Today I met a vacationing man who was clicking away, taking picture after picture.

He saw that I also had a camera and photographer vest, so he asked me which settings would be best for the conditions.

Before I went into a mini lecture on the wonders of shutter, aperture, and ISO, I noticed something was wrong. His camera's display showed a large "E" on it.

I asked him if he knew what it meant. He didn't.

I opened the side of the camera to show him an empty slot where a memory card should be.

Boy, was his face red.

He then had to go to his family and let them know that all of the memories they've been making weren't being recorded at all.

I'm not trying to pick on this particular person. I'm just using his situation as an example of the importance of being prepared.

A good pro knows that one isn't enough; you need two of everything, just in case (two camera bodies, two memory cards, two sets of batteries, etc.).

So the next time you have an important event, making sure you have your memory card is just the tip of the iceberg.

A good pro has been there and done that. They've dotted the i's and crossed the t's.