Sunlight and Sound

I don't write on this blog very often; I save most of my writing on my personal blog, but I wanted to do a little FAQ post. Basically I'm doing a Q&A session with..... um, myself. But these are some questions that people who are interested in my photography ask me. When I was trying to figure out what type of photographer I wanted to be and how to start a business, I found other photographers stories interesting and helpful so I wanted to share mine.

How did you get into photography?
Mark bought a Canon t3i for a trip we were going on to Oregon. At first I was upset because I didn't feel like we needed a fancy camera. He returned it, and a few weeks later I begged him to go back and get it haha. I knew I wanted to take good pictures of my kids one day and thought it would be nice to have a decent camera. I wanted to get some experience photographing people so I started doing "sessions" for free. They were awful. I look back at the pictures I took then and cringe a little. But it was a great way to practice and get some good experience since I had never taken a photography class and didn't know anyone that could teach me.

Did you study photography in college?
I am a self-taught photographer. I minored in Art Education, but my focus was on ceramics and I never took a photography class. I wish now that I had. I have always had a passion for art. Most people think that means I'm I can draw and/or paint; I most definitely can not. I love creating though and have found the ceramics and photography are my passions. Learning how to use an SLR camera can be overwhelming, not to mention how to take a good pictures. So I read the manual cover to cover, and scoured the internet for hours for online tutorials and tips. It was a lot of trial and error, frustration, and practice. Learning how to operate the camera was the easy part though. The hardest part that I'm still learning about is lighting, posing people, editing, and capturing natural and candid pictures. I plan to attend conferences and classes geared towards photographers in the future. I have learned so much already, but still have a long ways to go.

What do you use to edit your pictures?
When I first started I just used iPhoto that comes with Mac. I now use Adobe Lightroom. I researched  the differences between Lightroom and Photoshop long before I made the purchase. I chose to go with Lightroom because I don't want my pictures to be incredibly touched up. I always lighten and brighten my pictures, but I never airbrush blemishes, smooth tummies, or brighten eyes. My goal is to capture candid and natural pictures, and I want to remain true to that by not over-editing.

What do you use for lighting?
I think I'm just finally beginning to understand when and how to get the type of light I want. When you're not shooting with lights in a studio, the weather and time of day is crucial to how your pictures turn out. I'm incredibly picky about when and where I do my shoots. If I compromise to accommodate for simpler scheduling or a more convenient location and the results are too dark or too bright, then it isn't worth it. I always start about 90 minutes before sundown, but the light is the dreamiest about 30 minutes before it sets. People often think you don't want the sun behind you, but I only shoot with the sun behind my subject. That way I avoid shadows and bright highlights on faces, and it's the best way to get a creamy golden background.

What type of gear do you shoot with?
After deciding that I wanted my business to improve and grow from the free and practice sessions I was offering, I knew I needed to upgrade my equipment. Camera equipment is pricey! I rented different lenses to find which ones I liked, and did a lot of research on brands, bodies, and lenses. I ended up purchasing the D7 camera body and the 24-70 mm f/2.8 L-series lens. At first I had no idea how I was going to pay for them, but knew that if I couldn't afford multiple lenses and cameras, that this would be the best all around gear I could get. I am not a big fan of loans, but Amazon was offering no interest for a year with their card. I was scared to death, but I knew that if I worked really hard and put all the money I made with photography toward the camera, I could pay it off before I started getting charged interest. I was able to do it, and although it sometimes felt like I was doing all that work for "free", it has now paid off and I am super satisfied with the camera I have. I'm starting to get an itch to add to my lens collection though!

What's your favorite thing to photograph?
If you know me personally, you know I take an outrageous number of pictures of my son. But as far as my favorite things to be hired for? I absolutely love engagement pictures. I would strictly stick to engagements and weddings if I could. I love photographing family and children as well, but there's something really special about being able to capture engagements or someone's wedding day because it's one of the happiest and biggest days of their lives.

What does "Sunlight and Sound" mean?
Because sunlight is my ultimate tool for creating beautiful pictures, I wanted to incorporate that into the name of my business. "Sound" is something that I really liked when I was exploring filming wedding and engagement videos. After dabbling in film for a bit, I decided that I wanted to focus my efforts on photography, but still felt that the word "sound" represented my photography style. I want to capture my clients laughing, playing, and being themselves. Not just a posed family portrait, but being wild and fun which always comes with laughter and noise.