Yervant once commented in an interview that he oftentimes would give himself assignments to shoot prior to an actual job - regardless of whether or not it was a wedding or commercial shoot. For instance, he once picked green as a theme and proceeded to shoot images surrounding that color the day before and morning of the shoot. Even when he was driving in to the job he saw a photo for his personal assignment and stopped real quick to shoot it. It relaxed him when he was nervous, got him in a creative thinking mode, and warmed him up.
Just curious: does anyone here have any warm up rituals they go through before a job?
I thought it was interesting, too, that's why I brought it up. For me, I usually review my last gig and think about which shots I missed and wanted or which shots I'd tweak and improve on. Sometimes I'll flip through a WPPI album or come on this forum and check out other people's shots to see which ideas I want to try out as well. But that's about the extent of it for me.
(aside from the usual charging/packing/checking/rechecking/reviewing info)
i always consult my inspiration journal the night before to get psyched up and look for something new to try. if i did an engagement shoot with the couple i also review those pics to spark my memory about angles, poses, and coaching that worked well.
as i'm still in photography school, i've constantly got some sort of project to be focused on, so no extra mini-assignments for me pre-wedding at the moment. i can definitely see myself doing the yervant style prep in the future though - keeps you on your toes and innovative.
