Taxes. IRS. Audit. Papers. Receipts… do these words make you nervous? Yeah… me too. We are in the process of being audited for 2008 right now. So.Much.Fun.
This is a hard lesson that some of us have to learn the hard way. Lesson learned: keep amazing, detailed records… and keep them for at least 5 years! Read the info the IRS provides on what you can write off and what you can’t, and get help from a professional. If you own your own business, things start getting a lot trickier. Totally worth it to do your research, learn a lot about taxes yourself, hire an accountant to come in once every month and organize all your income and expenses, then go to a reputable CPA for your taxes.
Luckily, the lady working with us at the IRS office is actually very kind and her main goal is just to educate you for future taxes. I have heard horror stories about walking into IRS offices. Fortunately, there are still nice and understanding people in this world.
We are going in for another meeting today… so pray it all goes well!
Anyways… onto this weeks Friday FAQ!
I normally only ever use flash at wedding receptions. When I do, I usually have one flash on my camera with a Gary Fong diffuser on it with an orange gel to make the color more natural, and I have one flash off camera by the dance floor (usually tucked by the DJ’s speaker). My on camera flash is on ETTL, and my off camera is manual. Sometimes at a higher power for more dramatic flare, and sometime lower just for some extra light, or rim light.If it is very low light, I will add another off camera flash. It’s never the same, but I like leaving an on camera flash and having the off cameras set to ETTL as well so it’s all evenly lit. Our flashes and cameras are very smart, and most of the time ETTL is very accurate. I’ll switch the off camera’s to manual when I want to get some more dramatic/creative shots.
Finding great light is tricky, but also a total blast when you do find it. My favorite light is an hour or two before sunset or right after sunrise when the sunlight is seeping through trees. It is goooorgeous. I always shoot with my subjects back towards the sun and try to block the direct sunflare from entering my lens directly. I always try to block it with a tree branch, or anything else I see. Sometimes, I will shoot with full on sun in my lens, and it gives it a bit of a dreamy, hazey look, but it’s a little hard to nail those without them being complete haze. I also always try and find natural reflectors around the area I’m shooting. I will look for light colored buildings, pavement, a friend with a white t-shirt, or I will bring a large white reflector if it is just too dark.
I use a spyder calibrator for my monitor and I go through WHCC & Pictage for most of my prints. Never had any issues!
For learning photography on a DSLR camera, I started with the Canon Rebel xti. However, when actually starting a legit business, and charging people, I upgraded to a Canon 40d and had the rebel as my backup. After some time, when I had enough money, I bought the Canon 5d mark ii and sold the Rebel, and kept the 40d as a backup. You have to work with what you have and make what you have work. I have seen some amazing shots come out of a little canon rebel. I have also seen people go out and buy the 5d mark ii first thing, and they don’t know how to use it, so their images are not so great. Just because you have a nice camera, doesn’t mean you will take amazing pictures.
I would start with what you can afford. If its a used rebel, great. If you can afford more, awesome. Just learn whatever you have really well, and practice a ton.
I do quite a bit of planning beforehand. I will get to know the couple pretty well and find out what their hobbies are, what sports they love, where they met… etc. That helps me get an idea of where to go, how crazy they are willing to get, what things they should bring to the shoot to make it more personable, and other things. I say 1-2 hours for most shoots, but sometimes I will find an amazing location 2 hours away, so it ends up being an all day adventure. I never charge for more hours, because I am usually the one controlling all of that. I am having a blast doing what I love and choosing beautiful locations to capture their story. I will pose, but a lot of times, I just put them in an area with great light and tell them to face me, then I’ll either say something ridiculous to make them laugh, or I will ask them to whisper something to each other, or tickle each other, or anything else that will get real emotion out of them.
Mainly, we just have a lot of fun, and get into a little trouble…
They look like they are having fun and interacting, because they are. 
I currently have the 35mm 1.4L, the 50mm 1.2L, the 85mm 1.2L, the 100mm 2.8L, the 24-70 2.8L and the 70-200 2.8L.
My favorites for portrait sessions are the 35mm, 50mm, 85mm and 70-200. I switch a lot every session because every lens gives such a different look. I will say that I probably use my 50mm 1.2 the most. I could do an entire session with that lens alone. I’m pretty sure I have done that a few times.
I shoot with the Canon 5d Mark ii. I didn’t go to college for photography, but I have taken many classes and workshops all over the country and learned from some of the best photographers in the world. I think either way is great, I have lots of respect for those that have graduated with a photography degree, but personally, I was much better off learning only the specifics of what I wanted to shoot, and how to market and run a business. There are a lot of things that photography school will not teach you. You do have do be a good photographer to run a successful business. But sadly, I believe that you have a better chance of running a successful business being an average photographer but having lots of business and marketing knowledge, rather than being an amazing much better photographer, but not very skilled with business and marketing. Some people will disagree, but I have found this to be true with lots of people in this industry.
I actually use spot metering the most. I shoot in a lot of tricky lighting situations, where it is mostly bright, and I want the person in the middle of my screen to be metered properly. When shooting more landscape or groups, or anything with more even light, I will switch to center or overall metering.
Like I always say… I still have a LOT to learn, and I don’t know if all this information will work best for you… but it has worked great for me.
Leann and are teaching another Bella Foto Beginner Photography Workshop in a few weeks (January 22nd) and still have some spots open! Early registration is over on the 10th, so hurry and get your spot! Read more about the workshop here: Bella Foto Workshop
Sign up here: Register
Thanks for all the questions and have an amazing weekend!!
xoxo
by Tracy Moore Photography
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