In Your Shoes - Shahbaz

Planning the week

Given my type of business is not your typical 9-5, Monday to Friday - the working hours can vary greatly and that keeps me on my toes!

As much as I would love to just take pictures and that be the end of it, the images require processing from the camera capture so this often is a time consuming task when you have had a busy week of shooting.

So first order of business is to ensure the shoots that need post-processing completed are identified and scheduled in for the week. Images from previous shoots are imported, catalogued and tagged with keywords and descriptons so that they can be found easily in future.

I often get requests for images taken during a particular time of year and day so this makes it easier to find to produce custom contact sheets when the time comes.

Social planning

Often picking a handful of images from the public shoots that will be used as cover shots, i.e. the ones I promote on social media to show on-going work whether it is for my portfolio or simply showcasing the views/landscapes/sunsets I captured recently. Picking an image to post, writing a description and then picking hastags, then having multiple versions for the various channels makes it quite a loborious task but one that must be done.

Nowadays, I am experimenting with short videos and reels as well as the static images I tend to upload in order to keep the content fresh.

Drone planning

The planning on the drone side of the work is often time-consuming too - from planning landing/take-off points, flight paths, identifying restricted zones, permissions, wind/weather forecasts, risk assesments and then hoping the weather plays ball - a lot to plan but often the images/video you get make it all worthwhile.

Just like my landscape images, I try and make my drone images stand out from the norm by capturing them during the best light/conditions and that has helped me stand out in terms of the service and results I can deliver. I just love when my images are used to promoted the City and local businesses and indeed wider Scotland.

Planning for other exciting trips later in the year involving boats and possibly helicopters!

Selling

I sell my work online so often several times during the week I am printing images, packing and shipping all myself so spare rooms often look like a warehouse with materials everywhere. Some days there can be so many packages waiting to be collected or dropped off for delivery. I produce each print myself to ensure the absolute best quality and sometimes my kids lend a hand with the parcels so it truly is a personal service! Always interesting seeing the format of addresses in Europe or the US and looking up where some of the places are that my prints/books are heading off too. I keep saying I need to put together a world map to I can pin the locations on them but for another day for now.

It's true that the business side is the far more time consuming part than the actual taking of pictures!

Every now and again, you get a custom commission to produce one-off pieces in an unusual finish and extremely large size and those take up a lot more planning than you think - definately more things that can go wrong getting it perfect.

Meetings

Preparing for meetings with curated images of some of my work and media shots of me for interviews with various organisations who are writing about some of my successes/recent news. Love getting the emails and messages from complete strangers who saw me on the TV and went out of their way to look me up and send me comments. I feel so lucky and always brought down to Earth very quickly when I tell my young girls who simply aren't interested and just want to know why the WiFi is so slow.

A decent microphone and a light go a long way to looking professional on remote meetings and for my presentations to camera clubs. I can be going for 2.5/3 hrs flat without a break so it can be exhausting especially when it goes on longer because people have so many questions they want to ask.

Most home working setups probably look like mini studios these days.

Not your average weekend

The weekend brings outings for my own visits to either new places or my go to locations in order to keep on capturing new and up-to-date imagery. I find I am taking less and less images as the years progress but nothing makes me happier than being out someplace capturing the conditions and especially when I know I got a great result - definitely don't need coffee for the drive home on those occassions! This might not sound like it but is a great way to unwind and relax, even when you drive through the night to reach somewhere for sunrise/are on the go all day and then not back til late, the rush from having a very succesful trip more than makes up for the work.

But I do take time with the family too and they tag along sometimes too or there are visits to places where the camera is most certainly not allowed and I enjoy those times just as much. Spending time with my young family is also very important for me - can't all be work, work, work.

My kids always find it funny that people stop to say hi when they see me capturing photos in Newport or down at the V&A/Waterfront/Riverside/Broughty Ferry (some of my go-to locations). A lot of times the conversation goes along the lines of them seeing a photo on social media and they encourage me to check this particular photo that they saw on Instagram/Facebook and proceed to show me one of my images. I rarely admit it's my work as I don't want to embarass anyone but nothing makes me prouder to hear such wonderful comments anonymously. Other times, people chat away as if they have known me for years but they only know me from seeing my work online and have come over to say hi or to ask for some advice - I would be lying if I said it didn't make me very proud.