Really, it’s that late???
Well it’s 9:57 PM and I’m walking out of the venue after shooting the last show of the night. Hopefully, my train is still running all the way to my stop, because having to make a transfer after a long day of shows is a pain. After what seems like an eternity of dodging panhandlers, sticky seats and slimy subway rails, I realize that I am a “no-go” here, looks like there’s construction on my line once I cross the river, but oh well.
It’s 11:15 and I finally reach my Airbnb. I’m the first one back, so I get to chill for a minute or two before Marquita and Kevin arrive, more than likely looking much like I am looking right now... tired. But before I do anything, my nightly ritual starts... I sit down, open up my case, pull out the memory cards from my camera and start the upload process to my laptop. The first card is going to take about 13 minutes to upload all 2000 images, so I can now take off my hat, shoes and warm up the roast beef and cheddar sandwich I got from the bodega on the way here. I have the first card finished, so I drop in the second and get it going. Time to plug up my camera to charge the batteries for the next day and start the music. I’m kinda in a mid-tempo deep house music mood tonight. Once the second card is finished, it’s time for the hard work.
Since I had to shoot for a designer tonight, I have to go through all the 824 pictures I took at the show and have them sent out before I hit the rack. Shooting for a designer means I didn’t just shoot down the runway, I shot full faces, clothing details, backs and shoes. Unlike portraiture, there are no do overs or “mulligans” as my links walking brethren would say. I have to get it right the first time. Think of a fashion show like this... Imagine all the things that go into planning a wedding and then about how long the ceremony actually lasts and finally what do you actually have to show for it after everything is over with? Nothing but the pictures. Just like a fashion show. But I digress.
Once the color temperature is corrected, each image has to be carefully inspected for usability, starting with ensuring that the feet are in the right position and everything is in tack sharp focus. I’m down to 467. I then go through them again to eliminate the near duplicates. I’m down to 312. Hey the crew is back and they do look tired. Why are they looking at my sandwich like that? Anyway, now I have to choose the ones that are essentially on the same part of the runway. I’m down to 128. Now re-order them so that the backs go along with the fronts. I need to do this, because I shoot the front of one model and then in the middle of that shooting sequence, shoot the back of the previous model. I then go through them one more time to narrow them down even further. I’m down to 98. Lastly, I crop and straighten every image to make sure they are publish ready. Looks good to me, so to Dropbox they go... Wait, it’s 1:12 am and this upload process is going to take 20 minutes. I have an 9:00 am show, which means I have to be at the venue no later than 7:00 am and it’s an 43 minute ride on the train, so I need to be out of the door by 6:15 am, so I’ll have to get up at 5:45am. Even worse, I have another 9 pm show tomorrow night also. Really?? Why do I do this? I look at the images that I just went through and I am reminded that I am one of the privileged few that get to do what I do and see what I see and it’s better than anything else I could imagine doing right now.
