This past week I was asked for a short question and answer session with a student interested in photography. I found her questions intriguing and to the point, and I figured it may be beneficial to others so with her permission here they are:
Q. What kind of camera do you own?
A. Nikon D200 and Pentax K100D.
Q. Do you recommend your camera to a first timer, or do you suggest something else.
A. The Pentax yes, not the Nikon. It’s pretty complex. My opinion is the camera is only 30% of the equation. Spend your money on the lenses.
Q. What kind of photo editing program do you have? I know many photographers like cs4, but would photoshop elements work?
A. I use CS4. I have elements but have not done much with it. From what I can see elements is for just that- adding elements(artwork, text, graphics, vectors) there is some basic image manipulation and enhancements, but my suggestion is photoshop cs4 or earlier is a must. I use Macromedia Fireworks for my artwork just because I have for years but I am excited to look into elements. I have just recently started using lightroom for image managment and am quickly falling in love with it. You can download a free 30 day trial if you want to try it out!
Q. Do you use any other equipment? like props, or backdrops (for black and whites)?
A. I love props and use backdrops occasionally. I prefer on location.
Q. How much have you spent to get your business going?
A. I’m still getting it going but thrive on keeping costs low, so not too much.
Q. How much do you charge?
A. Listed on website.
Q. How long have you been doing photography?
A. Since I was a little girl! But for others, about 3 years.
Q. Have you gone to school for it? If so, do you recommend it.
A. I did not go to school for it. I recommend constantly learning in some way, whether it be school, online, or workshops (which I personally learn the most at. I learn best hands on!) It also depends on what kind of photography you are interested in. For example, if you are doing more photo-journalism, you would probably need a degree for a career with that.
Q. What got you into photography?
A. Being able to capture memories.
Q. How hard it is to do?
A. If it’s a passion and you love it, its not hard but there is so much to learn.
Q. Where do you find your awesome locations?
A. I’m always keeping my eye out for something new and cool.
Q. How many hours do you typically work?
A. My family comes first, so I keep it part time!
Q. Do you use actions on your photos? And what are actions anyway?
A. Yes sometimes. Actions is a feature that allows you to record your steps while editing your images, so basically once recorded you can hit play and those same “actions” can be performed on any other image. Many great photoshop geniuses offer their actions for free or for sale. I started out using many actions at first until I understood what was going on during those actions. Now I still use actions but many are ones that I have put together.
Q. How do you work with different age groups, babies, little kids and adults. how do you get the little kids to relax and have fun?
A. My style is candid so we just hang out and have fun.
Q. Do you have any tips or recommendations for me?
A. The internet has great resources for learning (video tutorials, walk-thrus, all sorts of generous teachers.) I would just take lots of pictures, play around with angles, & have fun with it- don’t let your camera get too far away :)
So if you found this Q&A session helpful show some love and pay me lots of money…. or just leave a comment :)
Thanks,
Malea
Add Comment