Do you ever ask yourself, “What the hell was I thinking?!”

Do you ever go through your library of photographs, which I often refer to as assets, and ask yourself, “What the hell was I thinking?!” This is especially true when you find a photograph that is horribly executed and composed.

My goal is to begin to keep notes on photographic outings and sessions because over time I forget some details. The image above had a horribly overexposed sky, and the poses were chaotic. I remember this photo shoot fairly well. The shoot featured a heavy metal punk rock band called “Harvest the Flesh” and the group of models was from Metal Maidens. It was an “interesting” session and there were, as I found out when I arrived, two other photographers (I thought I was the only photographer. I had brought some lighting but when I discovered there were other photographers I hadn’t been made aware of I decided not to set up lighting and “just went with it”. I did get some photographs that ended up well.

Overall, the entire thing was well, not what I had envisioned in my mind. I still do this from time to time where I allow myself to get misled into a session and then, well for the lack of a better word, get pissed off and do a mediocre, or less, job. I’m learning to find out more details before arriving. I’m also learning there are a few that have some of the same concepts of lighting and vision. Too many are happy with what I often refer to as snapshots. Setup with little planning, point a camera, and snap pictures. My toxic trait is I get led into that mindset. No more mister, no more. I am doing my thing and just don’t get in my way.