Thank you so much! With video portraits I switch back and forth. On my camera, the 5d Mark II, I can quickly switch over with just one click of the button. For some reason I am just not comfortable taking a still in live view mode :)

oh WOW, thank you for this :) Well, here in Las Vegas there are not too many locations to choose from so it makes it easier to decide, lol. I long for beautiful fields, flowers and mountains but it's just not going to happen here so the next best thing is Mt Charleston or Corn Creek. Both are quite a drive for me, but worth it. I love the nature, organic feel to my images. I often do shoot at the same three locations but try to make the images appear unique :) Thank you again.

And Thunder Gray.. that sounds right :)

Hello! My OCF.. well, this is going to be so disappointing, lol! Well, basically I use a Canon 580EXII speedlight as my lightsource. I have a Wescott Umbrella. I do have a small beauty dish that I have used.. one time! My speedlight fit into that. I haven't played with it enough to tell if you I love it or not. I decided not to invest in pocket wizards or radio poppers b/c I don't do OCF very often. Instead I purchased a zebra cord and I actually love it. It serves its purpose well :) Here is the link for it: http://flashzebra.com/5m_with_hotshoe/index.shtml

Okay.. I will let you know when I go to sell it. Hopefully really soon!

Hello and thank you! That's really encouraging to hear, considering I am new to film :) As of right now I don't have any other film camera and I have been happy with the Mamiya 645. Although, a friend suggested I sell it and purchase the Mamiya RZ67. That's supposed to be the next big camera (like the contax 645 is right now). So, you may want to look into that camera or buy mine :D Seriously, let me know if you are interested!

Thank you so much!! So, with groups .. it depends on the feeling I want to the image. If I want everyone perfectly sharp then as a general rule I keep my aperture equal to, or close enough to the number of individuals.. so a group of five you could do f. 5 for instance. But typically, I can shoot at around f. 3.2 and feel comfortable with a group of five.. I either have them on the same plane of focus and stand far enough away or I like to shoot from the side and so only a few individuals are in focus but I love the feel to those shots :) Thanks for your question :)

Hello! Well first you have to determine what type of light you personally love- dramatic..soft.. etc. You can find different types of light at different times of the day and in different locations, situations. For me, I shoot 99% of the time about an hour before sunset. You've probably heard that this is the golden hour. Lots of pretty light but you have to move quickly. The morning is good too but you have to move even faster and wake up early (no thanks!). Study the images you like and think how they get that particular look. Don't be afraid to take test shots. I always tell the client when I begin shooting that the first few shots are to test the light. If I don't love the light.. I just move on to another location. Look for windows, natural reflectors and avoid funky color casts. And then I think it's a matter of practice. Hope that's helpful!!

Thanks Brittany!! Alright..shooting indoors. Okay, well for her pics. There were windows wherever we were shooting however it was an overcast day so not a lot of light coming through. So, I just cranked up my iso.. shot at about 2.8-3.5 and overexposed a tad to help with the grain (although, I do like grain). Because I was shooting wide open I of course tried to keep them on the same plane if I wanted them to be in focus. But, a lot of shots I didnt want everything in focus and so I didn't care whether the subjects were on the same plane. Also keep an eye out for unflattering shadows (like under the eyes, etc) and strange color casts (black and white conversions are great here!).

OH man Becky, you made my day. Thank you. :)

Yes, and I love-it! I recently used photoshack near UNLV. They did great, prices are comparable to Richard's Photo Lab. About $18 a roll, yikes.

Thanks Erin! :)

Hey, thank you! The 5d Mark II :)

LOL, and I yours!! :)

Hi Kelly :) I don't actually do mentoring sessions at this point. Something I may consider for the future though!!

Thank you so much, glad you found me! Post processing, well.. basically I do a slight s curve layer, a soft light layer (lower the opacity), and I often times have to warm up the image. I will then touch up any obvious blemishes and maybe do some burning and dodging. But, the real trick is to get it right in camera. If I don't expose properly in camera then I too have trouble with post processing and end up spending WAY too long on each image. So, while shooting try to take your time and get your settings right... no rushing :)

Similar question was asked below, thanks for you question!

Backlit shots can surely be tricky. I sometimes struggle as well. First of all I always overexpose by about 2 stops. I chimp to make sure the subject's skin is exposed correctly (but, I do like things brighter). Then, in Camera Raw I will use the recovery slider to recover any lost detail if needed. In Photoshop I just do a simple s curves layer (turned to luminosity rather than normal), a soft light layer (a bit heavier than non backlit shots), and maybe increase the brightness and contrast. That's it for editing. I like my work, esp. back-lit shots to be as natural as possible :) Hope that's helpful, thanks for asking!

Hello, thank you! Well, tips for getting subjects to feel/look natural...first of all, I like to take the time to talk to the models before we get to shooting, develop a sort of rapport. And then for kids, I try to come with a few jokes that I can rattle off and a few verbal games we can play that will make them laugh. For adults I just act.. silly I guess ;) One thing to remember is to wait for that perfect expression. You've heard before in relation to wedding photography, it's not the kiss.. it's the moment right before/after the kiss? Same thing. :) Hope that helps!

hey melissa :) it can definitely be overwhelming.. since I don't do OCF too often I made the choice to not invest in pocket wizards or radio poppers. Instead I purchased a zebra cord. It works great! Advantages to the cord: it's way, way cheaper than the alternatives, it's super easy and I only need my one speed light (I have the 580ex. The downfalls- the maximum sync speed is 1/200th and it is a cord which gets in the way sometimes. Here is the website: http://flashzebra.com/5m_with_hotshoe/index.shtml