I bet you thought I’d never finish answering your questions, did you? We’ve been so busy … growing, teething, playing outside, teething, not sleeping … the usual.
Texan Mama (Gretchen) asked …
Do you prefer zoom lenses or primes? Why?
Here’s a biggie: what is the most common aperture you shoot at? Why? (me personally I’m always messing up between too much blurred background and not enough)
What do you think has helped you grow the most with your technical skills? Forums? A mentorship? Classes? YouTube? Trial and Error? if you have any specific references, please give ‘em up.
I have a hard time with that first question. I think if I HAD to choose, I’d prefer a prime lens, because it kind of forces me to look for the shot I want instead of zooming in or out on the “right” shot. Being forced to find the right shot really makes me a better photographer. But I also really like the flexibility of a zoom lens. I currently have a 50mm f/1.8, 85mm f/1.8 and the 24-70mm f/2.4. I love them all for various reasons, but I think I could do everything with the 50mm if I absolutely had to. The main reason I love the 24-70mm is the ability to shoot wide, because the 50mm and 85mm are not wide angle at all.
As for my aperture, I pretty much always shoot wide open, baby. I am notorious for having super soft images because I just don’t close down my aperture. Ever. That is my biggest downfall, really. I need to learn to close it down every once in a while, but I’m a 1.8 to 2.4 lover.
As for growing technically …
Forums? I am not currently a member of any photography forums. I tried one a few years ago, but my images were torn apart in the most horrid way, and I decided that wasn’t for me. I can handle constructive criticism, but I can’t handle being ripped apart.
A mentorship? I wish I could work with someone amazing, but I’ve never had that opportunity.
Classes? I’ve taken one online course that didn’t really teach me anything I didn’t already know. But it was free, so I don’t know what I was expecting?
YouTube? I use YouTube for tutorials on Lightroom and Photoshop, but I’ve never used it to help improve the actual technical side. Maybe I should!
Trial and Error? Yes, yes, YES!!! I learned how to shoot in manual by turning the dial to “M” and practicing.
If you have any specific references, please give ‘em up. Okay, here’s my secret. Flickr. A few years ago, Flickr was very open and people shared their EXIF data for their images. So I would see an image I liked, and then I would look at their EXIF data to see how they did it. I would put my camera into the same settings and shoot. Over time, I let go of shooting like others and found my own style, but I don’t think I would have ever really found my style had I not been able to look at what others were doing.
Now, a lot of Flickrers have turned off their EXIF data, so it’s not as easily accessible as it used to be. (But mine is always on for the images I take with my Canon!)
Jess asked …
Do you want to try to get back to the Zoo when the weather warms up? We haven’t been since the last time we met up!
You said one time that you weren’t interested in having a photography business because of the pressure you’d put on yourself to capture perfect pictures for your clients. Has your idea about that changed at all lately or do you see it changing in the future?
When I finally get pregnant, I’m going to ask you for sling advice :)
Yes!! Let’s definitely get together when the weather warms up! I would absolutely love that.
I am still not looking to start a photography business. I need to finally be completely honest about this whole photography business deal. So … here goes.
Everyone and their brother has a photography business these days. There are so many people who think that because they have a nice camera and because their mom told them that they take good pictures, they can make a little extra money being a photographer. So they start a business and charge practically nothing to do a session. But they are taking business away from photographers out there who have been working so hard and doing this for many years and that are charging what SHOULD be charged.
Now, I totally understand that every photographer had to start from somewhere. I get that. But my issue is with people who really don’t know enough about photography to be a “professional photographer” – even a beginner professional photographer. I actually created a website and a business name about 5 years ago, and I am so thankful that nothing ever came of it. I was NOT a photographer. I shot in auto mode, I didn’t know how to use Photoshop or Lightroom, I didn’t know the basic rules of photography. I seriously thought, “Well, I have a $1,000 camera – I could do that!” Oh man, I cringe just thinking about it. And even 5 years later, I honestly feel like I am just not good enough to hang a shingle.
Photographs are forever. The pictures I take of my girls will be around for generations to come. I honestly do not feel like I could hold the fate of someone else’s family pictures or wedding pictures or baby pictures that will be in their family FOR GENERATIONS in my amateur hands. I really wish people would think about that before they charge people for those photos.
Also? You have to be ON TOP OF IT to run a business. Our wedding photographer (Plantation Photography, just in case they have Google alerts set up for their business name, heh) lost/deleted/whatever 80% of our wedding photos and NEVER made it right. We fought with them for almost a year before we finally gave up. The only thing they were good at was avoiding our calls and letters and emails. It just goes to show that there is a lot of pressure on photographers, and I don’t think I could handle that at this time in my life.
But the bottom line is that I am not a professional photographer. I don’t play one on tv, and I simply cannot charge people at this point in my life. Will I ever feel like I’m good enough to be Keli Hoskins Photography? I don’t know. I may not ever feel like I am cut out to do this professionally. Not everyone who has a nice camera and who can be a decent photographer needs to be a professional.
Phew. Well, that was probably more than I should have said about that, but there you go. I feel better.
And finally, YES … please feel free to ask me anything regarding babywearing. It’s how Lucy and I survived those first few months.
Elaine asked …
I just ordered a new 50mm 1.4 lens. I’m VERY excited to get it but not really sure how to use it! Do you KNOW what settings to put your camera on for say a picture like you took of Lucy’s beautiful eyes in your recent You Capture post, or do you just shoot and get lucky? Because that is what I do right now with my basic 18-55… Thanks!
First of all, congratulations on your 50mm 1.4!! I’m totally jealous! You are going to love it!
I shoot 100% in manual. So I pretty much know what aperture and ISO I need for whatever and wherever I’m shooting, and then I set the exposure around that. For that picture of Lucy, I had her facing a window on a cloudy day, so I set the ISO to 400. Of course, I pretty much always shoot wide open, so my aperture was at 1.8 on my 50mm, but I probably should have closed down a little bit more to, somewhere around 2.8 so that her entire face and eyes would have been in focus. (See? Not professional photographer material!)
Once I started shooting in manual, choosing the ISO got easier over time. Now, I do let my camera choose my shutter speed based on ISO, aperture and what exposure I have chosen.
I would say I shoot in about 3 different ISO zones – 125’ish when I’m outside, 400-640 when I’m inside, 1000-1600 at night or in dark places. Of course, I use other settings based on what I’m shooting, but those are pretty good starting points.
Okay, there are a few more questions in the original post as well as a few in my part one answers, but since this post is already so long, I’ll post it and finish up the rest of the questions over the next few days.
Thank you!!
