questions that bred, answered (finally!)

1. Have another question for you...what are some of your tricks for keeping toddlers happy and cooperative AND natural for photo shoots? (and i am talking not your own, but clients)

This may sound cheesy and canned but kids are just my thing. I have a degree in early childhood ed. and I taught kindergarten for four years so I "get" them and hanging out with them just comes naturally to me. I always start the session by talking to the kids first and I never start shooting until I'm sure they're comfortable with me and like me. I have to make sure I win them over first. I'll usually show them how my camera works and then tell them that I brought something for them and then show whatever prop or treat I brought. I always carry marshmallows which are a hit with most toddlers and have the added bonus of not showing up in pictures and not having a colorful messy residue.

2. I was also wondering if you shoot raw or not?

I only shoot in RAW about 1-2% of the time. If I'm at a location with a really fast toddler and the light is constantly changing then I might shoot in RAW just to make sure I have more wiggle room after the fact. I find that it adds tons of noise in post processing though and I just don't like that. I'd much rather shoot in JPEG and nail the exposure. I know tons and tons and tons of pros shoot in RAW and love it. I'm just not one of them.

3. I was just wondering where you got your huge b&w collage canvas printed and how you made the collage. Did you do it in PS? Use some sort of program? It is so gorgeous and I would love to make one!

I ordered the canvas from a pro canvas vendor...if you're a pro and you're interested, email me and I'll fill you in. I think there's a company called Canvas On Demand(.com) that will print for anyone but I'm not sure about what sizes they offer. I created the collage in PS. I created a 9 in x 9 in new document at 3oo dpi and then cropped the individual images to 3x3 at 300 dpi and dragged them into place. Then I ordered it as a 36 inch square and my lab upsized it for me.

4. You're the best! Can you share more about the "divine appointments" lesson your pastor covered? I'd love to know what verses were referenced in that sermon.

Our pastor is spending the year preaching out of the book of Acts and I am so into it. I'm usually not one for series but I really, really like how he's making us think critically about what it means to "be" the church. The particular passage he was preaching on that day was Acts 8:26-40. It's the story of Philip coming upon an Ethiopian eunuch as he (the Ethipoian) was reading a passage from Isaiah that he didn't understand. It was a prophesy about Jesus and Philip was given the opportunity to share the gospel with the man who then "went on his way rejoicing". The sermon centered around the idea that God sets up divine appointments for us such as this one. They're all around us, everyday, these calls to discipleship.

5. I have an idea for a future post :-) A photo tour of Erin's house! I LOVE what you've shown so far, but I just want more :-) Oh my house has a looooong way to go. Everytime I walk in someone else's home I have this sudden urge to redo my own. I'll share more of it one day, promise. ;)

6. What aperture are you shooting at to achieve the whole face tack sharp and background blurry. With 85/1.8 at 1.8 and 2.0 I get sharp eyes, but the chin is already soft. If I go higher, my SS is too slow (I live in often gloomy Oregon), urggggh! What AP are you shooting at for more than one subject?

I tend to stay around 2.8 and wider for single subjects. When I take snapshots around my house I'm often around 1.8 just because I'm not quite as worried about tack-sharp focus for enlargements (I mean, really, am I ever going to print a 20x30 of Sarah eating her snack? Probably not.) You're right though that if you're doing a headshot at 1.8 you're only going to get an eye or two in focus...definitely not the whole face. Some people really dig that look...some people don't. Also, keep in mind that there's a relationship between your distance to the subject and your depth of field. Your dof at 1.8 is going to vary depending on how close you are to the subject. There's a great tutorial on that subject here.

7. how do you avoid shadows of yourself or simply blocking the nice light? it always seems that when i find great light (with Avery in front of a window), to get the picture, I have to get in between her and the window, and then i cast a nasty shadow!

This can be tricky, especially if you're shooting using east-facing and west-facing windows. North and south light is always best because it's never direct. Your best bet is to try a different window, open a door and use that instead, or just move around a bit to get her from a different angle.

8. you mention photography classes like wendy's. i'd LOVE to take one like this. any tips on finding one in milwaukee?? i tried Google...didn't find much. Thanks!

Good news for you...Wendy's class is ONLINE! You don't have to be local to take it. Check her out here. I should clarify that I've never taken Wendy's actual class. She was my mentor a few years back before she started her workshops. I have heard nothing but RAVE reviews though from the people who have been through her process. And the change in their work has been dramatic. I've never taken any local classes so I can't help you there. Sorry. :(

9. I've been thinking about your mama monday sleep post - I have two littles about the same ages as you. How did you get them to take naps at the same time? The oldest is no problem, it's getting the 4 month old on a schedule that I'm having a hard time with.

I'm kind of a bad mom when it comes to this. I'm not above manipulating their schedules to fit my need for a break. When Ephraim was still taking three naps he would be ready for a nap around 11 and I would just make that Sarah's naptime too (earlier than she would prefer...but she still slept). Now that he's only taking two naps it actually works out beautifully because he's usually ready around 1 which is when I put her down. I found that it works best to work around the younger child's schedule because they're not quite as flexible and then let the older child adjust. Hope that works for you. Having at least *some* time to myself everyday is key for me.

10. I have the same 50mm 1.4 lens as you - and I'm not loving it at all right now. Any sharpness tips related to this lens? For example, what distance are you from your little cutie pie Ephraim when you take the head shots of him?

First tip - don't shoot at 1.4. Not sure if you're doing that or not but it's H.A.R.D. and will definitely be softer at that ap. All lenses have a "sweet spot" and I think that for the 1.4 it's right around 2.2 - 2.8. Keep it there and you'll get much sharper shots.

11. Just one more...do you use studio lighting? If you do what do you use, how many, etc? Thanks so much!

Nope. I don't own any, have never used it, and wouldn't know what to do if I had to. I do have an external flash (on semi-permanent loan from my generous Aunt Lu) and I'll use that if I ever need a boost with light. The dog shot in this post was the first time I ever used it on a client shoot and I was thrilled with the result so I may be breaking that bad boy out more often.

12. can i add a question? how exactly do you proof with your clients? are your proofs on your website? do they order from there or from you? you mentioned a while back about taking your laptop with you? how do you do it? make them give you their order then?

I proof in person with my clients. They come to my home after my chilluns are in bed and view their images first in a music slideshow on my laptop and then in a proof book. I think it's really important for them to see what the actual prints will look like because the color on my laptop just isn't right. I offer an incentive for ordering that night and then they can choose to pay for an online gallery or receive it complimentary for two weeks with a certain total order that night.

13. How many keepers do you get out of all the pictures you take? It seems like I have to take hundreds to get a few good ones of my wriggly worms. So, just curious, how many times you need to fire to get, let's say 20 keepers? I hope at least 21... Sigh

When I'm taking snapshots of my kiddos I've really slimmed down how many I take. I usually take 5-10 of a particular setting...just enough to tell the story. My computer is getting seriously full! For clients I'm bit more shutter happy. I probably shoot around 200-300 and proof 20-30. So I'm only keeping about 10%.

Okay, I think that covers it!