What camera and lenses do you use and for what? My camera is a Canon 50D. My lenses are the kit lens (that came with the camera), a 75-30mm zoom lens, and my two favorites, the 'nifty fifty' 50mm f/1.8 and my 28mm f/2.8.
Because my camera is not a full-frame camera, and has a 1.6 crop factor, I prefer my 28mm...it allows me to get in close! With the 50mm, I have to be back farther. I like to talk to my clients while I'm taking pictures, so when I'm farther back, I feel like I’m shouting and am not able to give much direction. And when I'm shooting children, I like to be VERY close to be able to capture those candid moments!
Do you work with newborns? Yes! To do newborn shoots, you need TIME! It can take anywhere from 3-4 hours to capture a newborn, and all of them are different. The best time is within the first 7-10 days of life. Moms (or Dads) should turn up the heat (we might sweat but the baby will be comfortable in his/her birthday suit!) Make sure the parents feed and change the baby before I arrive. It takes a LOT of little steps to set up for a good newborn shoot.
How many shots do you generally take when you do a shoot? I used to over shoot. I just shot, shot, shot, shot until I was for SURE there MUST be something good on there. The funny thing is, that just takes more time! Now, with a normal family or child session (not extended family, because there’s more to shoot), I’ll take somewhere around 50-60 shots. Another thing is, now I’ll really try and wait for a shot...I'd rather have to toss an image because of closed eyes or “user mistakes” than tossing just because I took too many!
What should we wear? Well, it depends. I hate to say that, but it really does. Since we're in Michigan, a lot will depend on the time of year. Colors that compliment YOU are the best; choose colors that make you feel like yourself, comfortable, and happy! Some tips:
Good ideas:
Because my camera is not a full-frame camera, and has a 1.6 crop factor, I prefer my 28mm...it allows me to get in close! With the 50mm, I have to be back farther. I like to talk to my clients while I'm taking pictures, so when I'm farther back, I feel like I’m shouting and am not able to give much direction. And when I'm shooting children, I like to be VERY close to be able to capture those candid moments!
Do you work with newborns? Yes! To do newborn shoots, you need TIME! It can take anywhere from 3-4 hours to capture a newborn, and all of them are different. The best time is within the first 7-10 days of life. Moms (or Dads) should turn up the heat (we might sweat but the baby will be comfortable in his/her birthday suit!) Make sure the parents feed and change the baby before I arrive. It takes a LOT of little steps to set up for a good newborn shoot.
How many shots do you generally take when you do a shoot? I used to over shoot. I just shot, shot, shot, shot until I was for SURE there MUST be something good on there. The funny thing is, that just takes more time! Now, with a normal family or child session (not extended family, because there’s more to shoot), I’ll take somewhere around 50-60 shots. Another thing is, now I’ll really try and wait for a shot...I'd rather have to toss an image because of closed eyes or “user mistakes” than tossing just because I took too many!
What should we wear? Well, it depends. I hate to say that, but it really does. Since we're in Michigan, a lot will depend on the time of year. Colors that compliment YOU are the best; choose colors that make you feel like yourself, comfortable, and happy! Some tips:
Good ideas:
- Wearing outfits in the same color family (light blue and dark blue, etc.)
- Dark, muted colors that you can find easily in nature (i.e.: greens, blues, browns)
- Solids or simple patterns
- That hot little black dress
- Fitted clothing – big, baggy shirts can make you look a lot larger than you are
- Comfortable clothes you can sit, stand, run, and jump around in
- Nice jeans, paired with a dressy top
- Accessories like funky necklaces, jackets, hats, scarves, sunglasses, etc.
- Bringing one very dressy outfit and one very casual outfit
- Bright white shirts
- Wild patterns or horizontal stripes
- Shirts with writing on them
- Sleeveless shirts
- Polo shirts on girls – for some reason, very few girls can pull this off well. If you really want to wear a polo, make sure it is fitted for a woman’s body, and not cut straight on the sides.
- Shirts with short hemlines – the bottom edge of the shirt should hit at your hips or lower
- Crazy colors (orange, lime green, fuschia, etc)
- Watches or rings, unless they have a lot of sentimental value to you.. We want to emphasize the engagement ring, and lots of other jewelry will take away from that.
- Short skirts, low necklines, anything even remotely risque
- Exact matching outfits – it might seem cute now to wear the exact same outfit, but in a few years, you will dislike it - trust me!
Do you have a studio set-up? & if so, what equipment do you suggest using? No, at this time, I don’t have a studio set-up. I shoot with natural light, so when I go into someone’s home, I use my surroundings and I will find the biggest window and use my blankets to drape over a couch or pillow or whatever my client has to work with. I hope soon, to be able to have a studio in the basement of my home, but for now, just natural light.
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