I enjoy buildings and structures. I’m a big fan of symmetry, and buildings frequently top the list of symmetrical things to look at. Our site manager at work clued me in on an architectural shoot that would take place tonight, with an architectural photographer capturing our new building for the use of the architect. The downside is that we weren’t gonna get any of these photos, so she invited Lenny and me to shoot alongside this architectural photographer.

OK, so the first thing I noticed was the photographer’s assistant. The photographer carried his tripod and Canon 1D (of some sort), but the assistant carried camera bag, ladder and whatever else was needed (like picking the fallen leaves off the grass for one shot). The photographer would ask for something from the bag, and the assistant was to produce it quickly. Wow. I’m sure this is the “real world” of photography, but I don’t think I could work like that. I’m just as willing to carry things, and frankly, carrying the bags is only gonna teach the assistant so much… like how to be a porter.

So I watched and listened as the contracted shooter popped photos of this and that, staged folks in the right places and watched him and his assistant running faster and faster the closer it got to sunset. (“Let’s move… now!“) The more I watched, the more I realized I shoot differently than this kind of team. I’m not sure I can exactly put my finger on the difference on their view and mine, but there was definitely a difference. I think they were looking for form and function, and I was looking for color, reflection and symmetry.

It was definitely a different approach to doing things, and was a good thing for me to see. I like my slow methodical way of shooting — although Lenny’s methodical path makes me look like I’m on speed. I believe I’ll continue to not stress over the shoot too much, and remember to treat the folks around me as humans, too. Odds are, they’ll have something to teach me, or see something I’ll miss, and after all, isn’t communication what we’re supposed to be doing as photographers?