A few weeks ago, I decided to use model Caroline Dietlin Velez for a test shoot in Charleston, SC. Caroline was perfect for a vision I had for this particular location I found a few months earlier in downtown Charleston. After swapping ideas back and forth with Caroline she also had a location or two that sounded intriguing. We began with the first one which was a house that had recently burned down but half of it’s structure still stood. After a brief inspection of the house it looked safe enough to take some photos inside and I figured as long as I was extra careful I’d be just fine.

I was trying to catch more sunlight coming into the house from a hole in the roof like I did in the photo above to create some lens flare and then trouble struck. My right leg went completely through the floor and on my way down my brand new Canon 5D Mark II (Only used once) hit the ground as well. I guess I skipped the pain part because I was more worried about my camera than what just happened to me. The pocket wizard snapped right off the camera. A brand new pocket wizard I might add. Talk about luck. I was surprised the camera wasn’t broken after how hard it hit the ground. This is a testament that Canon really makes some heavy duty cameras. My camera now has some battle scars but it will more importantly remind me not to go into houses that don’t look safe. I should have known better after watching all of those Holmes on Homes episodes I’ve seen on HGTV!

Upon arriving at the initial location I had planned to use, there were a nice array of trash cans lining the sidewalk and totally blocking the view of the building. It also looked like someone had moved into the building and I didn’t want to intrude and use their home without permission. Everything I had planned on doing with this location fell apart and I obviously couldn’t shoot or use it in any way. Lucky for me, Caroline’s second location in mind was to use an abandoned gas station not too far away. When I got to this location I looked around and placed Caroline next to a small tree in the parking lot. I think Caroline was a bit confused as to why I was making her stand next to this tree until I showed her the test shots!

This photo shoot was a perfect example of when things don’t go as planned but end up working out in the end. I’ve learned not to lose my cool but rather roll with it. You never know what you can create when you are led in a different direction.