Photog F.A.Q.

Here’s a little sampling of the F.A.Q.’s I get on a weekly basis:

Q.)  I just bought my first DSLR?  Can you give me any tips on using it?

A.) Sure!  Check out this little article I wrote for the Bower Power blog.  It should help you get started.  While you’re there, you’ll likely enjoy reading a bit of Katie’s blog too, especially if you’re a house-person.

Q.)  Do you use flash or strobes?

A.) Although I prefer natural light, I do occasionally use flash for special effects or to fill.  I’ve been getting more into Off Camera Flash lately.

Q.)  Who does your website & blog?

A..) My website is a Photobiz template that I customized.  My blog is a Prophoto Blog that I customized.  I highly recommend both companies.   They are true pros, and offer great customer service.

Q.)  Do you have any resources you recommend to new photographers?

A.) I really enjoyed the Nichole Van Professional Workshop, but a lot of what I know about photography & post-processing I learned on my own through books, trial & error.   What’s wonderful about Nichole is that she knows the actual principles and rules of art & photography.  So, after years of studying art & photography in books, and having much of what I learned conflict with what was taught online & on peer-mentoring boards, meeting Nichole was a wonderful affirmation that I already knew more than I thought I knew.   She is a wonderful teacher as well, and understands that lens length and composition are equally as important as mastering the tricks of “blinkies.”  I highly recommend her professional workshop to anyone starting out.  I also attended her lighting workshop, specifically to learn how to use Off Camera Flash, and it was great.   In addition, Nichole is a very kind, down-to-earth person who is truly a pleasure to be around.

Another source that was very helpful to me was Pt4P by Michele Anderson.  Google “Pinkletoes Photography” to learn more about it.  It’s a cool little forum where you buy in for a year, and gain access to tons of templates, downloads, actions, etc.  Plus, the board is great and you can look up all my old posts from when I first started to see how much of an idiot I was.

Q.)  Do you plan on offering workshops any time soon?

No.  Check out my answer to the previous question if you’re looking for a workshop.  I’ve had many “East-Coasters” ask about a workshop because they don’t want to go all the way to Utah, but it’s just not an option for me right now. Plus, I’ve only been at this photography thing for a few years, and maybe I’m old-fashioned, but I feel that I need to learn quite a bit more before I presume that I’d have anything to offer others via a workshop.

Q.)  What about online mentoring?

Not right now.  If you’re looking for online mentoring, I suggest checking out either MCP or Crave Photography.  Both offer it, I know both Andee & Jodi as professional colleagues, and I’m confident that you would get your money’s worth from either.   They are both very, very talented.  Another awesome resource is the “Texas Chicks Blogs & Pics” blog.  Erin does a terrific job of mentoring photographers for no charge via her online tutorials.

Q.)  What Actions do you use?

A.) I own several actions, but I don’t rely on them.  There are a couple I’ve written for myself  (not for sale actions – they are outlined on my blog) that I use on every image, and  when I do use other’s actions, I pull from the following sets:  MCP actions,  Nichole Van’s Lighting Workshop Pop, and Wynona’s Actions.  I do use MCP’s ” Finish-it ” on every image you see online.  I use Portraiture by Imagenomic quite a bit as well.     MCP’s Fingerpaint and Night Color are great too.

Q.)  What about Textures?

A.) I use textures on at least 50% of my work.  Although there are a lot of good ones out there, I almost exclusively use my Kaleidoscope products for any texture/depth/special effect work necessary.  You are able to achieve certain looks with texture that you absolutely cannot achieve with actions/Photoshop editing alone.  Others I like include Nichole Van’s.

Q.)  Do you plan on releasing a line of actions anytime soon?

A.)  Not at this time.   I have a few that I’ve created for color/depth, but I don’t know if I’ll ever release them.  The basic methods are outlined on my blog.   I don’t ever try to re-invent the wheel, and there are so many awesome action vendors out there right now, that I can’t imagine the endless hours it would take me to try to come up with something better.

Q.)  How did you learn Photoshop?

A.) I learned Photoshop by going through absolutely every single button and function in the entire program and spending hours upon hours experimenting with different techniques.  Again, I wish there was a quick and easy way to suggest, but there just isn’t one.  I would highly recommend any Photoshop book by Scott Kelby though, and visiting the MCP Blog.

Q.)  What are your weak areas and what comes naturally easy to you?

A.) I’m weakest shooting with Off Camera Flash, but I’m getting better at it.   I’ve been told, by photographers who are much better than I am,  that my compositions are very powerful, so I guess that would be a strength.   Composing comes very easily to me.

Q.)  Speaking of post-processing, about how long does it take you to process a typical session?

A.) A couple of hours, including artistic edits & sort time.   I typically provide my clients with around 100+ images per session.  I only do full artistic edits on a handful of them though.  When I first started, it took much longer.

Q.)  Raw or JPG?

A.) Both, depends on the mood I’m in, but mostly RAW.

Q.)  PC or Mac?

Both.  Everything everyone says about both are pretty right on.   I prefer Mac’s for work and my particular PC for editing because the prints turn out the most true to screen.  However, use what works best for you.

Q.)  ACR or Lightroom?

A.) Both, but mostly Lightroom.

Q.)  Camera?  Lenses? Gear?

A.) Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 5D, Canon 16-35 mmL, Canon 24-70 mmL, Canon 70-200 mmL, Canon 100mm 2.0 Macro, Canon 580 II flash, Canon 430 flash,  a couple of umbrellas, light stands, sandbags,  and some Power-Wizards that drive me crazy.  Keep in mind, it’s less about what you own and more about what you do with what you own.  My favorite images typically come from my 5D Mark II and my 70-200.

Q.)  I’m thinking of starting a photography business.  Do you have any advice?

A.) Hang on tight – it’s quite a ride!  There are literally volumes upon volumes of advice and anecdotes from other photographers online in forums regarding business practices.  The only advice I would give you is to learn the basics of business and combine them with the basics of the Photography business.  Build slowly, and spend carefully.  The beauty of this business is that it can be started with very little capital as long as you possess talent and drive.   I’ve seen incredible images created by world-renowned, highly educated, successful Photographers, and I’ve seen equally incredible images created by housewives in the Midwest who are working out of their laundry rooms.   Talent doesn’t discriminate.  Talent doesn’t care how old you are or how rich you are or what you’ve done in your past.  If you’ve got it, work hard to develop it, and watch what happens.