Frequently Asked Questions II – Photography Related

So… One of my new years resolutions was to be a better blogger. Up until now, this blog’s main purpose has been to display my most recent work. I’ve kept things short, and have said little, if much at all. In fact, my more personal posts have been far and few. Anyways, my point is that I’m aiming for all of that to change. I really want my blog to not only display my work, but also to be a great resource for photographers. I’d like to incorporate more before & afters, FAQs, how-to’s, photography links, resources etc etc etc :) So stay tuned!!!

Now onto Frequently Asked Questions part 2 :) Here are a few frequently asked questions that people have emailed me: (please keep in mind that I am no expert, I’m just sharing what I have learned and taught myself)

Do you shoot in all natural light or do you use flash and lights? Do you have any tips when it comes to using natural light? You images are all perfectly exposed.

I use all natural lighting. Although it’s sometimes hard to control, there are different ways to use natural light (natural reflectors, direction of the light etc) and it fascinates me. I love beautiful, natural light. Ask all my friends, I freak out when the light is awesome. I’m like, “oh my gosh, isn’t this light the most beautifullllll light you’ve EVER seen?!?!?!” .. They think I’m crazy… Anyways,  I actually pretty much despise the on-camera flash and avoid it at all costs.

One of my biggest tips when it comes to using natural light is to use it to your advantage. Below is the perfect example. There we were, in the middle of a field, the sun going down, but there was one problem, we were shooting with the sun going down behind her. Which, sometimes, creates an awesome back-lit effect etc etc.. but it just wasn’t happening. There was pretty light, we just weren’t using it. So, all I did was ask her to swivel around. With her facing the opposite direction, into the sunlight, the light was perfect and really made her look her best. Such a small change, such a big difference. Both images below have been edited in identical ways, and therefore are true representations of what USING the light can do for your photos.

Hey Alex. I just have a question for you… I’m currently using blogspot, and I’m totally wanting to get a “real” website/blog. I think the blog-site idea is brilliant. Here’s my Q. Did you do yours by yourself? I’m so challenged. I don’t know how websites work. How do you even get your own domain? Is yours a WordPress layout blog? Or is it a ShowIt site? How does it work? I’d be forever thankful if you can help me out!

Yes I did my blog-site by myself, and so can you! Trust me it’s not nearly as hard as you would expect. I bought my domain and it is hosted through BlueHost. I used ProPhoto Blogs (which works through WordPress) to design my blog – and it makes it VERY easy. However – ProPhoto Blogs is very common throughout the photography blog world, but obviously it’s so customisable that it is very easy to make it your own. When you buy the ProPhoto Blogs it comes with instructions on EXACTLY what to do. Trust me, if I can do it, so can you. First you buy  your domain, then you do your blog-site. My domain is an annual fee, but you have the choice to make it longer. And yes, you can change your blog-site whenever you want!

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I love taking photos and am learning as I go. I have a sony a100 digital camera. I was wondering what camera you have and any tips for getting colour into the pictures, cause thats something I’m having trouble with, especially in portraits. Also do you photoshop your images?

If you’re interested in knowing what equipment I use, check out my first FAQ here. I use photoshop to really get the best out of my photos. An example of a before and after can be seen below.

Okay. Here you can see the difference that a photo-editing software can have on a photo. To me, the editing process is just as important as the taking of the photo. It’s amazing the difference an edit could have on the feel of the photo.

Challenge: If any of you photographers out there would like to save the original file and try your own edit to it, I’d be very interested to see your take on it, and prove the point that different photographers have different styles and therefore have different effects on a photo.

Are you looking for an assistant? I would really like the opportunity to work with you as your assistant on a shoot. I can hold equipment, set up lights and make you lots of tea.

As flattering as that is, at the moment I’m not in need of an assistant! If I ever am though, I will be sure to let you all know :)

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I hope that has been helpful to at least some of you. If you have any feedback or if any of you photographers can add to answering these questions, use the comment box below :). Or, if you have further questions/comments feel free to email me at: info@alexbeadonphotography.com

Lots of love,

Alex

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