Tuesday, January 8, 2013

FAQ : part 2


part 1

Hey friends! It's been a few weeks since I did the last FAQ post, so I thought I would put one up for this lovely Tuesday. Again, I want to stress that I'm still learning and growing and so a lot of what I'm saying are things that I myself am learning. If you have any questions, just ask or feel free to send me an email! Would love to chat with you. :)

How did you earn money for your equipment?
Hard work and lots of it. I've purchased all of my current equipment myself. I babysat, designed, shot photos, and generally saved until I could afford it. I also rarely ever splurged and bought something for myself when I was saving...so I didn't really go shopping for almost a year because I was saving. I recognize that that's not necessarily the right way to do it, but for me, that's what worked. I was very careful to set clear boundaries, guidelines, and goals. I've always been a dreamer/do-er (planning + dreaming + thinking are some of my favorite things to do) so, I was careful to set realistic goals and deadlines and go forward to meet them.


Do you prefer black and white or color for pictures? Why?
Depends on the photo, depends on the mood, depends on the emotion, and depends on what I want to convey in that image. A lot of times I'll do a series in b&w because I love the depth to it.

If we got together at Starbucks, what would you get to drink?
I love coffee and love tea. If we got together at Starbucks, I'd order a peppermint mocha or chai tea latte if it was wintertime, or a green tea frappuccino come summer. Also, their caramel apple spice is amazing.

Do you change lenses often or do you use one most of the time during a photo shoot?
I only have one lens that I use at the moment and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm adding a 35 to my bag soon which I hope to transition into using for the majority of my shoots. In the future, yeah, I'll probably swap out lenses more often, but for the look I want to achieve and the feel I'm going for, I don't necessarily need to go from a 35mm to a 200mm in the same session. :)

Advice for posing? How do you get your clients to pose so naturally? I'm sometimes at a loss for ideas when it comes to posing/staging my subjects during a photoshoot. A typical photosession with client(s) for you...how do you come up with such perfect poses and frame ideas?! Do you study other photographers' work or does it just come to you spur of the moment? Do you tell your subjects to pose however, or do you direct them, tell them to talk to each other, laugh out loud, close their eyes? Do you go to photo shoots with lots of posing ideas for your clients? Is it ever hard or awkward for you to try to situate them? Is it ever awkward when taking photos or are you really confident in what you do?
I'm honestly not a huge poser. I'll give the couples (or a senior) a pose to sit in and then talk to them a bit until they relax. I don't want to be like, "okay, put your arm on your hip and rotate 15 degrees to the left and then tilt your chin up and you put your arm around her shoulder and turn slightly backwards and do a somersault." I usually give the couple something to do or talk about and step back to watch and wait and shoot. My type of shooting is focused on people and their stories, and I thrive most in waiting and watching for honest (and un-posed) moments between the couple I'm shooting, or in genuine interaction (and in-between moments) with a senior. I want my photos to be authentic and heartfelt, and if I'm continually directing, it's easy to lose the emotion in the midst of a new pose.

I used to study poses/sketch out ideas beforehand, and I do have a few poses I do at every session, but I don't have a shot list or a flipbook of poses that I pull out. I definitely do love looking at other photographers and their work, but I think the beauty in posing is that no pose is alike because no people or moment are exactly the same. As a result, I could ask one couple a question (or guide them into a pose) and their response (and emotions) could be completely different than another couple's, so the images from that would be totally different. I talk to my clients a lot while I'm shooting, I laugh a lot, I encourage a lot (because it can be nerve-wracking to be behind the camera), and mostly, I treat them like they're friends. For couples, I say to them at the beginning of the shoot that I want their session to be fun, meaningful, and a time when they can kiss, cuddle, tease, laugh, and just be free to be with the other person…and I'll be there to document some of those moments. Cheesy? Maybe. But at the end of the day, that's what I want them to come away with.

The rest involves just my surroundings and seeing what works with the light and whatnot. I love shooting through things, getting closer, going farther away, and using patches of light. I try not to ever say, "now laugh!" because if they (or he/she) laugh, I want them to really laugh and have it be genuine. So, I'll usually talk to them and ask them or if it's a couple, their fiancé/fiancee to tell a funny story about them or something. Sometimes I'll ask them to close their eyes, but I try to ask them to think about something, to tell the other something, to remember a memory. I want every image to have purpose and so if I have them close their eyes, I want them to have a reason to do so. Storytelling forever has my heart.

What is the best lens for portraits, landscape, and low-inside light conditions?
I currently use the 50 1.4 for everything, but I'm hoping to add the 35 1.4 to my camera bag soon. The nifty fifty is very versatile and can do almost anything in a pinch, but the 35 is a wider lens which I love. However, the 50 on my MKii is very different than the 50 on my T1i, because my camera is a full frame. If you have a crop-sensor camera and want to get more of a lifestyle, journalistic feel, I would go for a 28 or 35. If you want a standard portrait lens (which is also a good all-around lens, but not as wide) go for a 50. The 85 on a full-frame is a beautiful portrait lens, but definitely not as wide. For indoor photography/low-light conditions, you are going to want a lens that has a lower aperture, like 1.8, because it allows more light to get in your camera.

I'm wondering who has inspired your photography style?
I'm inspired by the honesty, storytelling, and wild beauty to the Parsons, The Kaisers (the Image is Found) Molly Flanagan, Jamie Delaine, Andria Lindquist, Tim Coulson, Kenzie Kate, Rosina Photo, and Kristen Leigh's photography.

How do you find locations? I find myself very limited. Do you just find public places (greenways, parks, cities, etc.) or do you contact owners of property as well?
All over! I've used google maps before, I've researched parks, and I've asked clients. I talk to each of my clients about what type of shoot they're looking for, as well as what sort of feel they want (for example, urban vs. more farm/field like), and then we go forward and brainstorm ideas based on that. If I'm shooting indoors, at a coffee shop or a restaurant or something, I contact the owners beforehand and make sure that it's okay. Once I shot in Target for a shoot for my mom for Operation Christmas Child and we called ahead beforehand to make sure it was okay.

I was wondering, what do you do when it's snowing/raining when you are shooting outside? Do you run for cover? Do you have some sort fancy thing that you use to cover your camera?
I'm terrible at this. If it's only lightly raining/snowing, I won't do anything with my camera, but I'll try to stay under a roof or shelter. If it's snowing/raining hard and I want to get shots, I go all fancy and poke a hole in a Target bag.

How do you get good lighting during a golden hour shoot? Do you use filters for your lenses? I find that my photos tend to get washed out from the sunlight or sun flare.
I LOVE golden hour but have found that I rarely get a chance to shoot in golden hour. The majority of my sessions the past year have been in midday, shade, or cloudy conditions. That's Minnesota for you. :) I don't use any filters for my lenses (maybe I should but at the moment, I don't want to invest in something that I don't really "need"). My photos can sometimes get washed out from sunflare, so what I'll either do is pull back the exposure, bring up the whites, or bump up the contrast.

Third part coming next week! Hopefully something I said helped a bit...and if you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to clarify a little more. :) Have a wonderful Tuesday! and ps. thanks so much for your sweet comments on my last post! xoxo h

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