Photographer Life Q & A
I just hit EXPORT on the last wedding that I needed to finish editing and I am doing a happy dance, inside as well as outside ;) The end of our busy season is always a breath of relief, but then it’s always a ‘now what?’. Now it’s time to get booking for next year! Starting the first week of January that is, when we get back to shooting our first wedding of the year in photo and video. We are looking forward to that, but also looking forward to a little break too. One of the things that gets put on the back burner during my busy season is my blog, if I get time at the computer I use it to edit or reply to client e-mails and not to sit down and write blogs. So now is the season I get to blog again! It’s something that is so fun for me, and a great creative outlet besides photography. But since photography is still fresh on my mind right now, I thought it would be fun to do a Photographer Q & A! I have been shooting professionally for 11 years now, and I have learned so much along the way. I have grown and had set backs, and learned hard lessons, and had so many great moments too. I know having a photography business can be a trend for some, it’s exciting at first and you get a bit of a high, thinking “wow I could do this forever!” and then there are ebbs and flows and you have days where you really want to throw in the towel and call it quits. (thankful my husband is there during those days to talk some sense into me, love ya ;)) But I decided at the beginning I wanted to do my best at it and stick with it, and I am so glad that I have all these years. I know I won’t and can’t do it forever, but for this time right now it really helps out, and gives me a creative outlet and a way to help provide for my family while still staying home with my kids during the week. If nothing else, those things alone make it extremely worth it. I complied some questions that I thought would be interesting to answer as well as some I got through instagram, and I am excited to share them with you today! These are all based on being a ‘Portrait or Wedding Photographer’ and I tried to keep the responses short, so that it didn’t get too long ;)
What is the Best and Worst thing about being a Photographer?
The best thing is making my own hours and being my own boss while getting to work outside and be creative, also you can’t beat being given a first class seat to so many people’s special moments in life. I also like the fact that I am providing a good service for people and they like it, there is something satisfying about that! The worst thing is putting yourself out there for judgement, and also having to spend so much time in front of the computer with the editing. It’s been killing my eyes so much lately that I ended up buying ‘blue light glasses’ to get me through the long hours, and it really does help! Also, the occasional not so nice client, but honestly I’ve worked with 95% the kindest people and I am so thankful for that.
What interested you about Photography and how did you get started?
I always enjoyed taking a nice picture ever since I was pretty young, with my little pink film camera. I am also pretty creative minded, and love creating things, photography was something I could create and enjoy the process and share with others. I consider it a form of art, and that is was draws me to it. Once I had my first son and subsequently moved out of the country, it was my mission to document his growing up so that I could share his growth with family and friends back home. I received my first ‘big girl’ camera as a gift that year, and I had so much fun taking pictures and posting them. I then started to get people asking me to take photos of their own families, and that’s how it all started! At first I was adamant that I did not want to charge people, as I really didn’t know what I was doing at that point, and I was nervous that charging people meant I had to do a perfect job. So, I started with doing portraits for basically free in the exchange that I could use the photos to build my portfolio. Eventually my husband convinced me that I needed to start making a business out of it, and the first few years I was really motivated and did so many sessions which really helped me learn, and realize what kind of photographer I wanted to be.
How did you know you wanted to specialize in weddings?
If you had asked me 10 years ago I would have said NO WAY would I ever shoot a wedding, I was absolutely terrified of even the thought of shooting a wedding. Then my good friend’s sister asked me if I would photograph her wedding, and I hummed and hawed, but ultimately decided I should try it. (Again with the encouragement of my husband, he really helped nudge me along to do new things with my business) So I shot my first wedding, and decided I didn’t hate it! Yes it was nerve wracking, stressful at times, and a huge responsibility, but I had done it and realized that I could definitely try to do it again. I also saw the interest out there and thought that it would benefit my family more financially to do weddings. Once I started accepting weddings, I realized it was a lot of work, and I couldn’t take on too much more then that, so that’s when I decided I should stick with mainly one genre. I still do portrait sessions here and there when I can fit them in, but I make weddings the main focus. I like that I work one day out of the house on the actual wedding day and the rest of the work can be done at home in my own time.
As a busy Mom what is the max number of weddings you do each year?
I believe that the most I could take on realistically with Homeschooling also is 15 weddings a year, and that would also include engagement sessions, and the random portrait sessions I shoot as well. Shooting the wedding is only one day, but the hours of computer work associated with each wedding is what adds on so much time. If I had more help with the editing, I could probably take on more. But 15 ish a season is the most I have ever done or wanted to do at this point. I also don’t want to start hating it, haha and if you pile on too many your creative juices run out really fast and your going to feel burnt out.
What camera do you shoot with? And what is your favourite lens?
I have been shooting with the Nikon D810 for about 5 years now, and I am quite happy with it. It took years to get the camera that I really wanted, I had to work hard for that , I shot with a less then amazing camera for years, but made it work with what I had! It’s been nice to have the camera I really wanted to for a while now. My favourite lens for about 8 years has been the 85mm 1.4, Ohhhhh baby! I practically never take that off of my camera, you have to pry it from my hands ;) Thanks to my parents who gave it to me as a gift to support my business years ago. When talking to me you will find out pretty quick that I am not a ‘gear girl’ though, I am quite happy with my simple set up, and make it work for me without too many gadgets or gizmos. It’s all about the light for me! Give me some good natural light and I am a happy photographer. I can also add for inquiring minds that I edit with ‘Lightroom’ and not Photoshop, and I have been using Lightroom for about 10 years, I am pretty stuck in my ways with it and probably will never end up learning anything else to ensure I can continue to have a good and quick editing flow. I am encouraging my oldest son to learn Photoshop though, so maybe he can help me out in the future! ;)
When did you become confident in your Photography?
This was a great question that I really had to ponder! I don’t think I am ever 100% absolutely positively confident going into weddings each time, and that is because a wedding is not a ‘controlled environment”. When I book a portrait session, I get a say in the location, I know exactly how many people will be involved and who the people are, I also get to choose what time of day to have the session, which means I get the most ideal lighting that I can hope for. With weddings, you don’t generally get to choose any of those things. You’ll walk into an extremely dark hotel room with one tiny window, black ceilings and have to pull our your photography unicorn skills to get the type of photos you want for your client. Much of the time with a wedding you are not shooting during optimal lighting, (very common actually) where our outdoor ceremonies are in harsh direct sunlight with big casting shadows and again those unicorn skills need to come out. So I think with portrait sessions I feel pretty confident as I have a bit more control, but with weddings I do typically feel more ‘on my toes’ which I actually think is a good thing as it pushes you to do your best and pay attention. You can’t be lazy and ‘check out’ during a wedding!
What is the hardest thing about shooting Weddings?
To go along with the last question, besides the responsibility of ensuring your clients get the wedding photos they always hoped for, the hardest thing would probably be that you have to be ‘on point’ the whole time for however many hours you are there. You can’t wander off and relax, you need to be available, not only there for the bride and groom but being a positive and helpful person to the family and wedding party, holding flowers, getting water, picking leaves out of wedding dress trains etc. all while shooting in many different situations. So you kind of gear up for it, and you go into the day knowing “Ok this next 8 hours is about doing my best for these people, I am going to give it my all, I am going to get tired and worn out and I can rest after!” Also, this is my big tip, go pee and have a quick snack and drink whenever you have the opportunity on a wedding day, because it could be many hours before you could have a free minute to do those things again!
What is one piece of advice that you would give to someone starting off?
I would say to shoot A LOT, every day take your camera out and shoot, in all different lighting, and situations, with different ages of people. Just experiment and see if this is something you really love and try to find your niche if you can. Then you can start to target to your specific client. Once you have figured out what type of photographer you want to be, wether it be a newborn photographer or family photographer, go all in on that one type and learn about it, practice it and make it your speciality. Also know your worth, I have always had trouble with this. Charge what your time is worth and don’t feel bad about it! (preaching to myself too haha) Don’t be afraid to say no to something that doesn’t fit with what you offer. It’s ok to say no sometimes and to not take every booking that you get. Go with your gut and obviously keep challenging yourself, but if something feels off and there are red flags, pass on it. Not every inquiry is going to be the best fit for you and that is ok. I am a big proponent of following your instinct :) One more thing, your style of photography wont be everyone’s style and that is also ok. Put out work that you love and you will attract the people that want what your putting out there.
What do you do while you edit to pass the time?
I mainly put in my ear buds and listen to upbeat music or interesting Podcasts, and try to get into the ‘zone’. To do this I need to close down Facebook and Instagram and take away those distractions (my kiddos and pups are distraction enough LOL!) Chris and I were just chatting about how nice it is when editing photos you CAN listen to Podcasts and things to pass the time, with Video editing you cannot do that, because you need to be listening to your video sound and music to be able to properly make a film. So I’ll take it ;) Snacks that are easily popped into mouth and not messy are always a bonus too.
How do you stay creative and inspired?
Great question! It’s so important to make sure you don’t get run dry, as you don’t want to stop enjoying what you do. I get inspired by nature and natural settings, so a new interesting place to shoot like a new waterfall or trail I hadn’t been to before would be a great inspiration for me! Also I think it’s important to always take time to shoot ‘just for fun’ wether it be your own family or for me shooting nature around me, even just in my backyard. I try to do this regularly to remind myself why I love capturing a beautiful picture. It’s also important to always keep learning, so research and try new techniques and keep challenging yourself in different ways. I will never have ‘arrived’ there will always be something new to learn.
To sum it all up, I am so thankful for the unexpected opportunity I have had in my life to run my little photography business. I never would have thought growing up this would be my occupation! It’s been such a learning experience, and I am very glad that I have stuck with it through the highs and the lows all these years. I am always delighted and grateful for every inquiry that I get in my inbox , and smile at the little excited butterflies that come over me before a wedding. I know that God has used this job to grow me in many ways, and will continue to. And always very thankful for all the lovely couples who have put their confidence in us to capture their precious wedding day memories <3 There are so many more things to share, but I didn’t want to go overboard ;) if you have any more curious questions, leave a comment!
Love,
Shelley
