Senior moment

Kathy Combs prepares for her production performance at Cinema Ballroom with pro Spencer Baloga Loufek.

I got an urgent message from a client recently who needed a senior photo of her son, pronto. It would just take an hour, she said. She wanted shots by Minnehaha Falls in Minneapolis. I agreed to do it. I normally charge an extra fee for rush orders but I waived it this time. My “one-hour” fee would have to cover an hour of shooting, 50 minutes of round-trip travel and three hours of editing and retouching.

I enjoyed the shoot. It was a beautiful day and a great way to wrap up the weekend after my shift at National Camera Exchange in Golden Valley, Minnesota. The young man I shot was quite pleasant. I’ve known him for about six years but haven’t seen him in some time, and I was pleased to see how he has matured. I shot his sister’s quinceañera recently so I was happy to be trusted by the family for repeat business.

I edited the photos quickly, retouching most of the best ones. Then it occurred to me that the short deadline might be because these are intended for the yearbook. My client had neglected to tell me that, or to send me the yearbook photo requirements until after I called to ask about this. Generally, school districts insist on a uniform, plain dark background for yearbook photos. This ensures uniformity in the look of the page. I offered a quick studio shot at no charge. However, some districts allow photos taken outdoors, and that was the case for this young man. So it worked out. That was a relief, because I had another big job in the wings.

I shot tech rehearsals for a two-day dance production at my ballroom studio. Another photographer who’d been asked to photograph the performances later turned down the job, so I stepped in at the last minute. The performances are short skits based on a theme. This year, they were interpreting movies. My own skit interpreted Terminator 2. Because I was dancing, I had my daughter shoot my skit, plus a couple of others while I changed. She also shot for the fun it from time to time when I was working. I was honored to be shooting side-by-side with this talented young woman. But that’s another story.

We were shooting on silent mode because we were next to a video camera and so as not to disturb the audience. This makes it hard to gauge how many shots you’re taking. When I wrapped up the two-day shoot, I had about 9,000 photos, including those from the rehearsals that I shot on spec. My contract called for delivery of (minimally) edited photographs within a week. I worked night and day until I was cross-eyed, but finished the job just in time. The ballroom will upload them to a site that lets the dancers choose copies (digital or print). I cannot share these photos without permission of the ballroom, which is selling them. Eventually, I may post some to my web page and other locations to promote my photography business.

When you hire a photographer, please try to remember that your money covers more than just the creative services fee. It takes time to prep the gear, plan the shoot, upload the images for editing, back up the images, edit the images and then transfer them to the client or get them printed and delivered. A professional will do whatever it takes to produce the best images for you. Planning ahead helps everyone get the best experience.

Martin Pickering, a professional ballroom dancer, rehearses with Aimee Neumann for their interpretation of Moulin Rouge.

If you’re interested in family photos for holiday cards, senior photos, calendars or special events coverage, give me a call and we can start a conversation.