Our Top 4
Most Frequently Asked
Photography Questions

YES!! This is HUGE! I don’t know that there’s a point in having a DSLR camera if you keep it on the “automatic” setting. “Automatic” allows the camera to make all the decisions for you. Shooting in manual mode allows YOU to be in charge of all the settings. You choose the ISO, aperture and shutter speed, based on the look you want to achieve and the available light.

These 3 components make up the light triangle and you must understand them to understand photography! There are numerous tutorials on shooting in manual mode. I read and watched LOTS of them, and practiced a ton before I really understood it.

Here’s a basic rundown about manual mode: https://www.beachcamera.com/blog/photography-101-how-do-i-start-shooting-in-manual-mode/

Editing is a big part of photography. I highly recommend Lightroom for editing. It’s pretty easy to use, and there are a lot of tutorials out there to help you learn how to use it, as well as learn Lightroom tips and tricks. When I first started learning about editing, I heard a lot about presets. A Lightroom preset is a pre-determined position for all (or some) of the of sliders in Lightroom. I bought several preset packs and enjoyed playing around with them, but couldn’t quite find one that perfectly fit the style I was going for. Playing with those helped me come up with my own preset that I apply to all my photos.

Using one preset helps my photos have a cohesive look. When someone hires me, they can look at examples of my photos to see my style and know how my work looks. You don’t want your editing to be inconsistent and all over the place! 

It definitely took time for me to find the perfect look/style that I loved. 

For more info on Lightroom: https://www.vandelaydesign.com/lightroom-tutorials/

Once you start shooting a lot, you’ll be surprised at how quickly the storage on your computer starts filling up! There are several different options for photo storage out there that you’ll want to consider. An external hard drive is a great place to store photos. Another option is online cloud storage.

Storing photos in both places gives you extra security in case something goes wrong with one of them! Having a backup is always a good idea.

Here are more details about photo storage options: https://petapixel.com/2019/03/13/how-i-handle-storage-and-backup-as-a-photographer/

My most-asked question! The options are many when it comes to camera bodies. There are crop sensor cameras, full frame cameras, mirrorless cameras…. etc. Do your research on the options and decide which one is best for your needs and budget! Since I use my camera for business, I opted for a full frame camera that can endure all kinds of weather.

I have a Canon 6D. I started out with only a 50mm 1.8 Canon lens. This is a GREAT starter lens that can be used with a crop sensor camera OR a full frame. It’s very affordable and I always recommend this as a first lens. You can get great results with it and it’s a great quality lens that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg!

As I have  grown my lens arsenal, I’ve added a Canon 17-40mm 4.0 which is great for landscapes, an 85mm 1.8 that I love for portraits, and a Sigma Art 35mm 1.4 which I use a lot for day to day documenting and lifestyle shots.

Now that I travel so much, I would love to get the Canon 24-70mm 2.8. I feel like I could use this one lens alone to do pretty much everything I need to do, and lessen the load of carrying around multiple lenses! 

You’ll need to get several memory cards to keep on hand, a tripod if you want to do low light/night photography or take selfies, and having a remote comes in handy too! I’ll link the gear I have mentioned below.

Body & Lenses