HOT SHOTS

Tips from Zaio’s star photographers

Jane Hutchinson, Zaio’s Manager of Photographer Training, offers photographers this productivity-boosting tip gained through her personal field experience.

When I photographed in Colorado Springs my productivity was very good right from the start. As my daily totals rose, I adopted the following practices to maintain my quantity and quality:

1) I spent about 15 minutes each morning planning out my route. I kept notes directly on the map I was using in the field. Using highlighter and regular pens I marked areas I’d completed, identified properties with issues, and noted exact borders from the previous day’s work. I had a full zone map at home that showed my progress.

2) I did my best to make sure I was out of the house and in my zone starting photography as early as light allowed. This was critical to getting me in motion and taking advantage of having high energy in the morning; plus, in the mornings, there always seemed to be far fewer homeowners asking me what I was doing.

3) Energy! I always carried around an extra can of pop and a chocolate bar to give me a boost in the last one or two hours of work. You can't afford to have low blood sugar affect your attitude or lower your hourly/daily goals.

4) Have a good breakfast, take 10 minutes in the street to get your legs warmed up, then push hard for the first four hours of the day when your energy is naturally highest. Have lots of water with you. If you plan on trying to photograph in the evening (6:30-8 p.m.), take a break. Eat a good meal, have a shower, and go back to work feeling totally refreshed and ambitious.

Essentially, my high productivity came from full, realistic visualization of my goals and by ensuring that I had the energy and focus through the entire day to meet my goals or exceed them. Set a goal of at least 600 daily, get there and then exceed it regularly. It all depends on being prepared at the start and through the whole day.

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