*{Q.&.A}* Photo Questions Answered

So I finally decided to post some Q.&.A posts to answer some of your photo questions...after receiving many of the same questions through multiple emails, I figured it was best to just post those answers here for all to see! So if you have any photo questions or something you're dying to know, either leave a comment here or email me and I will keep that question for another Q.&.A blog session! Now I am NOT claiming to be a know-it-all about photography by any means; however, it's also not a secret that I know enough to hold my own!! So please don't be shy...guaranteed if you have that question, there is someone else out there wanting to ask the same thing.

SO...here we go with the top 3 questions I receive:

::Q:: "I want to get into photography...did you go to school or how did you master the skill?"
::A:: Nope...no school! I actually went to college and majored in Business Admin with an emphasis in Marketing. So I guess it helps me on the business side of things, but it doesn't help me at all when taking pictures! I am self-taught. I spent a lot of time on photography forums...not necessarily communicating (yes, I lurked) primarily because there were some harsh people out there on the forums, and I didn't want any part of "that". However, there is some FABULOUS information out there on skills that photogs need starting out. So go read through some of those forums!.

And the number one thing that really helped launch my photography skills at the beginning was reading the book "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson. This teaches you everything you'd ever want to know about proper manual exposure. That way you can turn that flash off and relish in the gorgeous natural light that God gave us!! It is an amazing book...and for a visual learner like myself, it had images on each page, the settings he used, and why he chose those settings. It is a fabulous book and will teach you SO much!

PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE! I'll even admit I set up a Cabbage Patch Doll near a window to practice back in my early days!! Whatever it takes, no excuses!

::Q:: "What lens do you use?"
::A:: My 50mm 1.4 is typically my go-to-lens. However, I've been shooting families a lot more with the 28 1.8 because I LOVE the wide angle of it. It tells more of a story...I love being able to get close to a baby cooing, yet you can still see mom and dad in the back laughing at their baby making the sounds. To me, the picture is seeing mom and dad in the background responding to their child, not necessarily the kid that is front and center in the picture! And for a portrait type lens, I've been using my 85 1.8 a lot more as well (just spotted a trend...I'm moving away from my 50mm)! I love having the distance from the client where they can interact with some privacy, and the 85mm is just yummy when shooting, especially around 2.0 aperture! And my goal this year is to replace my 28mm with possibly the 35mm 1.4.

::Q:: "What camera do you recommend?"
::A:: I'm sure Nikon is just as good as Canon (that's enough to spark WWIII in some parts of the photo world) so either one is great! But I recommend Canon because it's WHAT I KNOW!~ I shoot with a Canon 5D and a 30D as my back-up camera. They have been wonderful cameras for me. However, if you are just wanting an amateur camera and you are not planning on becoming a professional, I'd recommend just picking up a Canon Rebel. It is a great camera for a mom or dad to sport! If you are wanting to be a professional, I'd recommend the 5D...it handles low-light amazingly well and has been a gem for me.

AND ONE LAST QUESTION THAT I WISH SOMEONE TOLD ME THE ANSWER TO BACK IN THE DAY...
::Q:: "What is the best way to meter for taking a portrait?"
::A:: When I started out, I'd use my in-camera meter to get a proper exposure. I'd get it the little tick mark centered on the meter and CLICK. I didn't take into account either the dark background behind the person or the bright sky or beach behind the person, which changes A LOT in the metering world...MISTAKE! Your camera is taking into account everything you see inside your viewfinder when metering, so a bright sky or a dark background can really throw the metering off for the client's skin. SO...as some of my clients can attest to, I get-up nice and close and TELL them I'm going to get all-up in their personal space for a second so I can meter their skin. After a few laughs, I look through the viewfinder so ALL I CAN SEE IS THEIR SKIN. After I find that it is properly exposed with my in-camera meter, I step back to where I want to be to take the picture. Now, at this point, your camera will tell you that you are ALL WRONG and that you are either seriously over-exposed or possibly under-exposed. IGNORE IT! Because you know you just metered for the skin...and that is the most important element in the photo. Take the picture! Now cheat--look at the back of your LCD...see what it looks like (don't rely on it necessarily, but it will give you a good indication of where you are at...if you want to be technical and see if you really nailed it, look at your histogram). After peeking at the back of my camera, I will adjust slightly from there depending on what my histogram is telling me and what my LCD screen looks like. Just keep in mind, when your lighting changes...or a cloud comes through and blocks the sun, your exposure is changing as well!

NOW, this may mean that if you are at the beach, your beach may be blown a bit, etc. I personally don't care! Yes, I'm not an idiot, I see it's blown some. But I don't care because the moment I captured between the couple or family is what I was after. And I **hate**flash; I'm a natural light junkie. So I am not about to do the whole expose for the background and then throw a flash on my camera for the people....BLAH ::insert vomit bag:: That is just my opinion...my blog, my opinion. Some people are great working the flash...flash is just not my thing. I love the dimensions that natural light gives to the subjects. It just looks so real and natural to me that I don't want to throw a frying pan of light at their gorgeous faces! And at this point, I've totally lost you...haven't I?!

SO! Enough lecturing for now!! If you have any questions AT ALL about photo stuff...or even if you feel like asking me what my favorite type of ice cream is, ASK IT! I am more than willing to give back and help others along in their journey if I can.

And because blogs are just downright boring without a photo, here are a few quick shots I took of my kiddos when they were playing around at the beach! I had a shoot in La Jolla a couple of weeks ago and my fabulous hubby and little girls came along for the fun and played at the playground and ran around the beach while mommy worked....I.LOVE.MY.JOB! Here are a few for ya...

Itsy Bitsy LOVES to chase seagulls...she's loved it since she started walking, and it never gets old or dull!

And as you can see, Little Miss Sunshine in the background could care less about pictures...she just wanted to splash in the water as much as possible. I don't blame her!
Until Next Time...
-m