You asked and I answered!! | New Monthly Q&A feature

One of my favorite things about the internet is the ability to social network! Facebook is such an amazing tool both personally and on a business level for not only reaching an amazing amount of people in a short amount of time but also connecting people who are passionate and happen to love the same thing!! Thanks to so many wonderful amazing people my fan page has grown by leaps and bounds the past couple of years. I get a ton of wonderful questions but it is so hard to answer them all, and with the wall moving so fast I often times either miss something or it doesn’t necessarily get all the attention it should and it doesn’t really benefit anyone so I thought it would be so much more helpful to post a thread once a month with questions that you emailed in and asked me! I got SO much feedback to this and could only choose a handful to start but will be saving every single email submitted to touch base on at a later date! I am also always welcoming submissions so if there is something you would love to ask feel free to use the contact form here or on my fan page to touch base! I also should add I am not the end all, know all and am only answering your questions in the way that I personally do things. There are a million and one ways to do things and mine is just one of many! If my suggestions do not apply to you or work for you I will not be offended in the least!! Here we go!!

“Can you explain how you get such crystal clear photos?”. I use a Canon EOS T3i with a 50mm 1.8 lens, and my photos alway have a slight (sometimes severe) blur to them. I’m at a loss as to what will make them clearer.”

I always make sure that my shutter speed is adjusted accordingly. A good rule of thumb is to keep it up above 1/150th of a second if you are shooting children or moving subjects. I also toggle my focus points in camera to select my own focus rather then relying on the camera to do it all for me! Also when shooting with a prime that is capable of such a shallow depth of field it is important that you are stopping down enough to get your entire subject in focus. Shooting wide open is tough! It takes a ton of practice. Start at something like 2.8 or 3.0 and slowly open up more and more as you get more comfortable to really get a grasp on how to shoot wide open. It will definitely get easier with time. And if you are shooting a subject and looking to get a tack sharp face I generally shoot between the eye brows or focus on the eye closest to me. Also be sure that you are exposing correctly. Great light and exposure will really help the sharpness of your image! It also cuts down on noise in your image which can make things murky and less clear.

“I have my first DLSR (Nikon D3100) and am dying to get a new lens since I just have the kit lens.  What would you suggest the next lens should be?  I love portraiture, landscapes, and just about anything that looks interesting.”

Though I shoot purely canon it is my experience that the kit lens is usually not the best. I prefer primes myself as well and love that they are so awesome in low light situations, tack sharp and fairly compact though I admit my Canon 85L is pretty much a beast lol!  Primes also happen to be wonderful for portraiture because of their capability to open up so much wider and produce that lovely gorgeous bokeh (though as I mentioned in the before question it takes a TON of practice!) I shoot with a 5d Mark II so I have a much wider sensor as well so the focal lengths will not obviously be the same on a crop sensor camera but I recommend looking at something that is going to be wide enough for both portraiture and landscapes if you are looking to shoot both. You could probably even benefit from a good zoom. I know the Canon 24-70L is supposed to be amazing (though I prefer not to shoot with zooms so I have absolutely no experience with it myself) I am not sure what the nikon equivalent to that would be but you could absolutely check in with your local camera shop to hand hold a couple or even rent a lens or two to get a good feel for what is going to be best suited for you. When I purchased my 85L i was sure that was going to be my “it” lens. My go to walk around never leave my camera lens. And while I LOVE it it is a bit tight and focuses a bit slower in extreme light (since I like to backlight) so my 35L ended up being my favorite!! It is almost always on my camera!

“Hi Sarah! I had a question about lenses- I dont know if this is even worthy of the q&a forum… but here goes anyway 🙂 I know you are a prime lens girl and so far I am too… Do you ever feel you need a telephoto lens? Im about to make a big purchase and I cant choose between the 85mm 1.2 or the huuuge 70-200 mm 2.8II…. If your doing a family shot, do you ever have any trouble getting all faces in focus with your 85? (even if they are all the same distance away from the camera) I love prime lenses and hear the 85 is a great choice, I just dont know if I should only shoot with primes, so wonder if you ever feel the need for a telephoto.”

Of course this is worthy! I honestly don’t have the desire to shoot with zooms. I prefer primes because they open up nice and wide for me which is really cohesive with my style of shooting, are compact, work great in low light, are tack sharp and create the most gorgeous bokeh. Now with that being said I do have to acquire quite a few primes to cover all the focal lengths I need and on my sessions I am generally switching lenses constantly to achieve that. I just have to be resourceful and zoom with my feet. It does help me to think out of the box though and I am always looking for different angles, perspectives and fun ways to shoot my subjects. I don’t have any issues getting a group in focus with my 85 however I do need to back up quite a bit to accommodate everyone in the photo so I generally choose to go to my 24L or my 35L if I have a larger group shot. As for what YOU would want to purchase that is an incredibly personal decision because you may just love zooms so I highly recommend you rent before you invest. There are some wonderful places online to do that! Borrowlenses.com is the first place to pops into mind! 🙂

“I was wondering what lens you use most on your family sessions and when you are in session, do you just let them do their thing and capture those moments?  I love taking candid shots and was also wondering what you do to get them to look at you for that second when you get that gorgeous shot?  Do you ask questions or just say something funny maybe?”

Lenses seem to be a popular subject LOL! I do use my 35L most for families I would say. Its a nice focal length for me and allows me to get up close and personal with my subjects. There are times when I have to be careful or I get to much distortion but I honestly don’t mind a little bit in my photographs. As for getting everyone to look at me I tend to keep my families engaged. I am a bit of a social butterfly I admit so I am always chatting them up and keeping the conversation going helps keep their mind off of feeling awkward while getting a nice genuine expression out of my clients. I also usually have my husband behind me engaging the kiddos to help out a bit if I need that extra push. There are also of course the times when I don’t need them all looking. Those are usually actually my favorite photos!

“My question is, do you usually shoot a bit over exposed, or under? …or at 0?”

I tend to underexpose a bit because I shoot raw and have that wiggle room. Slightly though not a whole lot because underexposing can really bring a lot of noise into the image I really don’t want (unless I am going for that of course). I backlight a lot in my images so its pretty inevitable a lot of times. It helps me to expose better for my subject and whatever else is around them. Dynamic range is of course a tricky thing and its not always possible to get my subjects and say the sky completely exposed and if thats the case I always expose for my subjects so the skin is as clean as possible when i go to process. Thanks to raw though its much easier to get more range in my photographs! I highly advocate for it!

“I am a bit confused when it comes to client galleries for proofing/ordering. Why do photographers charge to put the gallery up longer than a week? How do you add that gallery? Or maybe I should better ask, what is your process when dealing with print orders? How do your clients choose?”

This is a great question! From a business aspect it is incredibly important you do not have your galleries open for too long because the longer they are open the more likely your clients either A. Won’t order or B. Won’t order in a timely manner. Time is money and keeping the process going seamlessly is so important. Plus from a photographer’s perspective when a client comes off of a session they are excited and in somewhat of a “honeymoon” state. I have found that finding a way to really keep that feeling going helps order outcomes quite a bit. Sometimes too much time really only confuses someone in what their choices are and can be overwhelming too. Also hosting isn’t free and it can be costly to keep a gallery open to long. Also look at it from this perspective. If a client has access to log on and share the photos for weeks at a time what is going to make them want to buy them? They can share with their friends and family whenever they choose and it really gives them no reason to ultimately order anything. This is another reason I choose not to blog my sessions until after my clients order their photos. When its time to order my clients are linked to their own private proofing gallery where they are able to choose and pick and check out right online. I do handhold quite a bit and help make selections for many of my clients. Once I get my studio established I also plan to be doing in person ordering as I think customer service is just as valuable as the picture taking process!

“I wanted to throw out a question at you. We are really looking to build our business through facebook I am looking for ideas suggestions on gaining more fans along with getting the ones we have more involved, commenting more etc. We currently have about 550 fans. “

Promotions and contests are always a great way to peak interest but you have to be INCREDIBLY careful with Facebook rules and guidelines as to not violate anything and have your page taken down. You can always host something on your site and link back to your blog. I also find its totally okay to get a little personal and share a bit as it makes you not only more relatable but gives the people on your page an idea of the kind of person you are. Photography is an incredible personal experience so I think in this industry its totally okay to open up. (And of course not everyone agrees but this is my own personal opinion) Also being interactive and taking time to comment is so important. I am the type of person that really feels if someone is taking a moment to comment or post the least I can do is say hi!! And positivity is SO important. Negative or derogatory type posts really hurt moral and can turn people off. While its okay to be personal it is also a business so I would save the venting and griping for you personal page if you choose to do that! 🙂

“If you could go back to when you first started and tell yourself something, what would it be?” As a person just starting out in photography, I would love the advice. 🙂

Hmm thats a really good one!! My advice would be that it is okay to be yourself!! You don’t have to have everything. The newest camera body, the best lenses will only get you so far if you don’t have a full grasp of what you are already using and honestly can just be a money suck. Its not going to make your images THAT much better! And maybe to stop comparing myself to others!! Everyone has their own unique perspective and something to offer and it doesn’t have to be the same thing that everyone else is doing!!  When I first started out I spent a lot of time on one particular forum. It was an amazing opportunity to learn a lot of things but everyones work pretty much looked the same and it put me in a box. While I was really appreciative of the knowledge and the growth that really helped put me here today it was a bit stifling and I found myself burnt out and losing not only passion and love for the art of photography but it really made me feel insignificant and I struggled with that for a very long time. I got to a place where I just stopped looking at other people’s work and focused on mine and I found that is when I really grew leaps and bounds!

“Where does someone who just starts out go for groups, forums, memberships?”

There are some AMAZING forums out there. Many have surfaced recently while others have been around for a long time. One I have been involved in for a long time is Clickinmoms.com They are amazingly friendly and there is a plethora of information and honestly a bevy of different kinds of talent so you don’t have to be any one kind of photographer to feel like you fit in there! Another one I love is The Bloom Forum!! The women there are so down to earth and So talented. It just makes you want to be a better photographer! I also recently found the Evoking You forum. If you haven’t heard of the inspirational blog that is run you so have to check it out! I just recently joined the forum (I actually believe it is pretty new) but I can tell that it is going to be a very special place!

“Hey Sarah, I have a couple of questions for your Q&A post! 🙂 I am really just starting out on my photography journey. I use a Canon Rebel (I know the stigma of using this, but it’s what I have for now). I received it for Christmas after I had my daughter (2 years ago), and I absolutely fell in love with capturing her discovering the world and our day to day life. I’ve always loved photography, but this was really when I developed a passion for it. In the last few months, several people asked me to take photos for them, and I decided to launch my photography business (albeit a small one). My family has gone through some pretty tough financial struggles in the past year, and I decided that if I could use my budding artistry to help us, then I should. I struggle with feeling like I really don’t have the equipment or expertise to charge people, but there have been enough people asking that I have tried to continue growing and learning a little every day. I teach full time and am trying to make a name for myself and have a successful business on the side. Do you have any advice or suggestions for me as I embark on this amazing, but sometimes harsh world of photography?”

Aww well I honestly believe their is NOTHING wrong with a Canon Rebel. I firmly believe that as long as you have a firm grasp on how to use it and know the ins and outs of your gear an amazing photo comes from the PHOTOGRAPHER not the camera they are using. I would say though while I totally realize with tough times there is a desire to help your family it is only going to help you in the long run in having a sustaining lasting business if you take your time and not only learn the ins and outs of photography but the business side of things as well. Having your camera for a couple of years you are probably pretty comfortable with it and you are probably off to a great start!! It will save you a huge headache though if you really build on your business by putting a firm foundation on and doing a ton of field research on what it is you need to do to really run a successful business. I know its totally overwhelming and a bit scary. What I did was when I knew I was completely ready I got my business license, insurance etc. and then I began portfolio building. For me portfolio building and practicing were not the same thing I did plenty of that before hand but I was ready to start getting my website ready for the world to see and really wanted the best of the best in my portfolio. I sat down and decided what I needed to charge in order to turn a profit. I made sure my full prices were included and then discounted them for a short time while I was portfolio building but made sure my clients knew the discount was very limited time so they weren’t disappointed when the discount came off. And by discounting I mean they saw my full prices and got a percentage off their print orders. 🙂 You can totally do this and make a great living just take one step at a time and make sure that you do your homework!! Having firm goals and keeping to them will help you reach them all that much sooner!

“I recently sent of a disc of fully edited images to a client. After she got them, she loved them but said she also wanted the unedited pictures so she could see every shot I took! What would you do in this situation?”

This is why a contract is SO important. I always do my best to prepare and educate my clients before we even begin a session. I have never encountered this problem because I have always let my clients know well ahead of time that they are only going to get x amount of proofs in their gallery and the photos will be fully edited. I love to be generous and try to be courteous and polite but I am also firm in my policies. If you keep a welcome packet or information to send to a client to look over before the season and have them sign a contract (fully knowing what they are signing and what your policies are) it will help you avoid these kinds of things. 🙂

“I use my 85mm 1.2L & about 25% of the time my subject is just a bit off focus, one eye could be crystal clean & the other a tad blurry. I am sure this is operator error, do you have any suggestions as far as the best metering mode to use for portraits. I have tried also putting a little more distance between my lens & my subject which helps sometimes. “

This lens can be a tricky one to master. Backing up is super important but being aware of how depth of field works and what aperture you need will help you a ton! Stopping down and not shooting so wide open will help keep everything in perspective. Also having your subjects face you opposed to being turned slightly to the side helps a lot too in keeping both eyes in focus.

“How do you choose which locations you use or suggest to clients?”

Usually right before my photography season opens up my family and I scout locations. Its fun to get the kinds involved and take the opportunity to get some photos of them while we are out looking. I honestly am ALWAYS looking though, when we are out driving anywhere I have my eyes peeled. I also take recommendations from clients as sometimes they are aware of some special place they would like to utilize. I am also a firm believer that sometimes the best locations are the ones you wouldn’t necessarily consider beautiful.  With a bit of imagination and resourcefulness you would be totally surprised what you can come up with! Lighting always comes first for me. If the light is bad it really doesn’t matter what the location looks like.

“What are your basic procedures when it comes to clients booking a session with you? Do you send them a welcome packet? How far out in advance should clients schedule?”

I do send an informational welcome packet before hand. I update it every year so its completely current and fresh. I tend to book fast because I only take so many clients on so I can keep control over my schedule and make sure I have enough time for my family so the sooner in the season they book the better.

“This I guess would be more of a beginners business question. Im just starting out and teaching myself everything. What and how is the best way to build a clientele?”

Word of mouth is HUGE. Giving a booking incentive such as a print credit for referrals is a great tool and taking advantage of all Facebook has to offer is another amazing tool. I honestly practiced on my children but didn’t use them all that much in my portfolio unless there was something conceptual I loved and wanted to try out before I brought it before my clients. Many of my clients that found me booked me through Facebook. I would suggest recruiting people you are close to, to help you really spread the word if that is a possibility. It may be “taboo” in this industry to start out working with friends but your friends most likely have friends that aren’t necessarily your friends so you can really branch out that way!

“Hi…question of the day… 🙂 I am completely frustrated… okay I’m a bit of a perfectionist… I want to have that perfect exposure and crisp shot SOC. How do you do it? Do you use a hand held light meter or do you use the one in your camera? I’m just wondering how everyone else does it. I can’t seem to get the pic perfectly exposed and crisp each time. I really don’t want to photoshop it if I can get it right the first time!”

For me it came with practice! I learned to see the light. I took my camera everywhere, used it every single day for YEARS and after a while it really became second nature for me. My eye developed over time in a very subtle way. Light is SO important and learning when to judge what light works best for you. Shooting raw is also a huge component in my shooting style.

“What time of day do you typically shoot at?”

I prefer the “Golden Hour” or an hour before that typically! I love when the sun is a bit lower in the sky because it adds a beautiful quality to the light in my images. Kind of softens things up and keeps the shadows from being to harsh!

“I dont know if this counts as a question but what are your go to poses when doing a family session. maybe you have a few different ideas for just the children and then as a family. Dont get me wrong my fav shots are natural ones you get of them playing but a simple list of different poses would really help someone like me.”

I am not a big poser. I do give a ton of guidance and try to make sure if I am shooting a family they are all touching in some way. Also if mom is in the photo I make sure that I am shooting from flattering angles and make sure to watch for anything that might emphasize anything she really doesn’t want emphasized in a photo lol! A lot of times when I am photographing people I try to keep things moving. I talk a TON and try to keep them relaxed so their mind isn’t on the impending shutter clicking but each other. Keeping people engaged, especially talking about their children or something they are passionate or excited about really brings through genuine emotion. And I get silly. It doesn’t hurt that I am a total klutz but I don’t mind embarrassing myself if its going to make the photo better LOL! Just helping people to relax is SO important because if they feel at all uncomfortable they are going to come acroess that way in their images. A lot of times when I start with a “pose” it evolves into so much more and gives me that special image I always come away with not expecting to nab!

“Hi, Sarah! How and where did you start in finding sponsors for your website and gaining exposure?”

I honestly have never had a sponsor for my photography business, all my purchases and investments have come from the money I have made or saved up on y own but to gain exposure Facebook has been HUGE for me. Networking is so important. Even something simple as joining a photography forum or touching base with other photographers can help out tremendously (and its a double plus because you really make some amazing friends in the process!)

“How do you decide to process a session? Do you have any rule of thumb to how many black and white, clean edits or images processed with actions images you have? (you can reword that to make more sense if you need LOL)”

The processing is always determined and inspired by the particular image! Sometimes when I am processing I have something in mind or many times the photos take a life on of their own as I am going along in photoshop. I love to experiment so there is never a set way of going about things for me. 🙂

Yay so there are a few to get us started! I hope these help some! I have to hop off to prepare for my fun run through with Mike from Jpeg2Raw for my podcast but a month from now I tend to take one some more of what has been submitted! And feel free to submit some questions of your own!! I love to read them!!

Thanks everyone!