When you work as a professional fashion photographer, the one thing that matters the most to you is your reputation. As your entire career is based on your reputation, and you would go out of your way to make sure your reputation stays intact. This is something that you can only understand when you have worked for years, going out of your way to ensure that your reputation does not get tarnished. One of the things that help me keep my reputation intact, is the fact that I allow extra time.
Yes, I understand that we are all in some race to the finish line, which is why we are constantly on the go. However, I do not believe in rushing through my work, as I focus on quality rather than quantity. It is the simple rules I have set for myself that allow me to the ability to keep up with the image and reputation I have to build on for years. The one thing you should know about fashion photography sets is that things tend to go wrong. So you can either get the things done with what you have, or you could be generous with time and get the job done the right way.
I understand that there are a lot of people involved in a single shot, and each one of them is on the clock. They might have other commitments, but if you take out the time to explain the importance of giving extra time to get the job done right, you will be able to see the difference in work. No matter how smooth you can be, there will come a time when your images will start to show off the rushed job and sloppy finish.
[pullquote]I do not believe in rushing through my work, as I focus on quality rather than quantity.[/pullquote]
Which is why if you ever find yourself in a position where you have to sacrifice between time and quality, then you should always sacrifice time. As you need to understand what is at stake here, and the day you start offering lower quality work, is the day your downfall starts. This is what I tell to my team, that there is no need to rush through anything. There will be more projects, only if we are able to keep up with the quality of work.
So when you enter the professional world, you need to learn the art of mastering time management. It is not easy and might take days and weeks to perfect it, but it is something that can help you advance your career. In addition, to allowing a little headway. As there is no way everything will happen according to your plan, and clock. And for such days, you need to think about the bigger picture and allow extra time. This will not only save the day, it will help you save your career, and possibly someone else. Some professional courtesy can go a long way, and someday someone might offer you the same courtesy you once allowed them.
