1: 2019 Work Review

Most posts here highlight my personal photography. While how I shoot is similar between my personal and professional work, there are many differences in what I shoot. As 90 percent of my photographic output for the year is job related, I thought I would share some of that work in three, year-end posts.

For those of you who don’t know, here is a short job description. I am the staff photographer for the B.C. provincial government. My responsibilities include covering many of the events at which the Premier participates. I document various annual government events, such as the Speech from the Throne, Budget and the Order of B.C. investiture. I create content for print and web advertising and I also am responsible for making executive portraits across government. My work is published on all of government’s social media channels, appears in print communications materials and is used in marketing campaigns. It is a great mix and I’m rarely sitting still.

As you probably already know, I have been doing my work since 2102, with a variety of Fujifilm X-series cameras and lenses, with a little help from my GFX 50S. My current lineup of gear includes an X-H1, X-T3 plus the three f/2.8 XF zooms, the 8-16mm, 16-55mm and 50-140mm lenses. As I frequently work along side of other photographers, it is interesting to field questions about my gear compared to their average kit, which is often a full-frame DSLR with correspondingly large zooms. As I also came from that world, I can categorically say, I would never go back. With all of the advantages of mirrorless cameras and Fujifilm heritage for lens and colour technology, I do feel that I have the best possible tools for my job.

Aside from my Fujifilm gear, I work with a MacBook Pro laptop loaded with Lightroom CC and Photo Mechanic. As I travel, I work with my road LR catalog and import the photos into my main LR catalog back at the office. If I am using LR mobile on an iPad or iPhone, those photos sync with my main LR catalog when I am back in Victoria. While my cataloging, editing and delivery are Lightroom-based, I import photos from my SD cards using Photo Mechanic. I find it the fastest way to preview and select which images I need to have in my LR catalog.

For a typical event shoot, I will post photos to the government Flickr account within an hour of the event ending. If I am travelling with the Premier to multiple events in a day (this is the typical), I may try to deliver a few photos using LR mobile as we travel between events, if there is the need for a fast social media push. Otherwise, the editing and delivery happens at the end of the day.

To get my job done, I need all of the mechanics to just work. No surprises. As I am frequently navigating through a variety of locations, travel modes and accommodations, I really want everything else to work without incident. Having equipment that delivers consistent excellent results is a must. As is having a well-rehearsed workflow. In the next two posts, I’ll write about the two other important aspects of getting my job done, relationships with people and making images that matter.

NB: All images captured with Fujifilm X-series cameras, fronted by Fujinon XF lenses.