Carrie Swails Photography

Carrie Swails Photography

Carrie Swails Photography

Carrie Swails Photography

I’ll start out my story by telling you guys that I bought my first DSLR and it came with two kit lenses. Now at the time I thought myself a bit of a bad-ass with not just one, but two lenses I could change out on my camera. When I was out in public if I changed my lenses and pulled out my telephoto lens it definitely made me look like a pro because it was bigger, right? What I didn’t know about the kit lenses is that they really weren’t that great. And they were terrible in low light since the aperture didn’t go below 4.0.

I’ve learned so much from those beginning days. While I can’t speak a lot about all the different types of lenses out there I can speak about what kinds of lenses work well for portraiture and weddings because that’s what I know. I don’t do any sports photography or landscape photography so if you have questions about great lenses for that sort of thing I won’t be able to answer.

My first lens learning lightbulb was when another photographer explained what good lenses were, ones with an f-stop of 2.8 or lower. At first I just assumed these lenses were used by the pros because they were more expensive, but I quickly learned that they were sharper, able to work in lower light, and much faster. Ever since then one of my personal rules is to never buy or use a lens that can’t go lower than 2.8. Not only are they faster, sharper, and better in low light, but when you photograph wide open with the lowest f-stop with any lens that will go lower than 2.8 you get that professional quality photo where your subject is in sharp focus in the foreground and the background is bokeh and blurred out. This really changes the emotional aspect of each photo by choosing where the viewer will focus for them and it’s an effect I strive to achieve in all of my photography now.

So now if you’re a portrait photographer you know one thing, buy lenses with an f-stop of 2.8 or lower. This leads you to your next step, buying zoom or fixed (prime) lenses. A zoom lens can change its focal length where a prime lens has a fixed focal length. Each has their pros and cons, and what you decide is up to you. Neither one is right or wrong, but instead a lens choice may truly dictate your style of photography.

Zoom Lens

• More flexible and portable
• Able to get a tighter shot even when you aren’t right next to what may be happening
• Have a variety of perspectives and compositions all from one lens
• Great for weddings when you can’t get close to the couple during the ceremony (example: Catholic weddings)
• Can be quite expensive for a zoom lens with a 2.8 or lower aperture

Prime Lens

• Sharper images
• Lighter (easier on the old neck)
• Have wider apertures (1.2, 1.4, etc.)
• Great in low light
• Can be cheaper to purchase

I tend to stick with prime lenses for my style. In fact, I don’t own any zoom lenses anymore. I’ve found they just don’t suit my style like a prime does. I have a 50mm 1.4, an 85 1.8, and a few others, but these two are my ‘go to’ lenses and they both cost around $400 a piece. They were great additions to my set and my 50mm 1.4 is on my camera 90% of my time. I love the 50mm 1.4 because I feel it is very true to the eye and enables me to get in tight (if I move my feet) and get a wider angle with more interaction between groups of people if I step back further.

When I purchased my first prime lens I purchased a 50mm 1.8 that I still have and use on occasion. This was a great step for me. I was able to get great bokeh with this lens while I started out my business and I was also able to stay in a good budget. This lens costs about $100 with any brand.

There are a few other lenses I have and utilize as a portrait photographer and they’re my ‘creative set.’ These lenses are not for everyone, but I love the Lensbaby stuff and use it on occasion when I want a specific look. I have the Lensbaby Composer Pro with several optics, including: fisheye, tilt shift, and sweet 35.

A fisheye lens gives a very distorted (almost round) wide angle view of anything. I’ve found that the fisheye is a great tool for a few fun shots of the wedding as a whole, but it’s not something I use often. They are great for panoramic views.

A tilt-shift lens was originally used to prevent distortion when photographing things like buildings and became a tool for portrait photographers to use as a selective focus lens. A tilt shift lens in portrait photography allows for a line of focus through the photo and you can move that line vertically, horizontally or diagonally and select your area of focus.

The sweet 35 optic from Lensbaby is just that, a sweet spot of focus. You can move it around in the photo plane and the rest of the image will be blurred out of focus.

There are many other types of creative lenses which can be useful for portrait photography. Depending on what your style is you’ll be able to chose from many different types.

Another important aspect of camera lenses is understanding the focal lengths and what they can achieve for you. Here is a very basic guide, which can vary a little depending on what type of camera you’re using, but the idea is the same.

Less than 21mm – Extreme Wide Angle (great for architecture)
21-35mm – Basic Wide Angle (good for landscape or wide shots of an event)
35-70mm – Normal Angle (great for portrait photography)
70-135mm – Medium Telephoto Lens
135-300mm or more – Telephoto (great for sports and wildlife)

As I said at the beginning, this tutorial is definitely geared toward the portrait photography folks. Everyone has their own style and I’ve seen people use all different kinds of lenses for portrait photography. This is just what works for me and some general information. If you have any questions about what type of lens you should purchase feel free to ask.

If you need to see some samples of portrait photography feel free to stop by my website http://carrieswailsphotography.com I’m not at all the best photographer out there, but I’ve learned a lot since I first started my business and I’m proud of what I have been able to accomplish.

Carrie Swails Photography

2. WB or White Balance is a setting used to ensure you have even white and grey tones in your photos. Different kind of lights can make the whites in a photo appear to have a color to them. Fluorescent lights can make white sheets appear bluish. Tungsten lights (like a lamp) can make things appear yellow. Cameras have many settings for White Balance, but learning to use custom white balance is a great tool. Check out my blog about white balance to learn more about how to use the custom setting.

3. Aperture controls how much light is allowed through your lens by setting the f-stop. A lower f-stop (like 1.4) will let in a lot of light and a higher f-stop (like 16) will let in less light.

4. Shutter speed controls how long the image sensor is exposed to light. A lower shutter speed will let in more light, but may give your subjects motion blur if they are moving in the photo.

5. You don’t need to use manual focus to photograph in manual mode. Manual mode means you’ll have more control over how your camera reads the light, but manual focus will entail a few extra seconds to use the focusing ring in order to capture a sharp image. Many photographers auto focus so they can photograph and capture moments quicker and ensure they are tack sharp.

6. A great camera does not make a great photographer, but a great photographer can make any camera (even that iPhone) great! By learning how to photograph in manual you can become an expert on what your camera is capable of.

7. Every camera has a ‘sweet spot.’ Even when you’re photographing in manual and you’re looking through the viewfinder and the line is right in the very center of your light meter it may still be too bright or too dark in your camera. My camera’s sweet spot is just one line over toward underexposed from that center spot on my light meter.

8. When photographing in manual there are no ‘go to’ settings for shutter speed, aperture, or anything else. You photograph and set your camera up for what’s best in that light or for whatever it is you want to achieve.

9. The higher your ISO is the more ‘noisy’ or grainy your photos will be. Know that there’s nothing wrong with that, it’s a style choice. I love grainy black and white images from wedding receptions, but it’s not everyone’s style. If you have to push your ISO up higher you’re not doing anything wrong.

10. Shooting in RAW mode instead of JPEG will help Manual photographers in case they get the exposure or white balance a bit off. A RAW photo holds all of your camera information in the file and can be easily fixed later in Photoshop without ruining the photo.

11. Practice! Photographing in manual is hard, but it will force you to learn your camera inside and out and you’ll be a better photographer for it. It takes practice so don’t expect everything to come naturally the first time out.

12. Don’t believe the myth that all professional photographers photograph in aperture priority or some other mode. Believing that is an excuse to not learn your camera’s capabilities. All pro photographers have a favorite mode they photograph in, but you can guarantee all of them also know how to photograph in manual and that learning experience helped them decide their choices later.

13. If you’re not getting tack sharp images it’s unlikely to be your camera’s fault (although it could be because your shutter speed is low). It’s most likely the lack of a sharp lens. Tomorrow I’ll be blogging a lens tutorial to discuss the differences between lenses and how they can affect your photos.

14. Many portrait and wedding photographers photograph with their aperture wide open, meaning on the lowest f-stop their lens will allow so they get portraits with background bokeh (blur) and sharp subjects in the foreground. To achieve that look try to keep your f-stop at 2.8 or lower.

15. Steps to setting up in manual: First set white balance, second set ISO, then set aperture, and finally your shutter speed.

16. Scott Kelby’s digital photography books are great for showing you photos and the settings recipe. His recipes may not be right for everyone’s styles, but I learned a lot by looking through his books and trying some of the shots for myself.

17.  It’s okay to ask for help. If you need help shooting manual start a thread in our free forum and our community would be glad to help you!

18. Do some test shots. Your camera records its settings in the image file so you don’t have to write them down separately. You can test your camera, test settings, and see the difference in how manual feels and looks by going back later and looking through your images and seeing what the settings are that helped you achieve a certain look.

19. You won’t get things right every shot. There will be lots of over exposed and underexposed shots when you photograph manual and you’re learning your settings.

20. Once you’ve mastered your manual settings in your DSLR camera, you can purchase an external flash and start learning about setting your flash manually to perfect your settings with that. Using a flash will affect how your settings look completely differently so if you’re into flash photography you’ll want to learn what settings mean with and without your flash.

These tips are not by any means rules to follow. These are tips that made learning photography easier for me, and there are more tips out there I’m sure. There is no wrong or right way to learn to photograph in manual mode and everyone has their own style and ways of doing things that work best for them. If you have a question, feel free to ask me a question or ask a question in our free forum. If you need further help with photography check out my posing guides in the shop.

Are you signed up for tonight’s live online class about wedding photography from 6pm-7pm Mountain Time? $15! >Sign up<

Carrie Swails Photography

Carrie Swails Photography

Carrie Swails Photography

http://carrieswailsphotography.com

I’m not here to judge if you are good enough, only you know that. I’m here because I’ve been able to combine the two things I love to do – photography and teaching art. I think we should all aim to live in such a way that when you leave this place there are no, “I wish I had…” statements.

With the onslaught of the digital age, comes the internet, and the internet provides such a sense of secure anonymity that people find themselves expressing opinions, negativites, and other thoughts they may not otherwise say to your face. Sometimes that’s a good thing. I’ve been a part of many online forums and communities. I’ve worked for one of the largest forums on the internet and the pattern is always the same – people feel they can speak more freely online.

The truth is that you can. By starting your own photography business you have now officially ‘put yourself out there.’ Existing on the internet in any form automatically comes with the territory of getting criticism. The question is, how do you stay above the naysayers and not let them bring you down?

It’s really hard sometimes. If you are here online, at some point you’ll encounter someone telling you that you can’t do this and you’re not good enough. In this community here I’m striving to keep comments and our forum positive. I want people to come here and learn and add to what I am offering. I’m not here to judge and bring anyone down. The ways I run my business are not right for everyone. All I know for sure is that they worked for me. I’m not the best photographer, but I’m always going to keep trying to get better and better. Along the way, I have a passion to teach and help when I have the opportunity.

I have friends and family members who still think my photography business is a ‘thing.’ You know what I mean. Someone you know says, “oh how’s your photography thing going?” A part of me wants to scream out and say, ‘oh that thing that pays my mortgage?’ Really though, it’s fine. Call it a thing if you want. The people who have always called it a ‘thing’ are the ones who motivated me to do better. Instead of being angry and letting it get to me I’ve used it to my advantage. To some people, being a photographer, will just be that ‘thing’ you do.

The fact of the matter is that to put yourself out there is to expose yourself to criticism. Be ready for it. These two things go hand-in-hand and one cannot exist without the other. With a huge corner of the internet dedicated to ‘Signs to Recognize a Bad Photographer’, websites to make fun of bad photos, and communities surrounding these things discussing and furthering those feelings how is anyone to find an ounce of confidence here?

Decide how you are going to respond to it. Are you going to engage with your naysayers? Can you learn from them? We all learn from our mistakes and we are our own worst critics. It’s not helpful to have everyone jump on the bandwagon and be your worst critics too. Since I know I’ve been in those shoes I try not to jump on those bandwagons when it comes to others. Constructive criticism is hard to find. You can chose to engage with those people or not. Would that be a useful way to spend your time? If I spent all my time engaging with those who think my photography is a thing and listening to their negativity about what I do I’d probably have ended up in a corner rocking myself with puffy, wet eyes. I chose to ignore or learn. Sometimes those negative comments are true. I’m not perfect, I’m not the best. When people told me I couldn’t do this I used it as motivation to prove them wrong. I’ve turned their negative into a positive.

On a personal level, it comes down to having the guts to try. I have the guts to stand on the stage and make myself available for the tomato-throwers. I make mistakes and when I do I turn those tomatoes into spaghetti sauce (in case you love a bad analogy). Whatever I do, when I’m standing up on the stage putting myself out there I just try not to throw the tomatoes back.

You’ll get out what you put into the world also applies to your business. If you believe the naysayers who tell you you’ll fail, then you will. If you work hard, educate yourself, and learn from your mistakes you can succeed in this business.

I’ll end this with a final thought: You’re going to become a target, but don’t make yourself a victim.

Carrie Swails Photography

If you’re interested in mentoring with me to learn more about photography or the business side of photography consider scheduling a business consultation. Check out The Shop, it is full of tools, guides, ebooks and other resources to help you succeed.

1. Pre-consultations help you set expectations for the entire photoshoot and your clients’ experience with you.

2. You can be very precise about your expectations for your photo copyright and how your clients should or should not use it.

3. You have an extra opportunity to show clients the products you can sell them later, which plants a seed and often helps you with in-person sales after the photoshoot.

4. Safety! Above all else, meeting your clients before going out to a remote field to do a photoshoot ensures that you can get to know them and that they are not creepers.

5. You can go over all the terms of the contract so they understand your policies.

6. You can ask your clients about themselves! Spending time asking them questions about what their wedding is going to be decorated like, or name ideas they have for the baby, and other personal questions will help them develop a trust in you. If a client trusts you they are going to be more comfortable in front of the lens, your pictures are going to be more natural and your photoshoot will be easier.

7. You can discuss what to wear with your clients in person and you’ll be able to better understand their comfort zone.

8. You can get ideas and discuss the photo shoot location. You have an opportunity to impress and exceed their expectations when they offer up a place you haven’t been before and you tell them you’ll check it out before the shoot!

9. If they’re here meeting with with you in person, your chance to book them is much higher. They wouldn’t have driven and taken time out of their busy lives to meet with you if they weren’t seriously interested in your photography services. Dress to impress. Treat the consultation as a job interview.

10. You can get an idea of what they specifically do and don’t like and any certain photos they are looking to capture or avoid.

11. By meeting your clients ahead of time you’ll get to see who they are and tailor the photoshoot to suit their personality. If they are talkative and outgoing you can photograph them in a place that seems fun and bright, like and amusement park. If they are quiet, shy, and very in love you can take them to a romantic remote field for a picnic. It’s important since you are providing custom photography (unlike Sears or Walmart) that you give them a full custom experience.

12. You’ll be able to cut down on the questions after the photoshoot because your clients will already know how you edit, how long it takes you to process, and when you’ll be done with the photos as well as when you’ll be contacting them.

13. Give them a welcome packet to take home with them. It’ll give them an opportunity to look over all the information you’ve discussed, re-enforced your business policies, and something they can share with their friends and family so you can get referrals.

Did you hear about our new Organize Your Business Packet? Accounting tracking, email templates, marketing and blog planners, promotions tracking sheets, referral tracking sheets and more!

Carrie Swails Photography