You’ve Got Questions

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Frequently Asked Questions from Photographers – Part 1

I don’t think a day goes by without somebody sending me a photography question of some sort.  Some I answer quickly, some I put off until later (and then accidentally forget about it) and some I actually spend a bit of time answering.  Well, I finally decided to put a big list of answers together so I can just refer people to my blog!

What Camera Do You Use/Recommend?

Currently (November of 2009) I shoot with the Canon 5D Mark II and I absolutely love it, this is a fantastic professional level camera (though definitely not the highest end camera money can buy) it is a little out of most beginning photographer’s price-range so here are some alternate cameras that I also really like (listed from most expensive to least expensive).  This list will look very different in just a couple years.

Canon 7D •  Canon 50D •  Canon Rebel XSi

For extensive reviews and feature lists on all these cameras visit http://www.dpreview.com/

What Lenses Do You Use?

To be frank your digital camera will need to be replaced probably every 5 years or so (at least) but if you take care of your lenses they last a lifetime.  Which is why should invest in high quality lenses before spending a ton on a high-end camera.  Why?  The sharpness of your images in large part is determined by the quality of glass you shoot through.

To start off I recommend a good portrait lens, the best lenses for portraits are 80mm (65mm if you’re using a cropped sensor camera like the Canon 7D, Rebel, etc).  This is so you can stay far enough away from your subject so you do not get facial distortion – a great resource explaining perspective and showing examples of facial distortion can be found here http://www.stepheneastwood.com/tutorials/Tutorials_Lens_Perspective.htm.

I definitely recommend investing in one really high quality lens rather than several less expensive lenses as this list will probably look similar even ten years from now.  The two lenses I use most are:

Canon 70-200 2.8L (for portraits and headshots) • Canon 16-35 2.8L (for wide angle shots)

When combined with the Canon 5D Mark II the Canon L-Series lenses (L stands for luxury) are incredibly sharp.  Like “Hey, I think you need to clean your contacts” sharp.

How do you find models?

Nowadays I don’t really need to look – but this was not always the case.

When I first started photography I just shot the people I knew – girlfriend, classmates, relatives, friends etc.  This is a great place to start when you are just learning, they’ll be patient with you and you don’t have to feel too much pressure.

After I was ready to kick it up a notch and broaden my horizons I just approached strangers with my business card and told them to get in touch with me if they wanted a free shoot.  Generally I would have to assure them that it wasn’t a pickup line (sometimes I’d have my girlfriend with me, before I was married, which helped) or I would have to promise that I wasn’t a fake modeling agency that wanted to charge them thousands of dollars.

That was all before the days of modelmayhem, facebook, craigslist and myspace.  Nowadays once you’re ready to move on from shooting friends and family jump on any one of those sites and just start networking.  You’ll find willing models in no time, generally they’ll let you take their photo for free in exchange for free images of themselves.

What Books do you recommend?

Photoshop Classroom in a Book If you’re a Photoshop beginner this is a must, it will take some time to get through but you’ll learn everything you need to know to get started.

Photoshop Artistry A little more advanced this book will give you a fantastic understanding about how to control the color in your images. You’ll learn how to correctly use ALL of Photoshop’s powerful color correction tools like levels, curves, duotones, layer modes etc. etc.

Light Science & Magic A fantastic resource that will help you understand how (and what you need) to control the lighting in your images. I wish I would have read this introduction to photographic lighting years ago… I’m sad I only just barely found it.

Photographing People; Portraits, Fashion, Glamour This is a great book because it shows a photo and right next to it shows the diagrams on how the scene was lighted.  A great way to get lighting ideas and explanations.

Outliers: The Story of Success Not a photography book but a book that will really make you realize that success is all about hard work, 10,000 hours of work to be exact.  This is a very inspirational read!

How do you find your shooting locations?

The hard way – I go exploring.  It doesn’t hurt that I live in an amazing area!

Should I study photography at college or do it on my own?

I think this question depends on you more than anyone else.  I studied photography both at Weber State University and more extensively at the University of Utah, though, as of yet I still haven’t graduated.

Studying in a great art department will give you a background knowledge in art history, technique, craft and principles.  This is invaluable.  You could learn this on your own but most likely you will be exposed to many more things at school than you otherwise would.  But my favorite thing about a serious art department setting is learning to give and receive critiques and criticism on your work.  This is priceless.  I personally despise school, it’s really tough on my short attention span, but I am very glad I went… and I hope to finish someday… I was just thinking about it the other day how weird it would be to show back up in photo classes just randomly. 

What I didn’t learn in school is lighting or my style of photography, that came from shooting A LOT.  So school is not a replacement for your photo education, just a supplement!

More questions?

Drop your question in the comments of this post and maybe I’ll answer it in FAQ part 2!