Not every photography day is a shoot day.
Some days are a little less glamorous. Cleaning glass. Charging batteries. Checking memory cards. Making sure the flash fires when it should. Looking over the camera bag and realizing, yep, there is always one more tiny thing to sort out.
Today started as one of those stuck-at-home mornings. I was waiting around for alarm testing, so instead of wasting the time, I cleaned up the kitchen table, gave it a little oil, and used the morning to go through some of my photo gear.
Nothing fancy. Just real prep.
The camera in the photo is part of the kit I use for portraits, family sessions, pets, events, and the odd “let’s chase some good light around the Fraser Valley” kind of shoot. The flash is there because lighting matters, especially around here where the weather can change its mind every fifteen minutes.
This is the side of photography people do not always see.
Before a session, there is a lot of little stuff that has to be boring on purpose:
Batteries charged.
Cards checked.
Lenses cleaned.
Camera settings looked over.
Backup gear ready.
Everything packed in a way that makes sense when it actually matters.
I like gear, no secret there. But the point is not to show off a table full of toys. The point is to be ready when a family is standing in front of me, or a couple has ten minutes of perfect light, or a dog finally decides to sit still for half a second.
That is when the boring prep pays off.
For me, photography is not just pressing the button. It is showing up ready, paying attention, and keeping the session relaxed enough that people can actually look like themselves.
So today was a maintenance day.
Quiet, simple, useful.
And honestly, those days count too.
Tyson Sawchuk Photography
Chilliwack / Fraser Valley