listen to your intuition. I knew I should have brought the wide angle for this show but went against my intuition.

Lesson 2: Don't be attached to ANY outcome. I've been pissed and totally disappointed about it since 2:30am this morning, when I downloaded the photos. I was so attached to one outcome, that I didn't give mind room for another. Which leads to Lesson 3: A little humility goes a long way.

Maybe if I had been a little more humble about getting great shots, I would have actually taken some. I was certain I would get some great shots, in spite of what my intuition was telling me. Surely the outcome would be like 50+ great shots, like always. Uh, no. Try like, 5 good shots.

So now, with a little humilty in my pocket, I will salvage what photos there are, fix what I can and move on. However, I will move on in the future by preparing myself for ALL photo shoots. Reviewing notes, processes, etc... so that I will make the best decisions for gear, lighting and being a good photographer. And you can bet for sure, I will be listening to my intution.

On a brighter note ... my friend got a great shot of me and my husband. This photo alone is worth all the duds I took. And evidently I shot some good video, which was more important to Shawn.