Frequently Asked Questions
What camera and lenses do you use and for what? I have two cameras now. I shoot Canon. I have a 5DMarkII (5DMII) which is a full-frame, pro camera. I also have a 50D, which is a 1.6 crop sensor semi-pro camera. I have many lenses now. My FAVORITES are my Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 and my 50mm f/1.4. I also have the kit lens (that came with the 50D camera), a 75-300mm zoom lens, and a 18-55mm EFS lens that came with my old Rebel.
Do you work with newborns? Yes! Newborns are some of my favorite shoots to do. There’s nothing like a brand new, wrinkly, squishy baby.
To do newborn shoots, you need TIME! It can take anywhere from 3-4 hours to capture a newborn, and all of them are different. The best time is within the first 7-10 days of life.
Parents should turn up the heat/turn off the AC (we might sweat but the baby will be comfortable in his/her birthday suit!) Make sure the parents feed and change the baby before I arrive. It takes a LOT of little steps to set up for a good newborn shoot. I usually do newborn shoots on location in the baby’s home. We will take as much time as we need to get the shots we’re looking for, stopping to feed and change baby as needed.
How many shots do you generally take when you do a shoot? I used to over shoot. I just shot, shot, shot, shot until I was for SURE there MUST be something good on there. Now, I’ll shoot, look, and know right then and there if it’s a keeper. Another thing is, now I’ll really try and wait for a shot…I’d rather have to toss an image because of closed eyes or “user mistakes” than tossing just because I took too many! So if during your session, you’re thinking I should be ’snapping away’, I’m waiting for the best shot.
What should we wear? Well, it depends. I hate to say that, but it really does. Since we’re in Michigan, a lot will depend on the time of year. Colors that compliment YOU are the best; choose colors that make you feel like yourself, comfortable, and happy! Some tips:
Good ideas:
- Wearing outfits in the same color family (light blue and dark blue, etc.)
- Dark, muted colors that you can find easily in nature (i.e.: greens, blues, browns)
- Solids or simple patterns
- That hot little black dress
- Fitted clothing – big, baggy shirts can make you look a lot larger than you are
- Comfortable clothes you can sit, stand, run, and jump around in
- Nice jeans, paired with a dressy top
- Accessories like funky necklaces, jackets, hats, scarves, sunglasses, etc.
- Bringing one very dressy outfit and one very casual outfit
Bad ideas:
- Bright white shirts and everyone in the same colors.
- Wild patterns or horizontal stripes
- Shirts with writing on them
- Sleeveless shirts
- Polo shirts on girls – for some reason, very few girls can pull this off well. If you really want to wear a polo, make sure it is fitted for a woman’s body, and not cut straight on the sides.
- Shirts with short hemlines – the bottom edge of the shirt should hit at your hips or lower
- Crazy colors (orange, lime green, fuschia, etc)
- Watches or rings, unless they have a lot of sentimental value to you.. We want to emphasize the engagement ring, and lots of other jewelry will take away from that.
- Short skirts, low necklines, anything even remotely risque
- Exact matching outfits – it might seem cute now to wear the exact same outfit, but in a few years, you will dislike it – trust me!
Do you have a studio? If so, what equipment do you suggest using? Yes, I do. I have a full studio set-up in my home (in the basement, so there are stairs to navigate). I use different equipment, for example, I use a 50×50 Westcott softbox for my main light, but my strobes are from SquarePerfect.
