Jaime's Bat Mitzvah

Yakov's straight on approach ^
 my more modern perspective^

...or "An exercise in two shooters"

an entry by Staff Photographer Rachel Fus

When Don sends out Yakov and I on shoots together he always gives the same instructions:

1) synchronize your time clocks

2) put your shutters on single servo

3) DON'T SHOOT THE SAME THING

The first two make perfect sense: time sync is important for combining the frames from both cameras into one fluid shoot. The single servo is because we both shoot like fiends and he doesn't like it when we come home when 2000 images when 1000 would do. 

His last request is always rather puzzling at first glance, though.  When a bride is throwing a bouquet, or in this case, a 13 year old is lighting her candles, when all eyes are on a single event, shouldn't we be paying attention too? 

The answer is yes, but he doesn't pay the both of us so that we can come home with the same 400 photos. So when Yakov is taking the straight on, getting the "money" shot, I go crazy. I'm the lucky one who gets to be creative. I take the side angle or find the balcony. Slow down the shutter for blur, letting the ambient light in. Get low, get high, get wide, get tight...then turn the camera in the opposite direction and start all over again.

But our job splits in other ways as well. I didn't realise until I was integrating the job today that while I was concentrating on the kids in the ballroom, Yakov was capturing a whole other party with the adults at the bar. Later, when we were taking family portraits, Yakov arranged the bigger picture (making sure all heads were visable) while it was my duty to catch the details (the clasp of mom's necklace, Jaime's stray lock of hair, the aunt still clutching a napkin). 

Together, Yakov and I produced, what I think, is some of our best work to date. It's about trust, anticipation, and teamwork. "It's all about the experience"...? I think Don just made a new believer out of me.