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.
Q.) Do you use flash or strobes?
A.) Although I prefer natural light, I do occasionally use flash for special effects or to fill.
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 attended really enjoyed the Nichole Van Workshop, but most of what I know about photography & post-processing I learned on my own through books, trial & error. There is absolutely nothing more valuable in learning photography than your Library card….I’ve probably checked out and read from nearly hundreds of books about photography, all for free. Forums are great also, but you need to understand that in general the knowledge passed around in forums is limited and trendy. Keep in mind also that with any workshop you attend, you may already know 75% of what the instructor is teaching, but if you learn one or two valuable things, then it’s worth it. Also, the opportunity to make friendships and network with other photographers online and in workshops is extremely valuable.
Q.) What Actions do you use?
A.) I own a lot of actions. Although I do my initial post processing in Light Room and then Photoshop primarily using my own techniques, I do pull from the following sets: MCP actions, the PT4P basic workflow, and Wynona’s Actions. I use MCP’s Fingerpaint, Eye Doctor & Dentist, and Finish-it on almost every image you see online. I use Portraiture by Imagenomic quite a bit as well. The other sets I use for mainly artistic effects, tinting. etc. MCP’s Actions, in my opinion, are truly in a class of their own. I use the Black & White action from PT4P on many of my Black & Whites. Also though, it should be said that if all my actions were taken away from me tomorrow, it wouldn’t disrupt my overall editing abilities. I am extremely comfortable working in Photoshop, and if I lost all my actions, I could still edit just fine. But, it would take me much, much longer…..
Q.) What about Textures?
A.) I use textures on at least 50- 75% 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.
Q.) Do you plan on releasing a line of actions anytime soon?
A.) Nope. 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.) Finding perfect lighting and getting my exposure perfect are two weak areas that come to mind right away. I’ve been told that I have strong compositions, and 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. When I first started, it took much longer though.
Q.) Canon or Nikon?
A.) Canon
Q.) Raw or JPG?
A.) Both, depends on the mood I’m in, but mostly RAW.
Q.) ACR or Lightroom?
A.) Both, but mostly Lightroom.
Q.) Camera? Lenses?
A.) Canon 5D Mark II, Canon 5D, Canon 16-35 mmL, Canon 24-70 mmL, Canon 70-200 mmL, Canon 100mm 2.0 Macro. Nothing to exotic. Keep in mind, it’s less about what you own and more about what you do with what you own.
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.
by Patti
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