Three days, 32 bands, and a whole lot of rain. Here's what covering Bunbury Music Festival taught me about reliable event photography — and why preparation matters as much as the shot.

Columbus was drying out from an overnight thunderstorm when I pulled up to what looked like an empty house for a backyard wedding. By the end of the day I'd helped dry off the chairs, watched a cake go very wrong, and made myself one new rule about the weddings I take on.

It's chilly for May and a lot windy, and I'm out on High Street in the dead center of Columbus photographing a protest. A group from Cleveland commissioned me for the day. Five months into this whole thing, I'm still saying yes to everything that comes my way — and this is the story of why that's starting to work.

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