The ideal situation when taking a portrait is that you have time.  You have time to sit and get to know your subject.  You have time to have have them relax in front of the camera.  You have time to try a few different setups.  But that is not always the case, and you have to be able to roll with the punches.  And even when you expect to have the time, and you plan out everything in advance, things change on a dime.  Last Friday we ran a feature on SouthWest Edgecombe High School's football team as part of our sports Friday Football Features series.  We had planned to shoot and interview at 5:30 so I set up all my lights (with the help of our sports writer Nick standing in for a model) and waited for practice to wind down.  I had wanted to try a few different shots with the players and figured I had plenty of daylight to do so (the original plan called for a beautiful blue sky, which we thankfully had).  Six o'clock came and went and the sky continued to darken as the practice went on.  The coach was working the kids hard, and by the time a well run practice ended it was close to seven and the sun was setting fast.  The shot I had planned for had disappeared and I had to quickly adjust my composition.  I cannot thank the coach enough, the light was so much more dramatic and the tones were so rich!  Just goes to show that flexibility is key.