I have recently had cause to question what makes a photographer a professional.
There are a lot of things that could be seen as basic expectations, but for me is the very real issue of depth. You have to get the shot.
If you need something, then no matter how good or reliable it may be, professionally you need two or more. Shit, as they say, happens. This comes up time and again.
Twice recently, I have covered events with my backup cameras. Regularly I need a second or even third flash and/or battery change and as often as not, that lens I threw in last minute as a “just in case”, ends up being the work horse of the day. I have got to start trusting that little voice more.
Down stream, more cards and camera batteries, easily sourced accessories like light stands, even filters can all be needed at short notice and when they are, they are.
Minutes after arriving at this school formal, I was faced with the EM1 Mk2, my workhorse daily camera, not firing my YN560 flash (for some reason, most of them are playing up on EM1 and G9 cameras, then fire fine on the EM10’s and 5’s), but oddly the dedicated remote works on all of them). The little EM10 Mk2, thrown in as an option, ended up doing the whole night.
This also applies to plans. Many a time I have had an idea in my head, a pre-visualisation, only to be faced with a totally different situation or a random call mid trip to turn around and cover an unscheduled event requiring gear at the other end of the spectrum.
If I even think something may be an outside chance, then I need to make sure I cover it.
My daily bag has two ways of tackling each situation.
I use two cameras, because one just seems…….disrespectful of my client or employer. For every zoom there is a fast prime, for every fast prime there is a lighting option, for every lighting option, there is another, for every modifier there are more. Everything that relies on something like cards or batteries has backups either in or near the device.
I even carry four pens.