Last week my husband made Egg Roll In A Bowl for dinner. It’s one of our favourite quick weeknight meals that can be made from start to finish in less than half an hour. 90% of the time I make it, but this time, I was working, so my husband made it. I sent him the recipe, he tossed the tea towel over his shoulder (which he learned from Antoni on Queer Eye), and he got busy.

We sit down to eat and a few bites in he says, “this is good, but it doesn’t taste like yours….why can I never get anything to taste like yours?”

(Side note: inside my head I’m cheering here, because really, I like being better at things.)

“Because I don’t follow the recipe”, I say.

“But you SENT ME THE RECIPE!”

“Ya, it’s a base….but I don’t actually measure.”

This. Drives. Him. Nuts. 🙄

He’s a recipe follower. Down to the 1/8th of a tsp of salt. He doesn’t understand why I’d bother to even have a recipe if I don’t follow it at all.

Me? It’s a guideline. It’s a starting structure, then I mostly wing it with actual measurements. Usually, I add in extra ginger, but you know, I don’t tell him that. 😉(We all need our secrets, right?)

But, here’s the thing….

This is sort of my method in life.

Except with my calendar….my calendar follows a very specific colour coded, down to the minute method that cannot be messed with.

But everything else? I like a rough outline and the freedom to make it mine.

This is how I work during photo sessions too.

Do I know what I want to accomplish with each and every session?

Yes.

Always. I always go into every session with a goal.

Get a great family shot with everyone looking. Capture connection. Convince the kiddo that smiling is good. Create joy. Make it fun. Ease fears.

Just as every session is different, every goal is different – but there always is one.

That goal dictates the flow and the order of the session.

But, it won’t mean that we’re going to go from pose a to pose b to pose c. Tilt your head this way, just one more inch to the right, robot arms over here, hold your breath.

Honest truth? There are many photographers who can do that.

But the difference between a decent photographer and a great one is the ability to be flexible.

To add extra ginger and know that it’ll all work out.

To have the finished dish be one that nobody else can recreate.

You want someone who knows that great photos are about more than where your pinky finger is placed. It’s about a memorable experience, genuine laughs, honest connection, not needing a drink after it’s all done, and being jazzed to hang the images on your walls.

P.S. Itching for the Egg Roll In a Bowl Recipe? Here’s the one I don’t follow. Hot tip: extra ginger.