A New School Year is at Hand

What a crazy week, full of school, seniors, headshots, and a couple celebrating their fiftieth-anniversary photography. Thursday was picture day at a high school I work with; with a student body of almost five hundred, it is a tremendous task all fit into one morning. It takes everyone on my staff to complete this in the time frame the school requires because we take the photo, and the computer automatically saves the image. We have already received the student database from the school and loaded it on the computer, matching the picture, student information, and order. This method allows us to confirm the photo is ok before moving on to the next subject. In the past, you could not be sure of the picture as the photographer made it, you did your best to make sure there wasn't a blink, but that did happen regularly, requiring a "retake" day which included more work, setup, and expense. Information about the student is in the database, which allows the lab to prepare the photos for delivery by the teacher, grade, or homeroom. The main challenge +requires the photographer or me to stand and take these photos for four continuous hours without a break except for a brief moment to get a drink to stay hydrated, which I recently discovered was the most important thing to make the shoot successful. Coffee and a Coke were all I had that morning; not a wise choice, as I was about to find out.