As a creative person, whether you’re an artist, a musician, or a photographer, it’s hard to give up control. Even though we might avoid asking others for help, it can certainly be necessary, and ultimately beneficial.
Case in point: I have three photo shoots scheduled out of state next week, and at this moment, I don’t know where any of them are taking place.
For me, this is terrifying on a couple levels.
First, for a quality vehicle photo shoot, location can be EVERYTHING. The wrong background, and a great car can appear mediocre. I like to say ‘The car is the star’, but a questionable location can neutralize an otherwise killer shot.
Second, since I’m not in the area, I must enlist the car owners to do the location scouting, something I normally do myself. I need their help in finding just the right spot.
I try to give a few suggestions of what would look good for their particular car, and send them out into their world to scout potential shoot spots. What happens next is usually a back and forth exchange of emails and photos, narrowing down what they found to what we both think works the best.
When shoot day arrives, 95% of the time it works out great. The other 5% we need to call an audible and find a new location in a hurry. I’ve been kicked out of places, had a location just be too small to shoot in, and of course there’s that time the Cops shut us down (at least we were done when they arrived).
Looking back through my 20 (so far) magazine cover pieces, eight of them were taken at locations where I had to ask the owner for help.
This set of circumstances is just one example of relying on the help of others. As much as we may not like having to do it, since it can be uncomfortable or intimidating, asking for help can absolutely be advantageous. So open up, don’t be frightened to say ‘Hey, I could use your help’.
I’m sure the three shoots I mentioned above are going to be awesome, I just need help in getting them there, so I asked.
Are you ready? I'm ready.
Eric
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