Ask Me Anything... {9/15/15}
Hey friends! Today is an exciting day because it is my first post for "Ask me Anything..." a new recurring blog post I'll be doing every week! I'll take photography related questions every Monday and answer my three favorite questions every Tuesday. Hopefully my answers will offer some helpful tips to my fellow photography lovers!
"What's in your bag?"
That's a really awesome question! I technically have two "bags" for shooting. For on site sessions such as Newborn, Engagement, Maternity I put my gear in my Kelly Boy bag by Kelly Moore. I love this bag because, not only does it fit my camera body and most of my lenses, but it's also really cute and super durable. When I'm working a wedding I'll transport my gear with my Think Tank Roller Derby case. I absolutely LOVE this case! When I travel through airports with this baby, it glides easily on all four wheels through the crowded terminal and fits as a carry on so I can be sure to have all my gear with me at all times. Nothing is scarier than having to check your camera gear on your way to a wedding! The best part is I don't have to carry all my heavy equipment on my back! Here is a list of the gear I have in my bag:
Canon EF25 Extension Tube (for macro shots)
Black Rapid Double Camera Strap
What are some tips for shooting indoors in low light situations?
Shooting in low light situations can be really tricky! I'm often shooting in dark hotel rooms and have to make use of the lighting I am given...which sometimes isn't very good. A good photographer has to be resourceful and make the best of the situation. I always try to make use of any type of natural light resources I can find. My two favorite techniques are posing my subjects near window light and open doorways. The beautiful softness of light that comes through a window can offer some dramatic shadows and, most importantly, casts very even light. A doorway is very similar in that the light flowing in acts sort of like a softbox and casts evenly diffused light across the face. If I don't have either of these resources available to me I will open my aperture to let in as much light as possible, raise my ISO (I can usually get up to 1600 ISO without suffering from grain), or shoot at a slower shutter speed (on my 50mm 1.2 I'm comfortable shooting at 1/125 and remaining confident the image will be sharp).
What would be your most important advice when shooting flowers?
I absolutely love shooting flowers at weddings! The beautiful pops of color, the fragrant smell...images of flowers should help the viewer feel like they can see and smell the flowers themselves. Photographing the photo in a way that enhances the vibrant colors is crucial to a floral image. One of my favorite techniques when shooting bouquets is to place the arrangement against a surface that helps the colors to pop and offers juxtaposition of textures. I also typically shoot bouquets with a very wide open aperture such as 1.4 or 2.8. This gives the image a beautiful bokeh, or blurry background, and a really dreamy feel.
