March 2016 Q & A

What are some tips for a “clean” edit? To keep your edit clean, I recommend learning Lightroom sliders and not using presets. Many presets make the photo ‘muddy’ and if you don’t know how the sliders manipulate the image, you might not be able to correct what the preset is doing. When I edit, I always watch for skin tones. I want my skin tones to be very natural and flattering and true to life. Most of my images have the exposure increased, contrast/saturation/vibrance increased, blacks decreased, and darks increased. To see what my normal process in Lightroom is like, click here and scroll to question 6.

How do you get the best lighting? I schedule most of my sessions around the sun’s schedule. If it is a morning shoot, my favorite light is the hour after sunrise. If it is an afternoon shoot, my favorite light is the hour before sunset. When the sun is low in the sky there is a warm, glowing, even lighting that works well with my photography style. Even with soft light, I still do most of my work around trees to diffuse the sunlight. I like to turn my subject’s back to the sun so their faces are evenly lit. When I do this, I am very careful of where I place them (and what is reflecting back at them). If they are deep in a green pasture, they might have a green cast reflecting back up on their skin (EW!). Driveways, gravel, pavement, and white horse trailers make excellent natural reflections to keep skin tones beautiful!

When posting photos on social media, websites, is it safer to put some type of signature or logo on your work so people know it’s yours or does it not matter? I suppose it is safer to mark your work. I know I’ve fallen in love with images I’ve seen on social media (like pinterest) and if credit isn’t given in the caption, I can google them using the name on their watermark. In those instances, it is very helpful. I don’t mark my images, but that is a personal preference and I would say I am in the minority of photographers by doing such.

Did your images get stolen even with the watermark? When I first started, I marked my images. I would definitely say that I wasn’t aware of the volume of theft that I am aware of now, but it is also hard to compare it well because I didn’t have the following then that I do now. I know that I follow many photographers who mark their images and get stolen from just as often, if not more so, than photographers who don’t. I’m just not sure it matters anymore.

What is your favorite lens to use? On my digital camera the 85m lens does not come off. On my film camera, I used to shoot with an 80m but recently purchased a 100m that I am in absolutely love with. It hasn’t come off my camera since my purchase : )

Where do you feel you find inspiration for new poses, looks, things to try, etc? When I feel stuck in a rut, the first thing I do is ride horses. I love horses and I am instantly inspired by riding and being around them! I love the smell of the barn, the sound of hooves walking on pavement, the rhythm of a horse grazing. I simply look for the art that is all around me. Another thing that works well for me is to get a model and shoot for myself. Zero pressure, zero expectations – just shooting whatever I want to!

The photographers that I follow on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest usually have a very different aesthetic than me. I am very inspired by the wedding industry and film photographers, and I take most of my business notes from the boudoir industry. I don’t want to follow what other equine photographers are doing because I want to bring something new to the equine industry.

What cameras do you recommend? I just got the Nikon D750 and I am very impressed. It is small, compact, and light (which I looooove). The dynamic range is impressive, but what I love most is the focusing system. It was a huge upgrade from the D600 I shot with! I have only heard glowing reviews from every photographer I’ve met who shoots with it – I think Nikon really nailed it with this camera body.

Do you ever use a flash? If so do you use a diffuser or speedlight of any sort? I have never used flash. I don’t own any flashes, diffusers, or speedlights.

Looking back at your business: what were your best decisions you made to build your business and what were some surprising things you learned along the way? My business has grown very organically, so I think the best decision I made was early on: to shoot at least 2-3 people per month, no matter what. It was important that I kept practicing and kept updating my website/blog/accounts with fresh content. From there, everything snowballed.

I am surprised that paid advertising hasn’t yielded better results for me. I keep trying to pay my way in front of people, but it rarely ends fruitfully. I think that it is more impactful for someone to see their friend in the photograph than it is for me to approach a stranger.

What business apps do you have on your phone? 

Financial: Square / Bank of Texas / GoDaddy Bookkeeping

Miscellanous: Google Analytics / Mail Chimp / WHCC / 17 Hats / DropBox / Box

Photography: Afterlight / Retouch / Flipagram / Lightroom / Instant Pic Frame

Social: Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Snapchat / Pages / Followers / Facebook Ads / Google+ / Periscope

Have more questions? Follow KMPLearn on Instagram to ask more questions for the next Q&A installment!