Hey friends! It’s time for more…. questions from the audience! (cue: “The Price Is Right” music). I love getting questions because it challenges me to justify WHY I do things the way I do. I don’t always have a good reason for doing things the way I do (like refusing to learn LightRoom for months on end- dumb), which can cause me to re-examine my methods and change to a way that’s quicker, more efficient and better for my business.

*As always, I don’t claim to be any sort of authority on anything. This is just what works for me :)*

1) What programs do you use to edit?

I start all of my images off in LightRoom where I cull (choose the best images) and correct for exposure, white balance, color and contrast. From there I export my culled images into a folder and go through them one by one to see if there are any that need additional edits in PhotoShop (skin retouching, sharpening, clone stamping, etc). The amount of time the entire process takes really depends on how many photos I end up culling down to, and you’ll know from my last QFTA post that the final number of images depends on detail, portraits and time.

2) Do you use natural light or a lot of flash?

This may make me sound like a coward, but I avoid using flash as much as I can. I love natural light- it’s so organic and true. I love the golden glow of sunrise and sunset, and I adore the effects of a cloudy day on the available light. I do whip out the flash for dark reception venues, night time shooting and family portraits. That being said, I’ve been slowly investigating a bit more into studio portrait lighting, so I may begin to introduce a bit of artificial light for a certain type of session (more on that later!).

3) How do you think up topics to blog?

I keep this notebook with me at almost all times and any time inspiration hits, I jot it down in my handy dandy …NOTEBOOK! (reference? Blue’s Clues?) I’ll get on a roll on occasion and brainstorm 10-15 ideas in a matter of a few minutes, which is super helpful when I’m completely blanking on what to blog the next day. If all else fails, I’ll just write a blog making fun of myself. That always seems to work. 🙂 It also helps to come up with a series that you know you can continue on for the next few weeks/months, even years. I’ll probably never stop receive questions from my brides and grooms, so QFTA seemed liked a pretty reliable series to begin.

4) We’ve already found our wedding photographer, but we want you to do our engagement session. Ya dig?

This is a tricky question. I used to answer “Sure! Why not?” but after chatting it through with a few other photogs, I’ve decided the answer from now on is “no.” Here’s why: I know that I LOVE e-sessions with my wedding couples because it’s the perfect opportunity for me to get to know them a bit more personally in a relaxed situation. I get to learn how they feel in front of a camera, they have the chance to get more comfortable in front of my lens. They learn how I pose, and I learn what looks the most natural for them, and as a result the wedding day portraits ALWAYS go more smoothly.
I consider this time crucial to providing my couples the best possible wedding photography experience possible, and I don’t want to take that chance away from their wedding photographer. So whenever I get this question, I always respond with an encouragement to do their e-session with their chosen wedding photographer to give them the best wedding day photos imaginable.

Have questions? Sound off in the comments section! I promise to answer you as best as I can!

Happy Friday!