Ok guys, I did it. I just bought a website, I'm the real deal now. My website is http://www.afreshtakephotography.com/. There's a great company called Bludomain that caters to photographers. You can buy one of their website templates and then you can pay them to host your site or have someone else host it. I think their prices are competitive so I just went ahead and hosted with them. It's going to take me a little while to create the site so I won't be going live for a little while. I'll let you know as soon as I do.
I have a feeling things are about to explode with my business. I've had 3 requests this week for fall family pictures. I think I'm going to do a "fall leaves" safari shoot in October. That's where you book people one after another at one location. I'm advertising at a kids sale this weekend and the last photographer they had booked 20 people in one weekend. So cross your fingers, say a prayer and wish me luck!
Lulla Belle
My little Lu is 5 months old now. We went to go look at a run down house that was for sale last night. I took the opportunity to snap a few shots of Lu in the run down yard. It was getting dark and I totally underexposed the shot. I had to adjust the white balance BIG time to even make the shot usable. I probably should have scrapped all of them but I saved this one because she's so cute I just couldn't stand to throw them all in the virtual garbage can.
New Lens
So I really like it when photographers share the equipment they use. I like to know what type of lenses they use to achieve certain photographs. Usually they don't so I've had to do a lot of research to figure out which lenses will work for me. So I figured I would share what I've learned with the rest of you. Any of my photographer friends that have opinions on this feel free to chime in!
I started out with the kit lens on my XTI, I used that for a long time until I could afford some good glass. I purchased two lenses to get me started they were...
Canon-EF-17-40mm-f-4 L
Canon-EF-100mm-f-2_8-Macro-USM
I just want to have a good macro lens on hand to play with.
I'm trying to decide between the Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.4-USM and the Canon-EF-85mm-f-1.8-USM for a portrait lens. They are both great lenses but I just don't know which length I want. These lenses are not L lenses. They are fixed focal length prime lenses. They have incredible bokah, which is the blur you get in front and behind the subject. Which makes for a great portrait. I'm leaning toward the 85mm but we'll see what kind of deals I find. Lenses hold their value really well, so it's not easy finding deals.
So my run down is as follows...
24-70mm F2.8L to get the job done. It's the perfect "walk around lens". If you want to buy just one good lens this would be it.
70-200mm F2.8L for the telephoto shots. Think wedding, you can stand totally out of the way and take all kinds of candid up close pictures without anyone even knowing your around. The low aperature (F2.8) means you can use it in low light situations, like a wedding reception.
100mm macro so I can take pictures of baby feet, ears, nose, ect. or a bug on a flower. You get the picture.
85mm or 50mm F1.8 Great portrait lens and notice the aperature is REALLY low at F1.8 which makes it great for taking pictures of babies or kids indoors without studio lights.
So I hope this helps anyone else out there trying to decide which lenses to buy. It can get VERY expensive so it helps to prioritize your personal needs as a photographer. These lenses are what will work for me, there are so many more out there to choose from. Nikon carries similar lenses and there are also aftermarket lenses that are less expensive. This is totally my opinion, don't take this as fact. Do your own research and find out what's best for you. One thing you can count on as FACT though is that the lens you use does MATTER. It make the biggest difference in your pictures. That's why I'm investing in my lenses before I invest in my bigger badder camera!
I started out with the kit lens on my XTI, I used that for a long time until I could afford some good glass. I purchased two lenses to get me started they were...
Canon-EF-17-40mm-f-4 L
Canon-EF-70-200mm-f-4L
Why these two. Well I wanted the 70-200mm lens BAD!!!! But I wanted the more expensive version that has a lower aperature F2.8 and it has IS which is an image stabalizer inside the lens that control camera shake. I still plan to buy that lens but I had to start out with the more affordable version.
The reason for the 17-40mm was that I found it for a good deal and I thought it would be a good lens to keep on my camera all the time...my "walk around lens". It's served me well but I don't need the wide angle and again I need a lower aperature lens so I just sold my 17-40mm and I'm upgrading to the be all end all "walk around lens". It's costing me double what I paid for the other one but it is totally worth it. I can't wait to get it.
Canon-EF-24-70mm-f-2_8 L
The L in the name of the lens stand for luxury. An L lens will have a red ring around the front and you can just about garauntee that it's going to take amazing pictures. Here's a link to better understand the importance of L glass. http://bui4ever.com/2008/09/canon-l-series-lenses/
Canon-EF-100mm-f-2_8-Macro-USM
I just want to have a good macro lens on hand to play with.
I'm trying to decide between the Canon-EF-50mm-f-1.4-USM and the Canon-EF-85mm-f-1.8-USM for a portrait lens. They are both great lenses but I just don't know which length I want. These lenses are not L lenses. They are fixed focal length prime lenses. They have incredible bokah, which is the blur you get in front and behind the subject. Which makes for a great portrait. I'm leaning toward the 85mm but we'll see what kind of deals I find. Lenses hold their value really well, so it's not easy finding deals.
So my run down is as follows...
24-70mm F2.8L to get the job done. It's the perfect "walk around lens". If you want to buy just one good lens this would be it.
70-200mm F2.8L for the telephoto shots. Think wedding, you can stand totally out of the way and take all kinds of candid up close pictures without anyone even knowing your around. The low aperature (F2.8) means you can use it in low light situations, like a wedding reception.
100mm macro so I can take pictures of baby feet, ears, nose, ect. or a bug on a flower. You get the picture.
85mm or 50mm F1.8 Great portrait lens and notice the aperature is REALLY low at F1.8 which makes it great for taking pictures of babies or kids indoors without studio lights.
So I hope this helps anyone else out there trying to decide which lenses to buy. It can get VERY expensive so it helps to prioritize your personal needs as a photographer. These lenses are what will work for me, there are so many more out there to choose from. Nikon carries similar lenses and there are also aftermarket lenses that are less expensive. This is totally my opinion, don't take this as fact. Do your own research and find out what's best for you. One thing you can count on as FACT though is that the lens you use does MATTER. It make the biggest difference in your pictures. That's why I'm investing in my lenses before I invest in my bigger badder camera!
Senior Shoot
Holy Beautiful!!!!! This girl was so pretty with her red hair and dazzling smile. I'd tell her to move her head this way, or flip her hair that way and she'd just naturally pose like a freaken model. She was a total natural, it made the shoot so easy! Here's some starter pictures. I love them all so much that I'll be sharing more as I edit them.
This is my little attempt at lens flare. Not great, but it's a start. I added a vintage look to it.
This is my little attempt at lens flare. Not great, but it's a start. I added a vintage look to it.
Baby Leif
I did my first newborn shoot on Friday. I couldn't pick just one or two favorites so you get 5 favorites! Let me know which ones you all like best. FYI, newborn shoots are hard. I was sweating bullets and when we were all done I was pretty sure none of them would turn out. Luckily I was wrong and I got a few good ones. Enjoy!
Sandra's Teaser...
Ok, so I finally figured out how to post huge pictures...obviously. Love it! I did a photo shoot on Monday with this awesome family. They were all beautiful, it made my job easy. All they had to do was smile and it made a great picture. I did minimal editing to this picture. My CS3 should be here today but I couldn't wait any longer to play with a picture from this shoot. So there will be more to come as soon as I can get my new program up and running!
Obsessions
I have a few obsessions, one of them is collecting photography props. I get ideas for a photo in my head and I can't stop until I've created it. I've been working on one for a few weeks now. The UPS man made my day when he brought me a little piece of my future picture!
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