I was finishing up toning a deadline assignment for a client a few weeks ago when I got a call from the business desk at The New York Times. They needed a photo of a CEO who was in town. They needed it right away. And they needed it to be the centerpiece for the next day's paper.

This is where newspaper photographers are really tested every day. I always tell people I can work fast, but I forget just how fast until I'm put on a crushing deadline like this. Us West Coast photographers have the additional challenge of being three hours behind New York, so we're always scrambling to get our work in very, very early.

The subject was Michael Farkas. He's the CEO of a company called CarCharging Group, which has been rapidly acquiring electric car-charging stations around the country. He's a busy guy, so I anxiously awaited his arrival at a location in downtown San Diego and prayed that the parking lot attendants wouldn't give us too much grief. We had a good chat and I promised him I would work quickly for both our benefits. I got home and scrambled to file, making sure I dotted those I's and crossed the T's in the captions.

I was so excited to see it the next day as the centerpiece for Business Day and it's a good reminder to keep those batteries charged and hard drives clear. When those last second calls come in, it's nice to be able to deliver.