FAQ: Photographers

What kind of equipment do you shoot with?

I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II and have a 40D for backup.  Lenses I shoot with - 50mm 1.2, 85mm 1.8, 16-35mm 2.8, 24-70mm 2.8, 135 2.0.  I also have two pocket wizards and a 580ex flash.  I carry it all in a shootsac with the cameras around my neck.

Do you bring back-up gear to shoots?

Absolutely!  Getting back-up gear (or even borrowing from a friend) is essential.  At two of my weddings this year two different cameras failed, and if I didn't have another one I would have been screwed.  I'm working towards getting even more back-up gear just in case!  Back-up batteries (I have more than I could ever use) for my camera and flash are just as important.

I'm a poor college student, can you recommend a good cheap lens?

If you're a Canon user, I'd recommend the 50mm 1.4.  However, you get what you pay for and cheap lenses are never going to compare to the ones that cost over $1000.

Did you go to school to become a photographer?

I went to Brigham Young University and got a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography, but I know lots of incredible photographers that didn't go to school at all.

What photo-editing software do you use?

I use Lightroom for all batch-processing and Photoshop for fine-tune editing.  Everything that gets blogged or printed has been through both programs.

Do you use actions?

I use Totally Rad Actions pretty exclusively (in addition to some minor ones by me).  I've tried some others, but just go back to the TRA sets.

Do you allow random blog-stalkers to come to shoots/weddings with you?

Absolutely!  One of the ways that I learned best was by assisting other photographers, and if someone would like to come assist at a wedding or to a newborn or other shoot I'd gladly take the help .

Do you have an intern?

Nope, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't love one!