Flash Required to view this area.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Oh blog... I didn't forget you! (FAQ's)

I was a very honest child.
Seriously... I was so close to perfect it was scary :)
You can even ask my mother. She'll agree.
I owe it to a VERY active conscience.
I was never that kid who could eat a cookie when my mom told me not to... nevermind the INCREDIBLY horrible liar I was, and the look of guilt that would be plastered on my face, but I couldn't handle the guilt! It wouldn't be 5 minutes and I'd end up telling on myself.

I never really got into trouble as a child... or even much as a teenager... and that I owe to my need to please people. I admit it, Internet, I am a people pleaser. Ag! There... I said it.

So when I ignore my blog, even if it's for a good reason, I start to feel guilty. I start to worry about it and think about it. The last week, I haven't posted a lot, and now I'm feeling bad. I'm so sorry I've ignored you, internet. But here I am... I'm back again!

Today I thought I'd answer a few questions that I've gotten lately. These are kind of random... but they're all personal preference answers too... as in, this is not the technical stuff... this is the stuff that really varies from person to person. So what I do may not work for you... It's just what has worked for me :)

How do you store your equipment? What camera bag do you recommend?
Oh this is a never ending question for me... I am constantly looking at ways to store my equipment. Here's the thing... I have this obsession with all things office supply. Somehow storage seems to fall under that category too. It's not that there aren't many great storage systems out there... but I'm always looking for the PERFECT one! What I have and use is a simple backpack. That's what I travel with. I can carry it on an airplane and it keeps my gear solid and safe. You can find all kinds of different ones online and in camera stores. Or check out this site.

There is a second part to this answer. It's the Shootsac. And it's perfect. And I no longer look! This amazing little bag allows me to carry all my gear while I shoot! I don't use 2 camera bodies. I've tried it but I'm a klutz. I fall, I trip, I run into things... seriously, it's a miracle I'm alive. So 2 camera bodies is just not a good thing for me. This bag allows me to shoot and change lenses quickly. I love it. And it's soooo comfortable! I can carry it all day long with all my lenses and it doesnt even get heavy! It forms to my body so it doesnt hit things as I walk, and did I mention it's adorable??? There are interchangeable covers, so you can have a different bag for every mood! Or wedding! Seriously, it's one of the best investments I've made. I adore this bag! The price tag may intimidate you, but I promise you'll love it! There's a reason you can't find them used anywhere... people keep them!
How do you stay organized and keep track of everything?
Oh man. Um... my mom? Seriously... I don't know... organization is not my thing... office supplies and post it notes... TOTALLY my thing... but I really have to credit this to my mom. She is great at organizing and keeping me on track. Maybe I'll have her guest blog one day on how she does that. I do have several notebooks and file folders that I keep all my info for client meetings (contracts, info sheets, all that stuff), and I have a folder for each client. Yeah, this deserves a guest blog. I'll try to get you more info on that soon :)

I'm having trouble posing my clients... anything you can recommend?
I wrote more about this on my last FAQ which you can read HERE. Posing really is something you'll just have to practice. Find people who will let you practice with them. There are people who are very natural in front of the camera and you'll hardly have to direct, and then there are others who will feel akward and you'll have to help them out. The other thing that really helped me in this area was to be in front of the camera myself. After I did that a couple of times, I felt SO MUCH better about posing people. I also talked a little bit about keeping ideas in a notebook. Which leads me to my next section...

The Brainstorm Book...
I've had all kinds of different notebooks (as you know from my love of all things paper)... but BY FAR the very best one is my Rolla book that I made with supplies from Staples. You buy each of the elements you want for the book and put them together... so I have dividers, plastic slip pages and lined paper. And without having 3 ring binders, I can pull pages out and move them around easily! It's FANTASTIC! I glue magazine clippings, use post it notes and jot down ideas. Here are a couple shots (with my palm pre!):






1 comment:

Jewelielyn said...

yes, you were a nearly perfect child and are still pretty amazing. but don't leave your blog for so long again. i was having withdrawal . . .