Q+A in 2010

Kathryn asked: “How do you handle dogs that have zero manners?”

To be honest, whether a dog has manners or not doesn’t really matter to me. My goal is always to capture a dog as they are in real life. If they happen to be naughty little rascals, then I’m shooting them that way :) But there are ways I have learned to cope with ill mannered canines. For example, if the dog is really jumpy we’re heading outside quick to run, jump, chase, and burn off some of that energy. I haven’t met an aggressive dog during a shoot yet, but if I did, I would give them some time to get to know me, sniff me, and trust me. I would give them treats and lots of space.

Maria asked: “How do you handle clients (parents of said dogs) with zero manners?” For example, the client I had most recently insisted throughout the shoot that I could never get a good photo of her dog because she never could. It interfered with almost the entire shoot.

I would say confidence is key in this situation and it is something that is learned over time with experience and practice. Working with clients is first and foremost about trust. They have to trust and be confident that you are going to get great shots regardless of what the light and weather are doing.

I walk into every shoot confident that I will get at least 1 shot that is worthy of being blown up large. I know I will get that. I don’t leave until I’m positive I have that. If I feel they still don’t believe me (and this has happened quite a few times), I’ll show them some select images on my LCD. Once they have seen a few images, they seem to instantly relax and have more fun with the shoot knowing that great images have already been made.

If a client continued to be rude or negative, I’d walk myself right out the door, say adios, and send them their money back. It just ‘aint worth it.

Debbie asked: “Do you always shoot in manual or ever use AP or TV?”

When I first started out I utilized both Aperture and Shutter Priority exclusively and there is nothing wrong with this. Manual shooting was a concept that I just couldn’t grasp. One day I got really mad that I couldn’t shoot manually and I said “that’s it, I’m learning this no matter how much it kills me or how slow it makes me.” It was hard. But doing that was the only way I learned.

I feel that as soon as I switched to manual everything just got a little better for me. My tones were richer, my blacks were darker, etc.

Now I shoot 100% manual because it is just easy for me. For example, I know that if I want shallow depth of field on a sunny day outside I am going to be at ISO 100, f/2.8, and 1/2000. Conversely, if it is January and I’m at a clients home where there are a million evergreen trees around with small windows (the bane of my existence) I will be at ISO 3200, f/1.8 – f/2.0, and 1/125. There is comfort and ease in knowing exactly what you will be shooting at.

Sarah asked: “Do you do basic edits in Photoshop and or Lightroom? Or are there some secret ingredients in your recipes?”

For the most part I do everything in Photoshop and Adobe Camera Bridge. I do basic exposure, contrast, and color adjustments on my RAW images in Bridge and then batch export them to JPGs. I’ll then take a look at my JPGs and see if there is anything I need to clean up or enhance. I don’t really have any secret ingredients that I can think of other than practice, practice, practice editing. It takes time.

Leanna asked: “What’s your most favourite lens, and why?”

For the longest time my answer was always the same, the 24-70 f/2.8L. But the little darling went and got soft on me, which is the fate of all zoom lenses I suppose. I needed a last minute tax write off for 2009 so I picked up the 35 1.4L and I haven’t taken it off my camera since it came. I love it!

I realize that those lenses are out of many budgets, so if you are just starting out I’ll say the 50 1.8 ($75) is an awesome lens.

Fun fact, the cover for Inside of a Dog was shot with the 50 1.8!

Frances asked: “Do you take some to help you when you shoot?”

Nope. Because I shoot on location, I like to keep things as organic and unplanned as possible. Depending on the dog, when a new person comes into their house, it takes a long time for them to settle down. I bring a certain energy into the house which I can control, if I let another person come with me, they may present an energy I can’t control and the dog may never settle down because of it.

Gina asked: “I’m curious about your most difficult session?”

I will keep this short and sweet. When one dog pooped on the couch and the other dog ate it in front of me. Why was it the most difficult session? I had to work very hard to not throw up right there in the room.

Brent asked: “What kind of reflector do you use most often? Gold, silver or white and why?”

When I shoot people I use my 5-in-1 reflector using white or silver the most. I don’t use a reflector with dogs. It is impossible.

David asked: “How do you work in people’s homes where the lighting conditions are less than optimal. Do you simply shoot at very high ISO to get a bright airy look?”

When I arrive at a home I ask for a tour of the entire house. I look at bedrooms, front rooms, side rooms, mudrooms and find where the light is best. Most of the time I can usually find one room with enough solid light to do a good bulk of my shooting. However, there are definitely some homes where it is just dark in every room. If that is the case, I’ll try to do some shooting next to a sliding glass door and then quickly move outside and use the yard or overhangs.

From about October – February I am shooting at extremely high ISO’s around 1200 – 3200. The 5DMKII has given me a lot more freedom to work in rooms that I could have never worked in before. I’ll also use post processing to lighten images that just ended up to be too dark. I find a nice balance between the two.

Andrea asked: “Do you shoot in RAW most of the time?”

I never take my camera off RAW. Ever. This is because I work a lot with stock imagery that requires the absolute highest quality image available. An image I take and eventually sell could be a very small square in a magazine or it could be blown up to billboard size. I never know when I’m going to get that “it” shot as they are usually always unplanned, so I just stick with RAW.

Jayme asked: ”

Melody asked: “What do you think are the best settings for shooting dogs on a dslr?”

If you are more into details and quiet moments, I would start with Aperture Priority. Details seem to work really well with a shallow depth of field, so if your lens allows, set it around 2.8 and let your camera do the rest.

If you are more into action and energetic moments, I would start with Shutter Priority. Head outside and start with 1/300 – 1/500 to ensure that you can stop motion.

Jaymie asked: “How do you create your b+w photos?”

A great black and white image starts with a great color image including rich tones and correct exposure. My black and white conversion will always depend on what the image first looks like in color, so I don’t have one set conversion.

I will say that for the most part I am using a straight Gradient Map that I set up myself as a small action in Photoshop. Then I’ll use curves for contrast and pop.

Julia asked: “How do you market yourself and how do you get your clients?”

In terms of traditional marketing, I have never done it and don’t plan on it. My marketing strategy has always been centered around 2 things: My Blog + My Body of Work. Almost all of my clients that hire me have found me through Google and have been reading my blog for quite some time. I love this because before they ever meet me they know that I absolutely love dogs, they meet Gracie who is my heart, and they can also see that I demonstrate consistent, quality work over time. It is really important to me to let my work speak for itself.

I see a lot of photographers starting out getting caught up in the perfect logo, the best packaging, the most strategic marketing, but when I look at their work it is not quite there yet. The very best thing you can do before you look at marketing is to ensure you have a very strong, consistent, high quality body of work.

Catherine asked: “How can a hobby amateur learn how to shoot pictures like you do? What would you suggest is the best way to go about learning photography?”

I think photography is such a personal journey. It will take each of us on our own different path. It starts with knowing who you are as a person and what you want to say. Then your camera becomes an extension of you and you get to speak through that and share it with the world. That sounds a bit new agey but I’m ok with that. Let’s go with it.

So how does a hobbyist shoot pictures like I do? To be honest, I don’t know. I will tell you that over the last 7-8 years I have put in thousands of hours shooting everything that I came in contact with. My husband, my plants, my vacations, my dog, my sister, and friends. The more you shoot, the better you get. It’s that simple and that hard, all at the same time.

I think “how” you learn will ultimately dictate how you get better at taking images. I have always been a visual learner (which means I sucked at school) so I need to see things to get them. Taking a film class at a local community college allowed me to interact with the teacher, ask questions, ask more questions when I was confused, and get constructive criticism and feedback.

There are so many ways to learn: photography books, forums, workshops, meet ups, mentorships, or just plain trial and error.

Debbie asked: “Any plans for hosting seminars/workshops in 2010?”

Unfortunately no. When this question comes up, it sounds like a fun idea at the time, but before I make decisions I always go back to the root of why I started this business and that was simply to shoot dogs.

I’m not one to never say never but as of right now my heart is telling me that it is not what would make me happy.