MONDAY Q & A

So I know its not Monday because well its Tuesday but It feels like a Monday! HA! I have been wanting to start a Q&A Post every other week and thought what better day to do it then today. I receive lots of fabulous questions from both clients and other Photographers, and thought what greater way to share some of those, but with the blog readers.  And no peeps Im not trying to think Im all that and a bag of chips with my skills but thought Id fill you in on a little “DEY-la”.  I will be posting just a few at a time and if you have any questions, client or business related, you would like me to feature on the blog, please feel free to email them to contact@deylahussphotography.com. This week I decided to make this Photography related, so here it goes:

Question:

“So I feel like I am stuck in a major rut with photography. I can’t afford to take classes right now and I really want to get better at taking pictures. I love doing photography. I just feel like I can’t progress anymore on my own. So I was wondering if you ever come around the Eugene area to shoot, if I could shadow you and learn a little.? Because you are amazing at what you do! Oh and I want to get a new lens other then the ones that came with my camera…haha so what would you recommend for a best all over lens that’s not too expensive? I have a Nikon d5000. Thanks for listening! Hope you have a great day!” -Kirsten

Answer:

Thanks so much Kirsten for your question! and I hear ya on being in a rut with your business, it happens to all of us 🙂 But one thing I have learned that in order to get better at taking photos is to just get out there and shoot like crazy. And I mean shoot like crazy, rent some new lenses to try out and play with, try BORROW LENSES or if your in the Portland area PRO PHOTO SUPPLY is the Diggity! read your camera manual inside and out and and practice new techniques and such.  I am a Nikon shooter and use only Nikon Lenses, a couple of my fave lenses are the Nikon 50mm 1.4, and the 85mm 1.4, and I also use the 70-200mm. So if you are looking for a great lens but on a tight budget then grab the Nikon 50mm 1.4! if you are a Canon shooter, the 50mm 1.4 is equivalent I believe, you can buy either of these HERE and HERE.

Question:

“Hi! I have a quick question for you if you have a moment, who does your album design? I just saw an album you had designed for my friend from her wedding and love the simplicity of the layout. I am just starting out as a Wedding Photographer and want to know who to use for both cover and layout design?” -Angela

Answer:

Angela, congrats on the beginning of your new business, how exciting! I truly believe all clients should document their big day with a beautiful album, even if its as simple as a “once a year” family photo shoot. Just think of the moments that you find precious and the value of those moments. They are priceless! Album companies range from traditional to funky and there are so many to choose from, so its great that you are asking what works for some and their experiences with those companies. I design all of my album layouts myself and in Photoshop, I have created several layouts over the last year that I use on my clients albums. I love the simplistic layouts, 1-4 photos per layout depending on the size of the album. Typically I use a white or black background on the layout for weddings.

Currently I use two different Album companies, Kiss Wedding Books and FINAO, I use two companies for different types of books, I like to have a wider variety of styles for my clients to choose from. Kiss Wedding books have that rich thick 100% leather covers in 7 different color leathers, so your choices of colors are limited. Finao has tons of different styles and colors of covers and you can also do a two-tone cover if you choose. I love them both so Im keeping them both, thats how I roll! 🙂 here is a couple of wedding album layouts I designed.

OK so I said I would have a few questions answered today and I have just two for now as I haveto run, I promise this will be a bi-weekly post I will do and please feel free to email questions you may have whether it be client related or Photography related. Until next time Ciao!