What goes through your head right before a shoot that you either set up or were commissioned for? I recently set up a quaint little shoot with a small production. I had a make up artist (Nathalie) and a model (Lulu). The day started of like any other, only i was frantically cleaning,arranging and moving things back and forth until the location was perfect.
As soon as you think you're all done and everything is where it needs to be, you always find one last thing that needs to be moved... At this point i just stopped and said to myself its perfect the way it is. Sometimes things should be imperfect. Although i am a bit OCD when it comes to certain things. I can honestly say i don't like my images overly polished and perfect. I love the small little imperfections in someones face or body. It adds a great level of personal character to an image or person.
I think what i'm ultimately trying to get at is, be careful with trying to over fluff your images with too much. One of the things i think helped me create better images was taking things away from it. No extravagant location shoots, no off camera flashes, fewer lens options, and 1-2 film stocks (if shooting film). The saying "less is more" Hits true to my style of shooting. When your mind has less to worry about while shooting, you can put forth more of your creativity into the actual photograph.
Next time your getting a shoot ready or venturing out doors to photograph the public, Test yourself. Remove some comfort items from your camera arsenal. Try only using 1 or 2 lenses, or only rely on natural light. you'll be surprised at how much you can create with less in your way.