Gear: 1. Battery check (this is done the night before to give time to charge) 2. Lens check. Since I'm mobile with my gear, I give a little thought to what lenses I should pack with me. 1. Flash check. Will I need a fill flash? 1. Bag check. Will I want my shoulder bag, or my camera backpack? 1. Memory card check. Do I have enough memory cards? 1. RS Strap. Is my strap secure. Are there any tears in it? 1. Lens Hood: Do I need my lens hoods? 1. Tripod/Gorilla Pod: Do I need my pods? Camera Settings: 1. ISO 2. Shooting Mode For almost all the camera settings, I do these on the fly, depending on the situation. I generally stick to AV, but flip to Manual when necessary. I also have all three custom settings, to quickly switch to less frequently used configurations. During the actual picture shot itself, I compose, focus lock, (recompose if necessary), take one last look around the view finder, exhale and pull the trigger. I quickly glance at the histogram, and go from there. After making enough mistakes, this has become completely natural, so I don't need to write anything down.