I can’t believe how many questions were sent my way last Saturday…I mean seriously people, there are 49 comments on my “Ask Me Anything” post and many of those comments have multiple questions. So, I thought today I would finally answer your questions…I also thought that this post would be rather boring if I just answered your questions, so I thought I’d also share some SOOC rain shots from the other day. Before I get started…yes, this is going to be a really long post and although I won’t answer every question verbatim, hopefully the ones I do answer will answer other questions you may have had.
Haley asked, “1. When did you first become interested in photography? 2. What made you choose Canon over Nikon (or another brand)? 3. What is your middle name?”
- I took my first photography course in high school…dark room and all. Although I loved it, I didn’t pursue it much beyond that course. In college, I would have loved to have taken an art or photography course, but it wasn’t allowed unless you were in the visual communications program. I was able to take graphic design though to fulfill an IT credit, and thus…my introduction to Photoshop (PS). Of course, I couldn’t afford PS, but I did have Roxio Photo Suite on my computer and I used that until about two years ago when I bought Photoshop Elements 7. I then bought my DSLR last November (2009).
- When trying to decide which camera to purchase, I asked a few of my professional friends. I was told at the end of the day, I need to go to a camera store…pick up the cameras I’m considering and then choose the one that feels most natural. I was also told that if I ever did get into professional photography that Canon had better lenses. But honestly, I think it’s just preference.
- My middle name…Elizabeth
Several people asked, “What photo classes have you taken and which one(s) was/were the most helpful?”
- Building on the question above, I think my most helpful classes were my graphic design and journalism courses. I learned more about white space, the rule of thirds, etc from those courses than any photography course or book. No, I did not go to photography school.
The Picture Nazi asked, “1. What’s your favorite color? 2. Besides blogging and photography, what is your all-time favorite activity? 3.Who is your biggest hero? 4. What’s your favorite genre of music? and 5. What relaxes you the most on the weekends?”
- I think it’s a toss up between green, pink and blue…and you’ll see all three colors throughout our house.
- Outside of blogging and photography, I do love spending time with my family and friends…and shopping. Although, I’ll be honest…I save most of my money to spend on photography stuff nowadays.
- Biggest hero…hmmm…my mom. She’s one of my best friends now (although I gave her quite a time growing up). Any creativity I have now is a direct result of her.
- I love all types of music…it really depends on my mood, but you’ll most frequently hear me listening to pop, rock or hip hop.
- During the weekend, I enjoy a cup of Chai Latte while watching Say Yes to the Dress.
Melissa asked, “If you could live anywhere in the world for a month where would it be?” - I’ve never been to Australia but would love to visit…and I think I’ll need at least a month!
- I believe in life/work balance and I believe that if you believe something is important…that you make time for it. I carry my camera everywhere and I look for inspiration in everything. My husband also travels quite frequently, so when he’s away, I have many hours to myself to edit photos and blog to my heart’s content. Oh, and I keep a daily planner to keep track of my challenges and ideas. I really encourage everyone to keep one.
- I’ve always had a goal to work towards, and as we were approaching our wedding date last year (October 17, 2009), I realized that I was going to need a hobby. It started with a camera purchase and then I decided that blogging might be the perfect outlet to share my journey. I had no idea how much it would grow in such a short amount of time.
- To Carlotta‘s question (do my “real-life” friends know about my blog?)…yes and many of them quietly follow.
- I’m 28 and my birthday is on June 22. Mark your calendars people!
- I am a consultant and mostly design/develop training programs for the firms I work with across the country.
- I actually have a degree in Psychology and Leadership Studies. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do with my degree but I knew that I wanted to make a difference. Fortunately, I am able to use my degree but I love that I also have this creative outlet.
- I met my husband on MySpace (shocker). His cousin and I went to college together…he saw my photo on her friend page and sent me a note. We started chatting, decided to meet for coffee and the rest is history.
- I think my favorite thing about being married is the opportunity to hang out with my best friend nearly every day. I especially love when we “bop” around together.
- We do want children…at least two…all in due time.
Sheri asked, “Do you highlight your hair for that awesome color or is it all real?
- Would you believe that I was born with jet black hair? Naturally, I am a brunette but I have it colored every 8-10 weeks. My stylist has complete control over my hair.
- Favorite type of food…hmmm…Italian? Mexican? Japanese? Chinese? I love them all. My husband enjoys cooking but I have no interest. I much prefer eating over cooking. When I’m home alone, I look like a broke college student eating cereal or sandwiches.
- We don’t have a written list, but yes…there are several places we really want to visit including Italy, France, Ireland, and Australia among others.
- Since I have only recently been serious about photography, when I started investing in photography gear, I got a lot of “so…you think you’re a professional photographer now or something” type of remarks. I also got comments like, “you’re really enjoying your camera aren’t you?” Oh….and a lot of “what camera are you using?” I’d love to say that there was complete support from the moment I started shooting, but I think it’s been more of a gradual support kind of thing. When my friends started asking me to take pictures of them and my mom started referring me to her friends…I knew they appreciated my work.
Jen asked, “What is your favorite household appliance?”
- I laughed when I saw this question and then asked my husband…he said it’s gotta be the refrigerator, because that’s about the only appliance I know how to use with no problem.
- Christmas…it’s stressful and wonderful all at the same time. I often struggle with finding the perfect gift…but I love sending and receiving cards, I love decorating and I love spending time with the people I love.
- Kitty Paw talks to me regularly…she says MEOW, MEH, BAK, and ESSSSS. I’m not going crazy but I think it’d be great if she actually spoke English!
- I think I’d like to be able to take pictures with my eyes…in high definition at whatever focal range I needed. I could then process the photos mentally to perfection. Ha ha…I’m a dork.
- Favorite book….I’m not sure that I have one favorite book but I’ll tell you what I’m reading right now – The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Read it.
- I haven’t actually created a bucket list, but there’s definitely travel on the list.
- Vampire Diaries!
Olive Tree asked, “1. What textures/overlays do you use for your photos? 2. How many photos do you take every day?”
- Check out my Inspiration Page. I’ve got a ton of sites there that I frequently use for actions and textures. In particular, I really love Kim Klassen and Shadowhouse Creations. This answer also addresses the request to recommend some of my favorite photographer sites…the list is always growing but I’m not great about updating my list.
- Some days I take multiple pictures, other days I take NO pictures. Over the weekend, I typically take 50-100 pictures on average unless I’m doing a photo shoot in which case I usually take 400 in 2 hours.
- I nearly always have my Tamron 28-75 mm f/2.8 lens on my camera. I love the focal range and the constant 2.8 aperture.
- Well as much as I’d love to have an L lens or maybe a 50 mm f/1.4 or gasp…f/1.2…I currently don’t feel significantly limited by my glass. If anything I might want to upgrade my body to something that’s able to handle a higher ISO. But you asked about lenses…right now, I’d want a Lens Baby!
- No, I’ve never been paid to do a photo shoot but after reading Care’s article about charging while you’re portfolio building…I might. Right now, I just don’t feel right about it yet and I’m not doing enough to worry about it to much.
- The first thing that comes to mine is my photo shoot with my friend Jenn. I was doing her graduation portraits…we were in NC State library on one of the upper floors near the elevator. First off, I couldn’t figure out what I was doing with my Speedlite. Then every time the elevator dinged, we would stop and giggle. I guess it wasn’t really embarrassing, but I don’t think either of us were comfortable.
- I’ve considered the idea of going professional but haven’t taken that idea very seriously. I don’t know that I necessarily see myself as a portrait photographer. And at this point, I don’t really have any other hobbies other than reading a little here and there.
Alicia asked, “How did you start down your photography road and what would you recommend to another who is embarking on the journey??” - Practice Practice Practice! If you want to be a better photographer, you first have to pick up your camera and start shooting.
- Then, get away from AUTO as quickly as possible. Trust me, once you start shooting in manual mode, you’ll never go back.
- Read a lot. I read anything I can get my hands on relative to photography and I’ve organized most of my favorite sites HERE.
I think that answers most of the questions you asked me…and I fully apologize if I missed a few. In the future, don’t wait for me to invite you to ask me a question…just ask! There were also some other questions relative to editing tips/tricks and my typical processing that I will address in some of my upcoming tutorials.
With all that said, THANK YOU to everyone that submitted a question….and THANK YOU to all of my new readers (stop by and say hey if you haven’t already). I hope I didn’t bore you with all of my responses, and I hope you’re doing something fun this weekend. I think I’m going to hunt for a pumpkin! If you have any other questions, just send them my way. Otherwise, I hope to see you tomorrow for the Scavenger Hunt! Have a great day.
