Photography FAQ's Answered: Part 1

I have been getting a lot of questions lately from photographers asking me questions, and one of those people begged me to blog some tips and tricks for all to see. Let me start off by saying that I am in no way saying that my way is the right way, but I will just share with you what has worked for me in the past, and what I have learned from other photographers in the industry. When I first started off in my photography business, it was blogs like these that really helped me hone my skills and define my style. If you have emailed me in the past, and I have not responded, please know that I will now just post some of the questions that way, people with some of the same questions, can just visit these posts and get some helpful tips!! :) I will focus on three q's at a time!


The first question is from Cassie, she writes..."I had a question for you - indoor lighting is the downfall of my husband and myself. We recently had a reception that was extremely low lit indoors and I was wondering what sort of settings/flash/equipment you use to capture exactly what you're seeing. I'm having a really difficult time learning that"

A: I am no expert at lighting but I will tell you who is...ZACK ARIAS....if you are a photographer and have not purchased his "One Light DVD", you need to. It will change the way you think about light! I learned so much from watching this video. At the reception, I have my assistant set up my off-camera lighting. It consists of an avenger light stand, and 580ex flash, a Westcott soft box and 2 pocket wizards. During the reception, I will use the soft box for a more elegant look, used in the first dance ext, and then when the fun dancing starts, I will pop off the soft-box for a little while and turn the light to the dance floor to get some fun light flair. Another great resource is Strobist.


The second question comes from Aubry, She writes...."my equipment needs some serious updating, and I am wanting to purchase some new stuff within the next week or two. Therefore, I am hoping and praying that you could possibly gear me in the right direction - because I am overwhelmed, haha. I currently have a Canon E0S 10D. The only lenses I have is the one that came with the camera and a 100mm Macro lens. Should I upgrade the camera? If so, what should I get? And can you recommend some awesome lenses, filters, anything? Basically, "what's in your bag"?

A: I would consider updating your camera. I shoot with the 5D Mark 2. It is an amazing camera and can really increase the quality of your work. However, having good lenses is just as important in my opinion as having a good camera. Here are some of the lenses in my bag that I would totally recommend. Canon 24 2.8, 50 1.2, 85 1.8,100 Macro.

The third question comes from Tara, she writes.... "What advice would you give me on how to get started? How to advertise myself? "

A: When I got started in photography, I started second shooting with other photographers and doing anything I could to help them. I also started shooting friends, family or just anyone or anything that I could get in front of my camera. I started blogging about the shoots I was doing, and then started getting people emailing me to BOOK photo-shoots!! I have paid for advertising on a national website, but have seen very little return on investment. I would just encourage you to meet with local vendors in your area. 90% off my bookings come from Vendor referrals and I do everything in my power to take care of the vendors I work with. Pay it Forward is my policy :)


Hope this helps!! And if it only helped ONE of you, then that would bring a big smile to my face!! If you follow me on twitter, you have heard about a big change in my life. I decided to die my hair back to its natural color!!! I am still getting use to the change and need to get some fresh pictures up of my new hair, but here is picture taken on my iphone!! What do you think?