Top tips for a smashing time

It used to start with a telephone call, then it moved to emails, but nowadays the call to arms comes via WhatsApp: “Morning, are you free to shoot as part of my team on a charity shoot in July?” Typically, and wherever possible, we all try to say yes. A day shooting with friends in the summer sun, finishing with a good lunch and all for a worthy cause – what’s not to love? Invitation accepted, the event slides to the back of your mind until, with a week to go, you get the reminder from your host saying how they are relying upon you to help the team win. No pressure.

So, what to do and how to prepare for such a day? Well, first of all, allow me to adapt the words of the founder of the Olympics, Baron Pierre de Coubertin: “The most important thing at a charity shoot is not the winning but taking part.” That is not to say you can’t try your