GIVEAWAY & PhotoFANatic Friday: Simple Setting Tips for your DSLR

If you have a DSLR camera, chances are you've flipped through your manual to figure out what all those dang buttons are for, but I'd hazard a guess to say that you may not have read ALL the way through to what the menu button contains. Why do I guess this??? Because when I got my first DSLR camera, I didn't do it, either. Many of the wonderful tips I've learned have been from friends who have hit me upside the head, and then have shown me their tricks and tips.

So, if this sounds like you, too, here are a few tips/tricks that you probably weren't aware of. And once again, though I have a photo business, I'm not purporting to be the be all, end all. I just want to share some things with you that I've found helpful!

Menu Settings You Need to Check Out Now

Shoot w/o Card - If you're a Canon (like me), in the menu on your camera you'll be able to find a setting for 'shoot w/o card.' The default setting is YES. TURN THIS OFF IMMEDIATELY. The last thing you want to do is fire off a bunch of great shots, then realize that you don't have a SD or CF card in the camera. : (

Beep - In your menu settings you will see something that says "BEEP" and it can come in quite handy. Let's say you are shooting a wedding, or your nephew's baby dedication in church. Every time you focus, you'll hear an auspicious "beep." However, you can turn the beep off very easily, which means you want cause people to turn and look at you when your brother and SIL are sharing your nephew's life verse...ahem.

Quality - Have you ever been curious what this stands for? Quality allows for you to decide what size image you are going to shoot and whether you're going to shoot RAW, JPG or both. I shoot raw, SRAW1 to be exact. RAW allows me to shoot images that contain more information, which gives me more opportunities to manipulate photos in Photoshop. I shoot small RAW because they are still HUGE files, but don't burn through my CF cards as fast as RAW. I can blow my images up for large canvases, but still save space on the card. This is a win win in my world. However, RAW files mean that I need to have photo editing software. Shooting JPG would allow me to pop my images into the computer and immediately put them on Facebook, etc. ; )

And now for the GIVEAWAY!!!

If you're into photography equipment and new products, you've probably been following the onset of adorable new camera strap covers. My pal Ruthanne, over at Eclectic Whatnot, has started a new line of BEAUTIFUL covers. Having spent countless hours and mounting dollars sewing camera strap slip covers for anyone who would take them, Ruthanne decided something had to go ~ and it wasn't going to be her sewing machine. Thus, Eclectic Whatnot was born. She describes her store as "shabby, chic and just plain fun." Ruthanne's sewing machine is fueled by foot power and she is fueled by good coffee and streaming episodes of 24.

So, now that you know more about Ruthanne, take a look at her gorgeous products by heading over to her store. Here's my favorite. If you're interested in winning one, too, go to the store, then come back here and comment about your favorite. You can also tweet about this GIVEAWAY for another opportunity to win one, too! I'll select a winner next Friday, May 7, so stay tuned!!!

If you're interested in purchasing any new photography products or equipment, I encourage you to check out Adorama. In my opinion, they have the best prices and customer service out there! Happy shooting!

All reviews were provided by the blogger on her own accord. Products were not provided for review.

PhotoFANatic Friday: Secrets of Perfect White Balance

Do you ever take photos and feel like the tone/color is WAY off? That's a white balance (WB) issue, and once you explore you SLR a little more, it can easily fixed!

I like to blog about my house and recipes...which means that a good number of the photos I display here on my blog are taken indoors, which means that I don't have much control over lighting.

As an example, here's a photo taken in my kitchen straight out of the camera with auto WB. See, it's a little warm and yellow/orange-y.

In most kitchens, the light source is either florescent or a tungsten tone...and guess what, your camera can modify for that! All you need to do is adjust your settings.

Here's an example of my kitchen with the WB setting on Tungsten.  (Not too bad, but still a little yellow-y.)

Here's an example of my kitchen with the WB setting on Florescent. (Too overcorrected - almost peach.)

Makes a big difference, huh?!  If you're a homie (house blogger) or a foodie (food/recipe blogger), I highly recommend that you try playing with your WB in camera, so you don't have to worry about it when you upload the photos to your computer...it takes a lot less time on the backend and you can get the tone/temperature of your images closer to perfect without any additional work.


NOW, if you're a gadgety kind of person and don't mind spending a few bucks for PERFECT WB every time you shoot, there are a couple of great options out there that are decently priced. As a photographer, I prefer to spend less time in Lightroom and Photoshop, so when I first heard about, then tried the ExpoDisc, I was HOOKED! For about 100 bucks, I've been consistently happy with my images.

To get a killer custom WB, all you have to do is place the disc over the edge of your lens and take a shot (in manual focus, and Av mode) at the light source where you'll be shooting from - for me, it's the other end of the kitchen - then select that custom color and start shooting. Voilà - DONE. Perfect WB from that angle with that light source. Need proof? The image below has had no Photoshop or Lightroom temperature enhancement. For me, 100 bucks was worth it for consistently perfect WB! And maybe it will be for you, too!

There are other products out there, like the Photo JoJo white balance lens cap, which Dawn raves about here. And if you're interested in a custom WB for much less, you can use a grey card, which usually retails around less than $40...but that seems a little more complicated and less consistent to me.

If you're interested in any of these products, I encourage you to check out Adorama. In my opinion, they have the best prices and customer service out there! Happy shooting!

All reviews were provided by the blogger on her own accord. Products were not provided for review, but were rather purchased by the blogger.

PhotoFANatic Friday: Lens Love

On twitter last week, I saw a number of shooters discussing lenses for their DSLR cameras and asking about what they "needed" next. I've been considering a new series to discuss all the crazy things I've learned over the last couple of years and thought to myself, "why not now?"

So ya, I do have a photo business, but it wasn't all that long ago that I was just a chick with a cool camera. I now how an even cooler camera that I was able to buy from business revenue (woot!), but the things I learned on my smaller camera are still the basics that I consider today.

So, if you're a mom, a blogger, or just a regular ole joe with a DSLR and don't have any plans to go pro, I applaud you! You are pushing your creative juices and rocking some good equipment! And here is where I tell you the truth that many won't say:

YOU DO NOT NEED TO SPEND CRAZY AMOUNTS OF MONEY TO LOVE YOUR IMAGES!

You do NOT need L line lenses. You do NOT need Photoshop or Lightroom. If you're on a tight budget, relax, and know that you can take quality snaps without dropping big bucks! Photoshop Elements is great. I have a bunch of friends who use Picnik, too, and I've also heard great things about Aurora.

But this post is about lenses, so let's get back to the topic!

Wide Angle Lenses:

First of all, do you know what wide angle means? I didn't at first, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

Wide angle means the camera is able to take in more of the frame from one side to the other. The frame is literally WIDE. It also means that your subjects aren't going to be super up close.

This kind of lens is GREAT for landscape or other important scenery. I like to blog about recipes and goofy things I do in the kitchen or other DIY projects around the house. Having a wide angle lens on my camera ensures that I can get a broader scene in the shot.

This is where things get goofy. Wide means a smaller millimeter on the lens. So, 55mm is wider than 200mm.

Not All Lenses are Created Equal:

THE OTHER IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT LENS SHOPPING is that not all lenses are created equal. Yes, many are a great option and great for the budget, but they might not last forever.

Let's take my favorite lens as an example.

I'm a Canon and my first lens was the 50mm 1.8. It was DELICIOUS. It was fast (meaning that it let in more light and had a bigger aperture - i.e. lower number) and affordable - about 80 bones. It was also light weight and plastic.

Then I upgraded to the 50mm 1.4 and I dropped that old boyfriend like a bad habit. The 1.4 is even faster, is made of metal and is sturdier, and cost about $350-ish. It's sharper and more precise, has a fast focusing ability, and is my go-to lens in portrait sessions. THEN, there's the BITCHIN 50mm 1.2. I don't own this bad boy, yet, but someday, yes someday, I will make him mine and we will ride off into the sunset together. But at over a thousand bucks, that someday isn't here, yet.

All this goes to say that if you want good buttery bokeh (subject in focus and background blurred out), you want something in a higher aperture than a F/4. Most consumer lenses start at either F/3.5 or F/4. If you want to get a higher aperture (lower F stop #), find a good and affordable lens like the 50mm 1.8. It's not going to break the bank and will kick your consumer lens' arse in the bokeh category, if you're shooting on Av priority or manual! : )

EF-S vs. EF and DX vs. FX:

Next up, in the affordable everyday awesome lens category, I want to talk to you about EF lenses versus EF-S (Canon) and DX versus FX (Nikon) lenses. Please put me on pause, then run out and check your lenses. You can see what you have on the front of the lens before the mm designation.

Some time ago, when camera manufacturers went digital, they thought it would be good to make lenses for small sensor digital cameras. Usually the cost doesn't change, however, a EF-S or DX isn't made to fit on advanced camera bodies, which have full sensors. SO, let's say that someday you decide to go pro and upgrade your camera body to a pro-level camera, you won't be able to use the EF-S or DX. SO, if you have the opportunity, only buy EF or FX lenses!

So, if you're ready to take the plunge and start shopping for new lenses or other camera equipment, I highly encourage you to go with a reputable company. Going online and buying the "cheapest" isn't always the smartest. Sometimes that price comes with poor customer service. The company that I frequently use has great prices AND customer service. And they even purchase used equipment. Click on the link below to learn more about Adorama and their great prices and selection.



So, that's all for today. I've probably blah blah blah'd WAY too much about this topic, but I'm eager to share with you all the interesting things I've learned to date. I have a business, but I don't claim to know it all. I'm just sharing...AND if you have any further questions, PLEASE feel free to contact me at any time at jj@theblahblahblahger.com. And I hope to continue this series, unless of course nobody comments and you all tell me I'm a doofus. If that's the case, I'll bury my head in the sand and go back to talking about my house. : )

PhotoFANatic Friday featuring Love Me Do!

Today, I'm really excited to bring to you Love Me Do Photography as our PhotoFANatic Friday feature! Love Me Do is the brainchild of Nadine and Carina, two exceptional photographers based out of Philidelphia. I found these two amazing photographers on Joanna Goddard's blog, A Cup of Jo, and she featured a tattoo'd wedding. The pics were earthy, raw, and really beautiful, so you know what this blog stalker HAD to do...hop on over and see everything else they've got going on. What I learned is that Love Me Do Photography is a killer team with amazing vision and storytelling abilities!

Meet Nadine and Carina:

1. Your background is in fine art. How does that make your wedding photography aesthetic different than others? We didn't start out as wedding photographers. We each attained a BFA in Photography and actually started out and still currently work as commercial and fine art photographers. We use the technical experience and concepts we've learned to strengthen our wedding photography. We are very much inspired by fine art photographers and look at a lot editorial work to create unique and sophisticated compositions. Our first approach to a wedding is to look at the beautiful lighting, the compositions of the space, and the many details rather than a strict photojournailistic approach. We are also very conscious of our equipment and what lenses we use and the depth of field, to create a specific look to an image. For example, we will frequently use a tilt-shift lens to mimic the selective focus look of an old 4x5 camera. We want to take photographs that narrate a story of the entire day, while portraying our subjects as genuine as possible in a fine art sensibility.

2. Love Me Do is comprised of two teams. How does this partnership work and how do you push each other to produce better images? Each of us have spent years working on our own in photography, while sharing resources with other photographers. Since we have a common field and interest, we thought, "why not bring our businesses together, and proceed as a team?" Thus, Love Me Do was formed! Not knowing what the outcome would be like, we dove into a joint business, and we've really seen some great benefits come out of it. For starters, we inspire each other! We are able to share ideas and techniques, and are continually helping each other out when one of us comes across something new we want to try. It is also great when one of us needs extra hands on some of the more extravagant weddings or when one of us is already booked for a date, we can refer one another. It helps that we have a deep respect for one another's work, for we each represent Love Me Do Photography and have to trust each other's abilities. And lastly, we've discovered that we are able to reach more eyes and ears by spreading the workload of marketing. The more mouths we have talking about our photography, the easier it is to get heard!

3. Are there any shoots in your portfolio that have stood out as one of your favorites of all time? Nadine: Well, every new wedding is exciting, but I just did a really fun shoot at the Union League in Philadelphia for Carolyn and Chris's wedding (found on our blog). I think I had so much fun beacuse I shot their rehearsal dinner, the wedding, and the brunch the next day, so I really got to know the family. The groom was awesome, and loved having his picture taken, which doesnt happen to often. The kids wore fairy wings and the centerpieces were all different version off mystical tree stumps and flowers. There was this amazing gypsy drum band that came to play and everyone loved it. There was just a lot of genuine love with this couple and it was also very sweet how they also included their 2 year old son in the wedding. One of my favorite pitcures is the three of them walking down the isle after the cermony and the look on Carolyn's face is priceless.

Carina: Woah this is a hard one. I think that every week we do a new wedding, I find myself in love with a new picture. So naturally I love the most recent wedding we just photographed of Bess and Matt (on our blog). They are just a great fun loving couple that we worked with really well and they looked amazing! But if I were to look back on certain images... there's one shot of a bride, Kristen (also on the blog), that I took while we were waiting for the groom to round up his family for a group portrait. I noticed that I had a minute to spare, and thought, "why not take a few shots of the bride right now?" And boy am I glad I did! Everything was just right, the composition, the light, Kristen looking beautiful, and right as I was taking the shot, the wind blew ever so slightly to give some movement in her dress for the picture. I couldn't have dreamed of a better shot of that day. In one click of a shutter, I was able to remove all the busyness, chatter, and natural stress of a wedding day. You wouldn't think that there was a crowd of people right behind me waiting to get their photos taken just as I took this breath-of-fresh-air of a shot.

4. When you're shooting, what's your first priority? Lighting, emotion, natural moments, etc? With our backgrounds, we both would say lighting and composition are the must-have foundation for each photograph. If you have the technical experience down, the natural moments just come to you. We both are very big on how we pose and not-pose people. When it comes to dealing with the bride and groom's pictures, we very much want the couple to look natural, at ease, as if they were alone and being themselves together. We will make suggestion of standing and hand placements and kindly tell people to move into the beautiful light. For most people, having their picture taken this much is a new thing, and we like to do things like make them laugh and tell them to wisper something in the others ear, to just to make look at ease and relaxed. It often creates that "natural moment."

5. What was the best piece of advice you were given when you were just starting out? Nadine: Thats a tough one because I cant think of one single piece of advice I was given, other than shoot, shoot, and keep shooting. I think the single most important thing is creating your personal style. It's great to look at websites, blogs, and magazines for inspiration, but you really have to shoot A LOT to understand your own taste and aesthetic. This is really what is going to set you apart from other photographers, and people want to hire you for "your unique look." Another thing is, take a breathe. It can be extremely overwhelming starting your own business, but the thing I always remind myself is that its a process. You're going to start off small, and that's okay. Slowly you will build your amount of equipment and lenses and your clients. Like Carina says below, I also only buy what I can afford at the moment. I have found weddings are a very "word of mouth business", so its good to have great relationships with your clients and other vendors so they reccommend you. In terms of marketing, you should look like a cohesive package from your website to your stationary to your presentations. Its number one to have an easy and clean navigating website, and having a blog has been a real asset to our business as well.

Carina: My first photo teacher said to me, "Don't ever buy your own photography equipment... have other people buy it for you." When asked by other students what he meant by this. He elaborated on how we should look for jobs in photography, get paid to do a good job, then use the money we just made to buy better equipment. So far this has worked really well for me because I started searching for anything and anyone that would hire me as a photographer. I just put myself out there and started getting jobs in which I had no experience in, such as movie set photography, head-shots, architecture, and events. I learned so much from these experiences having to figure things out as each new opportunity came my way, creating a pretty good background for myself. If I never tried to do something new, I would have never succeeded in creating a name for myself. Plus I never put myself in debt by buying extremely expensive equipment. Hello to no credit card payments!

I LOVED this interview and feel like Nadine and Carina really gave us amazing insight into their business and art. Thanks SO MUCH to you both for opening up and sharing!!! I love your work and am so excited to show it off!!!

All gorgeous images property of Love Me Do Photography.

PhotoFANatic Friday featuring Betsy King

This week's feature for PhotoFANatic Friday is all about Betsy King from Fort Wayne, Indiana. She's got a ton of talent and also has a great brand combined with beautiful storytelling. I feel like seeing the images on her blog are only part of her skill...the way she opens up and let's the reader in is totally awesome! I can tell that she's going to be very successful in this business because photography is all about selling yourself and therefore your work (this I know from meeting many wonderful photographers and reading Dane Sanders awesome book Fast Track Photographer!).

Betsy's products run the gamut for families. She shoots maternity, babies, children, seniors, and families. Her work is crisp and clean and filled with emotion. She also has the same name as my cousin. ; )

Okay, enough of my thoughts...let's get down to business!

1. How long have you been shooting and what kind of training do you have? I have always loved art and photography and even though I had experience with dark room and playing with pinhole cameras growing up, I didn't have the confidence in myself to pursue it in college. As a matter of fact, I started out in an art program, but chickened out. Yep, I'm a late bloomer. BIG TIME. For years I ignored the artistic part of me and tried doing other avenues until I could no longer ignore it. (You'll read more about that below when I talk about my brand.) I picked up my first dslr camera when I was pregnant with my son in 2006 and once he was born, I photographed him every day and absorbed as much information as I could through practice, books and information on the internet. My husband taught me about ISO, aperture and shutterspeed, which he knew from just being the smarty pants he is. (God bless him for explaining it to me 85 times.) I had a good friend, Bobbi Sheridan of Bobbi + Mike Photography who was very supportive of me as I grew and would help me along the way. I never dreamed of doing it professionally, but people saw my personal blog I kept of my life with my son and the calls for portrait sessions came rolling in. (I was seriously that mom with a dslr that I'm sure totally annoyed "real photographers" like crazy.) However, the photography community (both online and locally in Fort Wayne, Indiana) has been amazingly supportive of me and kind. (For that I am eternally grateful!) I quickly threw together a business the fall of 2007 and worked insanely hard to keep up with everything that first year. I ran the first year of my business with my husband under the name "Betsy & John Photography." My husband is a composer with his own business so as my business grew, he struggled to have time for both. So I changed my business to just me, "Betsy King Photography", this past January, 2009.

I feel like I have had my own personal workshop whenever I need it as some of my closest friends are amazing photographers and I can go to them for help and inspiration. I have been very blessed to be surrounded by very giving talented people. However, I have gone to the David Jay Free to Succeed tour seminar and I did attend the Brianna Graham workshop in Michigan this past spring. My post processing has grown a lot since that workshop. (Though I spend more time on it now.)

2. What equipment do you use? Favorite lens? My camera is a Canon 5D with a battery pack, prime lenses and natural light. My favorite lens is my workhorse 50 1.4. I'm pretty barebones with my equipment, but honestly, I'm ok with that right now. I'm getting the job done. My goal is to obtain the 50 1.2 eventually. I sometimes grab my 28 when I need something wider. My 85 has been collecting dust all year. I need to rediscover that lens. If I'm in a wooded area I'll grab my reflector, and I always have it with me, but these days, I keep things simple, using natural reflectors like buildings or concrete.

3. What has been the biggest factor in taking your images to the next level? This one is really hard, because I feel like I'm still learning and growing so much. Looking back through, I think as my post processing knowledge has grown, so has the look of my work. Also, I think once I focused on the light more (and the setting less) and my connection with the person I'm photographing, my images went to the next level as well.

4. Your brand is very unique. Tell us a little bit more about how you came up with it! As I pondered what I wanted my new new look to be, I ended up needing to go back and look at where I have come from. I was making a logo that will symbolize my photography work, but I was also branding myself as the artist of the images I create. I really wanted it to have deep meaning to me. Through out my life I have allowed myself to feel trapped by what I thought other people wanted me to be. The child in me once said, “I want to be an artist.” However, the voice I listened to was the that of the people who said, “Be a teacher.” When I realized that wasn’t the path I was meant to do, I listened to another voice that said, “Sell this stuff that you’re not passionate about.” Though that path lead me to learn many things and meet so many wonderful people, I still felt very trapped. I was stuck in a cage of what I thought I was supposed to be doing, not what my heart truly wanted to do. Then I experienced the deepest loss I have ever felt. I lost my husband to cancer. He was full of passion and talent, but as hard as he fought to live, he had to leave all of that behind. From that point on, I knew that I needed to fill the days I have left with what my heart is meant to do. The times in my life when I felt trapped is where the cage in my logo came from. It’s not a big ugly cage; because that cage, or those experiences where I felt trapped, taught me many things about the world and myself. So it’s not a bad thing at all, considering how much I learned from those experiences. The bird? Yep, I’m that bird, who is free from the cage and ready to fly.

What else does the cage and the bird mean? Well, I suppose it’s up for anyone’s translation but I also wanted it to portray the idea that my photography is outside of the box. (Too bad “thinking outside of the cage” isn’t a popular phrase…) My clients are that happy little bird and I’m photographing them, not just in front of the confinements of a backdrop, but out in the world, flying free.

I came up with the idea of the bird and the cage, but my amazzzzzing graphic designer, Ryan Hunley of Second Street Creative put it all together for me. I wanted the look to be quirky, imperfect and approachable. Like how I (hopefully) come across. I knew I liked yellow, but he put the color pallete together, my blogsite background and my marketing materials. Handing all of that over to a graphic designer was the BEST decision I have ever made.

5. What was the best piece of advice you were given when you were just starting out? I recall my friend Bobbi telling me to just shoot what I love, and I'll keep attracting that. To this day, I remind myself to focus on what I love and It's so true. For example, I truly love photographing high school seniors. I spend the majority of my energy communicating with them and I feel like my love of photography really shows when I shoot them, so they are starting to be the bulk of my business. (Yippee!!!) What can I say? I'm still 17 deep inside.

Some technical words of advice I recall getting? Don't let your shutter speed slip below 160. Don't shoot women from below. Use Lightroom to expedite the processing process and don't get too caught up in Photoshop. (Those words of advice were promptly negated when I went to the Brianna Graham workshop...)

Ok, now for advice that I learned from mistakes I made early on: A photography business can (and will!) take over your life if aren't careful. Set boundaries early for yourself and for others. Block days off in the week and during the month you won't shoot. Only shoot what you love and let the rest slide. My first year of business I photographed everything and anything that came along and gave up a lot of family time to shoot and edit. I know photographers need to do that to get their feet wet, but I think I could have handled my time better. Here's where the harsh life lesson comes in: The first holiday season I shot like an idiot. I took on EVERYBODY who needed christmas cards that year and had no cut off date. I didn't know I had the right to say no to people. When it came time for me to host my family Christmas gathering amongst all the craziness, I was in the worst mood, totally stressed out and wasn't really present for my family. Oh, and it was also my baby's first Christmas too. January came and I was obsessively shooting as much as I could and on the high of creating my business. At the end of that month, my sister succumbed to depression and took her own life. Everything fell away and I saw myself focused on everything except my own family. The last time I saw my sister was at that Christmas gathering and I wasn't even fully myself. As much as I wanted to, I couldn't change what had happened, but I could change how I lived my own life. I knew then that I would never (ok, I would try very hard) to not let my photography business stress me out or take over my life so much that I can't be present for my family. I only shoot 4-5 sessions a month and I don't shoot in December anymore. So my advice is to put your family first, if that is really important to you. If I don't have a strong family life, I can't do my job as a photographer well.

See what I mean about her opening up and sharing herself? I'm certain her clients love her all the more for it and refer her left and right!!!

Thank you Betsy, SO MUCH, for sharing with us and letting us in!!!

PhotoFANatic Friday featuring Jennifer Skog

Ummmm, Jennifer Skog has got to be one of my FAVORITE photographers of all time...so I'm kinda freaking out right now. She's UBER-talented and has an incredibly romantic vision. She's the kind of photographer who captures such beautiful images that I can't wait to get in front of her camera!!! I'm so thrilled to be sharing her with you right now! Seriously SQEEEEEALING!!!

Based in the Bay Area of CA, Jennifer Skog has a great market on the wedding industry but also takes THE BEST boudoir pictures of all time. I'm not lying. You've GOT to take a look at her whole portfolio and her blog. BUT, until then, please enjoy her Q&A!

1. You shoot such romantic engagement and wedding portraits. Where does your vision come from? What influences you? I really love romance and passion and capturing the true spirit of my clients. I want to record their love and it has always been that way for me. I get inspiration from everywhere, movies, magazines, other fabulous photographers, pretty much everywhere I go, I'm thinking of what would make a gorgeous shot. I've been lucky enough to have couples put their complete trust in me and let me do what I do.

2. How long have you been shooting? What kind of training do you have? How long did it take for you to hone your "style" and create your brand? It took a LONG time! Many may consider me a newcomer, but it's fairly far from it. I've always had a love for photographing people and fashion. When I was in college, I gave my cute neighbor a complete makeover and photographed her in my apartment with my lamp shades turned upside down and a sheet hanging with push pins from the ceiling. Her mom was so amazed by how great she looked, she asked me to photograph her wedding. I was 21 when I shot my first wedding, they paid me $100 and took all the film to Costco! From then on, I made it a mission to shoot weddings, I was very young, so had no idea what I was exactly doing on the business side, so I simply did a couple more jobs, built a portfolio, drafted up a contract, went to City Hall to get my business license and viola, I was in business. Truly, I didn't make any money off of my photography, I put it all toward my gear {all to be practically worthless when digital came out!}. I was also a waitress 6 days a week and a full time student getting my Marketing Degree. About a year after I graduated college, I was offered a job as a Marketing Manager for a small family owned business, since I was still waitressing and only shooting between 10-15 weddings a year, I decided that my Marketing Career might just be the only way I move forward in life. I worked with the company for 4 years, fell in love with my future husband and still shot on the side. It finally got to a breaking point to where I had to either quit my job or quit weddings, my husband encouraged me to make the jump and follow my passion. 3 short years ago, I did just that and have never looked back.

I'm mostly self taught, I study, attend workshops, experiment a lot with things and also learn from my fellow photographer friends. I have learned something from every person I have ever worked with and don't think I will ever stop learning. I'm somebody who is constantly trying to evolve with the world around me, I'm never satisfied with where I am at and am always looking to improve my skill.

It took me a long while to come up with a style and finally I just shot the way that I wanted to shoot. I like sexy things. When I bought my own wedding gown, I bought it because it was sexy and glamorous. I designed my current logo and actually hated it. Overtime, it has actually developed over time to be what it is now. When designing my blog, I wanted something sexy, a design that wouldn't go out of style and is representative of my aesthetic, so I chose a sexy fishnet backdrop. What I love about my fishnet design is that it also resembles a veil when in white. The duality of the sexy black fishnet stalking or the feminine softness of a wedding veil truly represents my photography style. I couldn't be happier with it. I also try to evolve with fashion trends, when brown was big, my logo was brown; today trends are more vintage inspired, so I chose to go with a classic look of black and white, which I think I might actually keep :)

3. Your couture boudoir pics are the best I've ever seen. How did you come up with the idea? How do you get your subjects to relax and make them all look so beautiful? Thank you! I started doing boudoir without even knowing it when I was in college with my roommates and continued to do it for my friends as valentine's day gifts for the boyfriends. I've always been one to push the envelope a little bit and it's just something I enjoy doing. I had a bride ask me to do them and it sort of took off from there! My collaboration with Maria Chang has really enabled me to do everything I've ever envisioned for a boudoir shoot. Together, with our Couture Boudoir Shoots, we are able to come up with some amazing stuff and truly the possibilities are endless. Everyone is nervous in the beginning, including myself. Most often, the first time we meet is the day of the shoot. We start with an hour of hair and make-up with Maria, this gives us time to chat and get to know each other. It ends up just being a group of girls being girly and after a while, they are completely uninhibited.

4. You've already achieved great success, have a thriving business, and produce amazing images. What kind of growth do you still strive for? What's next for Jennifer Skog? Well... I don't really consider myself as having achieved a ton, this is what I do and it is expected that I do it well. I have a million things I want to do, but am often reminded by my husband to slow down a little. What I really strive for is having a successful business and a happy home. I want a family and I want to be home to enjoy them. Running a business takes a lot of dedication, time and stress, and especially in a artistic field, we wear everything on our sleeves. For me, my work is personal, I put everything I have into it. My five year plan is to move the business out of my home into a studio with my good friend and inspiration, Maria Chang. Together, we would like to expand our companies and teach others what we have learned over the years. We are currently sharing our boudoir knowledge with other photographers and makeup artists through our Intimate Affair Workshops and ultimately would like to do the same for weddings.

5. What's the best piece of advice you were given when you were just starting out? Be true to yourself, believe in yourself and stay humble! While most people who know me, know that in general I am not the most humble human being, however when it comes to my work, I am my own worst critic and always striving to be better. If you don't believe in yourself how can you ever expect anyone else to? When I first started meeting couples, I was frightened, an many times they would sense that and either try to get me to lower my price or not hire me. It wasn't until I gained confidence in what I do and communicated just how much I love what get I do that people took me seriously.

And now, onto the photos!

Jennifer, thank you SO MUCH for sharing your gift with us!!! I'm truly thrilled to feature you and count the days until I can be in front of your camera!

PhotoFANatic Friday featuring Shannon Dodd

This week, I'm pleased to introduce you to Shannon Dodd, a fantastic children and babies photographer based in Northwest Iowa, but who also serves SW Wisconsin.

Shannon has a special love for newborn sessions and really knows how to capture these new additions! She has a thriving business and has a creative vision...and working with newborns and children, she must have OODLES of patience!

We connected on Flickr (what a great resource!) and then found out that we have a couple of CA friends in common...how does THAT happen? As I have gone through her site and blog, I have since learned that along with her passion for photography, she has tremendous talent, too!

Ready to learn more about (and from) her? I know I am...so let's get to the Q&A!

1. It looks like you specialize in youngsters...how to you overcome typical challenges like fussiness, sleeplessness, and restlessness? (enough ness's?) My attitude for newborns is to just take things as they come. Some newborns eat every 1/2 hr, some are here the entire time without eating. Some poo and pee all the time, some never mess. BUT one thing is always for sure- they will sleep. I've had one session take nearly 5 hours to get enough good shots, and then another where I had plenty on my card in 2 hours. A few of my tricks are I run 2 space heaters set to 80/85*, I also run a white noise machine. I do a lot of bouncing and shushing with the babies and I also find rubbing their forehead and nose helps calm them. If I'm holding the baby, they are usually always swaddled and facing my window light to hopefully trick them into sleeping. I work on their schedule- I'm there for the shots- not a time limit. And most important- RELAX. Babies only have their instincts to rely on and if they can sense tension, they almost always are awake and irritable. Oh- and LOTS and lots of patience. Sometimes I'll work one pose for 45 minutes to an hour- I want the details showing- I want as many fingers and toes as possible in front of my lens.

2. Your images are sharp and clear. What do you shoot with? Do you use any Actions? I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II and I have a backup Canon 5D as well. I have an arsenal of lenses, but my favorites are the 85 1.2L, used mostly for outdoor portraiture, and my 50 1.4 for indoor natural light (mostly newborns). Those 2 primes are on my camera 75% of the time. My 24-70 2.8 is used for studio sessions or the occasional wide-angle family or sibling shot. I Love my 70-200 2.8L but I don't use it as much as I'd like to- it's a fantastic piece of glass, and finally a 100 2.8 macro for newborn bits and pieces! I'm a FIRM believer in owning good glass. Image sharpness and clarity starts with light. Light is the root of all photography- without proper light, I don't achieve tack-sharp focus, pleasing skin tones or natural shadowing. I work and strive for those 3 things at every shoot. Next is exposure- the best focus, skin tones and shadowing come from a good exposure. So- the perfect combination for a sharp, clear image is good light, good exposure and a steady hand. Add in some good glass and a great camera and you can get some bonus flair! I have a basic action that I made of my own that basically adjusts the curves- I lift midtones, deepen midtones and add a bit of contrast- all 3 with masking, other than that I keep my post-processing very clean and simple. I have to get things right in camera because I don't have time to fix things later on in processing- I'm a full time mom to 2 beautiful boys and only a part-time photographer. A year ago I spent way too much time and money tracking down good actions and then learning how to use and apply them, only to figure out I wanted more control over my images and really just wanted clean, natural portraits as the end result- I've been processing using my own workflow for about 6-7 months.

3. In what situations do you opt to use studio verses natural light? I use natural light in any and every situation I can, however there are a few reason I have a small, one light 'studio' shall we say in the basement of our home. Probably the ONLY reason I have a studio space is I live in Iowa and it's cold- not all parents share the crazed visions I do for pictures in a snowy wonderland, so I use my studio from November until May (with an occasional outdoor session earlier than that) I'll do natural light with toddlers and children alone, but sibling and family shots are just really difficult to get indoors without closing my aperture- so it's off to the studio we go. Studio lighting at this time just doesn't excite me the way natural light does- partly because I haven't made more investment into my studio, but also because of the nature of my business. I want to focus on newborns and small children. For newborns, my goal is soft lighting and soft shadows and I also don't want the harsh flash or strobe disturbing them either- plus when a newborn smiles I've got to be ready to fire at 4 frames per second to capture every one of them. I LOVE shooting wide open and pushing my aperture to let the most light in. I'm a bokeh-addict if you will- and studio-lights just cannot create bokeh like outdoors. The other main reason I just don't like studio is that most children don't want to be told to go stand or sit in one place for more than 5 minutes. It's like trying to cage a wild animal telling a toddler to stay put on a back drop. I'd much rather just follow them around on an 'adventure' outside- we're all much happier that way!

4. What kind of training have you had? I've been self-taught and I bought my first D-SLR in May of last year, so for 13 months I've been consumed with photography- what started as an interest in other professionals photographing my first son, has developed into my passion. I still learn something every time I get my camera out, but I hope I am always learning when it comes to photography- I want my photography to grow and develop every day. I went to a newborn posing class in March with the fantastic Kelley Ryden and Tracy Raver out of Omaha and it was definitely a wonderful jump start to my newborn portfolio.

5. What's the best piece of advice you were given when you were just starting out? Start on Manual- it was the best way for me to learn how aperture, shutter speed and ISO correlate. I've never shot in aperture or shutter priority and I've seen photographers rock those modes, but for me- I prefer manual. The other piece of advice I got was just simply to practice. For about 4 months my camera never left my side. I was constantly trying to figure settings and get used to moving my hands and fingers around the control of my camera. Learning to think quicker, more creatively and to CATCH those quick children's moments. Kids aren't going to wait for me and they certainly are'nt going to re-do a great moment for me.

Thank you SO MUCH, Shannon, for sharing your insight and process! Working with newborns is an incredible challenge and you've provided some great words of wisdom to me and all the other photo-enthusiasts out there!!!

Be sure to tune in next week for PhotoFANatic Friday...I'm SQUEEEEEEELING with excitement over the photographer that's up next!!!

PhotoFANatic Friday featuring Savor Photography

This week's PhotoFANatic Friday feature is Rachel Durik from Savor Photography. She's a relatively new pro in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, but has FIERCE style and creative skill. That pic over there on the right is her self-portrait...and I'm not even going to begin to explain how jealous I am of it. Ha!

After spending some time on her blog, I've got to tell you, I'm quite impressed that she's only been shooting professionally for a little over a year. Her colors are bold and her images are sharp...two things that I can't get enough of! She's also doing some really interesting things with marketing...things I'm only beginning to hear about. Rather than let me tell you all the reasons why I think she's a wonderful addition to the PhotoFANatic Friday Class of 09, I'll let you hear from her!

1. How did you make the leap from amateur photographer to pro? I'm sitting here trying to figure this out and I can't really remember! I think it mostly had to do with the fact that I knew a few local photographers that didn't have as much technical knowledge as I did. Even though at the time I didn't know that much, it kind of blew my mind that someone could make a living from photography and not know the very basics. It got me thinking that maybe I could do it, too.

And I feel that I should make a confession here: the reason I got into photography is so I could have beautiful pictures to post on my personal blog. Yep, that was the only reason. Most photographers grew up with the love of photography in their blood, they played with their parents cameras, they were always creative with their point and shoots before upgrading to a DSLR. I was none of that. I was a crappy picture taker with my point and shoot. I made learning photography a project for me and insisted that I learn as much about my camera as I possibly could. I hit the books hard, and I still do. So I think maybe creativity is more inherent, but photography as an art can be learned!

2. What lens can you absolutely not live without? This is a tough one because I'm still trying to figure that out. I go through phases of favorites. And now with the beautiful weather outdoors, my favorite is the 85mm 1.8. It gives beautiful bokeh and there's something a little different about primes. I never believed that until just recently. I find that I do much less processing on my prime pictures than with my zoom. I also have a 50mm 1.4 and a 24-70mm 2.8L and I've used the 50mm 1.2L and 70-200mm 2.8L. If I could buy one lens right now, it would be the 50mm 1.2. I hardly ever touched my pictures taken with that lens. Straight out of the camera, they were beautiful.

3.What has been your biggest disappointment as a photographer? Your biggest success? Disappointment? Where do I begin?! I think my short career has been filled with highs and lows, but one thing sticks out to me the most. On my very first real shoot with a paying family, my files corrupted when I was transferring them from the memory card to the computer. It took about three minutes for the reality of what happened to sink in, and when it did, let's just say there was a lot of crying and screaming. I told my husband I was selling all of my equipment and that there was no way on earth I could ever be a photographer. Well, being the smart man that he is, within a few minutes, he had located some software that could recover the files and within the hour, all of my files were restored. Best $40 I ever spent! I won't even tell you about the time I formatted one of my cards DURING A WEDDING! Thank you, Card Recovery!

As for a success, I have to say being interviewed on your blog amongst photographers like Jasmine Star, David Jay, Gabriel Ryan, Sarah Q, etc, etc, wow! What an honor to be in that list! I don't belong in that list, but I'm super excited that somehow I got there. (No, the BLAH BLAH BLAHger did not pay her to say that!) I think my other success(es) are when my husband will buy me an expensive piece of equipment. It's an affirmation to me that he believes I'll make it big enough that he's willing to invest in me. I have huge doubts sometimes and having his support is invaluable.

4. What's Team 2010? How did you come up with the program? Since this is my first year as a professional photographer, I'm trying to get my name out there. I've read a lot from other photographers about high school senior rep programs. Team 2010 is designed to pick influential seniors, take some awesome pictures of them, and let the pictures speak for themselves. The seniors will earn print credit for each person that they refer. I'm fortunate to have a lot of teacher friends in the area who have helped me pinpoint those to invite. I'm hoping it will be successful. We will see!

5. What's the best piece of advice you were given when you were just starting out? I know this has been said over and over again, but it would have to be: Be yourself. I started out trying to take pictures just like this photographer. And then that photographer. And on, and on. I'm just now starting to do my style and become my own person. I think it's something that comes with time and I'm happy to have so many stunning photographers as inspiration. But I'm really excited that I'm juuuust starting to come into my own now.

Thanks so much for having me! Such an honor!

Thank YOU, Rachel for taking the time to answer my questions and be featured here. I love your work and can tell you have the natural gift!!! It was so hard to choose my favorites, but here are a handful that I just think are divine!










If you have a favorite photographer with skills like these who you think I should learn more about (and from), please let me know!!! I do these features to 1) learn more and 2) feature fabulous photogs whose work should be noticed by more than their community!!! As for Rachel's amazing images, I think my favorite is the 1st...which is a pic of her son. Those eyes are just remarkable and I love everything about it. Which is YOUR favorite???