Inspired, A Very Special Project | Bobbi + Mike Photography

This photography duo really needs no introduction. They are amazingly talented, but also way too cool for words! Everything they do oozes personality. I love the fact that they are a husband and wife photography team and carry their own beautiful perspectives that seem to flow just effortlessly together.  I am too excited not to blog them right this second so I am doing that right now!

You can find Bobbi + Mike’s Website HERE, Blog HERE, and Fan Page HERE.

Well Hello There,

Lets get to know you! How would you describe yourselves in three sentences?

We’re down-to-earth, march to the beat of our own drum and are completely ridiculous (ok, weird).  Bobbi

What sparked your passion for Photography? 

Bobbi was a born artist and was blazing away with a $6 110 camera probably before she knew the alphabet.  Mike was the opposite – has was helplessly left-brained.  However, this helped him grasp the technical side of photography.  Since then, Bobbi’s slapped a little creativity on Mike, and Mike some science on Bobbi.  We’re both much stronger photographers than we ever were alone 🙂

Whats in your camera bag? 

5dmk3’s, canon 600ex-rt’s and a lot of L-series prime lenses we’ve collected over the years.  Also, the 70-200 2.8L II and the new 24-70 2.8L II are (will be) brought with us for events.

What Camera/Equipment did you start out with? 

We began business with a Nikon D200 and a D70 as backup.  We were rocking an old 35-70 push-pull, a few 50 1.4’s and a 70-200 in the beginning.

If you could only use one lens an entire session which one would you choose and why? 

If it had to be one lens, we’d go with our 50 1.2L (though we’ve just received the new 24-70 and are quite impressed!).

What advice would go give to someone just beginning in photography and hoping to have a business of their own?  
We could go on and on here!  Most important item is to gently ease into the water – you don’t want to jump in and find the water is freezing!  If you have a full time job that’s paying the bills/has good benefits, keep it for a bit while getting your feet underneath you.  Pursuing photography as a full-time business binds all of the responsibilities of being self-employed to photography.  So, eager as you might be, take it one step at a time and you’ll enjoy your new career!

What was your first official Photographer crush if you had one?

The Kaiser’s from the Image is Found probably.

What kind of photos do you like to take for just yourself when not working with clients? 

Day to day, we try to always keep in mind what we’d like to have photos of that our parents didn’t take.  The photos we take aren’t just for us in the here and now – they’re for future generations to look at and know who we were!

If you could photograph absolutely anyone who would it be dead or alive? 

We’d both love to be able to photograph our grandparents who passed when we were much younger.  On the less sentimental side of things, Bobbi – Bob Dylan.  Mike – Ben Franklin.

Describe your style in 3 words. 

Natural, fun, and full of personality.

Most embarrassing moment on a session would be?  
Well, we’re rather inappropriate most of the time.  We do of course dial it back a bit when the situation calls for it, unless Bobbi hasn’t slept 🙂
The favorite story seems to be when we were photographing a young, very sweet, very innocent couple, and Bobbi was seriously sleep deprived… thus no filter.  When trying to adjust a pose, Bobbi blurts out, “hug him more from the side – right now it looks like a reach-around, but without the penis!”  Our groom snickered hysterically like a 6th grader, but our bride simply raised a quizzical eyebrow.  She had no idea what we were talking about – and demanded one of us define “reach-around” before the shoot continued.  Awwwwkkkward!!  🙂

Any challenges you have had to overcome to be where you are today?

All of them.  At least it feels that way! 🙂  The biggest challenge was learning to work together full time, to decide who’s the boss and when, how to divvy up tasks and responsibilities, how to share criticism – and then to turn off the business…the bobbi+mike inc and try to have a normal evening as husband and wife.

Favorite time of day to shoot is? 

A little after sunrise, or a little before sunset.  Pretty much when the sun is low and the light is soft, but isn’t pink/orange!

If you had to stop taking photos right now, what would you do instead? 

Bobbi: art teacher.  Mike: president.

Have you attended college or had any formal education in Photography?

Yes.  But…we’ve learned so much more by just getting out and shooting.

What do you do to get your clients to relax with you?  
This is another question where we could go on and on, but the biggest way is that we’re real with people.  We talk to people like we’d talk to our friends – we swear a bit, we banter with our couples, etc.  By being ourselves, it lets them know they can fast forward through the social etiquette of first meeting someone and be who they were the evening before in their own living room.

What are your photography related goals for 2013? 

Our biggest goal every year is to attract the right type of people for us to photograph.  When we vibe with the people we’re photographing, the shoots are fun and the photos are great.

How do you push yourself to keep growing and learning? Any Big Aha! Moments? 

We look at work that inspires us and we read a lot in the industry.  We’ve had a lot of trial and error, and a lot of hard earned “aha!” moments!  The first one was how hugely important it was to get people to relax and be comfortable during a shoot.  We’re photographing personalities and relationships, and you can’t shoot that if someone still has a wall up!

Biggest Photography related insecurity? 

We feel really good about our work and our clients – so really none now.  We’re not shooting to impress other photographers, we’re shooting to please our couples and families.  If (insert any other photographer) is critical of our work, we couldn’t really give a flying poopie.  🙂

Digital or Prints?  Digital!

How do you set yourself apart from other local photographers? 

We don’t get caught up in trends.  We want our work to be timeless. We don’t want someone to be able to date our photos by whatever processing/shooting/styling fad was hot at the time.  We shoot in places where the light and general feel yield the best photos – not at the local rose garden park  🙂

What do you think your next photography related investment will be? 

Hopefully a new Mac Pro tower if Apple ever gets around to releasing a new one (it’s been since 2010!)

If you had to recommend ONE thing that a photographer needs in their camera bag what would that be? 

In the summer, oil blotting wipes.  In the winter, hand warmers!

Fun stuff:
 
Favorite Color:  Bobbi – yellow  Mike – green
Favorite Season: Bobbi – winter  Mike – early fall
Biggest Guilty Pleasure: Bobbi – mountain dew  Mike – nutella
Pet Peeve:  passive-aggressive people
Favorite Pandora Station: Bobbi – Mumford & Sons   Mike – Tom Petty
Studio or On location: on location
What did you want to be when you grew up?  Bobbi – news anchor  Mike – meteorologist
One thing no one knows about you is: Bobbi – spent 6 years in the Army  Mike –
Pc or Mac:  Mac, fo sho!
Lightroom Or Photoshop: LR
Film or Digital: digital
Props or No Props: No.
If you could travel anywhere it would be:  Bobbi – Ireland  Mike – Istanbul
Glass Half Empty or Half Full: half full
Favorite photo ever taken: sorry charlie, can’t choose just one.
Raw or Jpeg: RAW
Favorite Music to Edit to:  Bobbi – Coldplay  Mike – audiobook
Favorite Quote:  Bobbi – “I will cuuuut you…” – Bon Qui Qui  Mike – “The essence of the independent mind lies not in what it thinks, but in how it thinks.” – Christopher Hitchens
Most valued material possession: our super awesomely comfortable new sofa!
Processing Style: minimal
Coffee or Tea:  coffee
If you could photograph a Celebrity who would it be?  Bobbi – Bob Dylan  Mike – The Mythbusters
What kind of Camera bag do you rock?  Bobbi – shoot sac  Mike – think tank