It's easy!

I wouldn't say I get perfect white balance always... but I shoot RAW so I can always fix little things in ACR. Proper exposure makes all the difference, and being aware of anything casting reflective colors, etc. I shoot in Kelvin (manual white balance) when needed, but usually I'm shooting AWB. :) Shooting test shots on something neutral also helps.

my thoughts exactly. ;)

I don't usually. I just always make sure the eyes have catchlights in them, and sometimes that means I don't get to use the background I'd originally planned on. Natural reflectors like concrete buildings, etc, really help- anything that bounces light in their eyes. Sounds weird but I try to wear white/light colored shirts on my shoots especially when it's overcast- their eyes will catch the light off my shirt! haha! Works like a charm. :)

Yes, but honestly I think the biggest quality improvements have come from lens upgrades. The 35 1.4 and the 50 1.4 are crazy.

UNO... after Shem and I got married I think we played UNO daily for 8 months straight. I don't think we've played it since! haha!

I think the studio has done a lot for me personally, and for the business. To have clients meet at a place dedicated to what I'm doing for them rather than in my home has been HUGE. So much better for my family, too. It's also been great to have a place to do newborn and kid shoots at the drop of a hat, with no worry about the weather. I just added studio lighting and backdrops, etc, so now we have a huge studio room as well as the natural light shooting room. I think once word gets out about that that I'll see a new kind of clientele, but as for now it's really been great for my existing clientele. It's been awesome to show clients all the samples I have and be able to have my products on display and on the walls, and to have an awesome environment for their photo-experience to take place in. <3 my space!

Salty.

I have a D300 at my disposal :) I think the worst thing tat has happened to me was at a wedding my lighting failed. My 1st and back up lighting both had issues. BUT it worked out and made some lovely pictures anyway! :)

Most definitely invest in it!! Anything you can learn from those who've already done the footwork is a worthy investment. I have had some awesome mentors (shout out to my girls Jessica Kettle & Vanessa Rae, and my DAWG Big D Dustin Izatt! fer real.) I think those investments are some of the best you'll make. Good luck!

Every newborn. Haha!! They are a serious challenge! I love babies and I don't MIND doing newborn pictures but those are definitely my most challenging sessions.

I actually do very little retouching these days... Probably the most key thing that has helped me is understanding and seeing the most flattering light on the subject... and that really is not something that can be TAUGHT per se, I think that's an experience thing, the more you practice and try different things the more you'll SEE the light and discover how to best use it in a flattering way. The other thing is proper exposure (I try to expose for the face/skin tone) and clean gear- surprising what a dusty sensor will do to your subjects skin! Haha :)

Hope that helps!

Scattered. Optimistic. Hardworking.

Freedom of religion, speech, and the freedom to be a woman and have a BUSINESS! We are SO blessed and we often take those things for granted.

There may be some corrupt and defunct things happening but this is still the Land of the Free & I LOVE my country. USA!

Hey Melanie!! I love my 35 1.4 and my 50 1.4! They are lifesavers for group shots-- but also really fun in tight spaces like on my Morning With documentary style shoots (and around my OWN home!)

I have created my own which I use on nearly every photo. I use yin Yang, lux soft and oh snap from TRA frequently though

at LEAST 3 hours and not more than 8... 2 babies at my house! :)

I used the 18-200 regularly on weddings! It was a really great lens to use with such a great focal range. Some of my favorite wedding shots were actually shot with the 18-200- you have to stand SO FAR AWAY much of the time- that 200mm was great. If you are shopping around and have $$ to invest, though, there are higher end lenses to look for. :)

After I began shooting portraits primarily, I decided to switch to using prime lenses exclusively (lenses that do not zoom, they are a fixed focal length all the time) because especially for portraits, I wanted the extremely shallow depth of field I can get with my f/1.4 lenses which I could not get as shallow a DOF with any of my zoom lenses. I also shoot in low light situations frequently where I need a super fast shutter- being able to take the aperture down to 1.4 with one of my prime lenses ensures I still get the shot I want without compromising it's clarity and focus by needing a slower shutter speed. That's a quick answer, I'm sure I could go more in depth.

The 18-200 was great especially for the wide angle, I also used it for nature & landscape shots (but I just haven't been bitten by the nature bug yet and need to put my investments elsewhere for now!)

Their mood. Are they smiling, how do they carry themselves...

Either you got great light in camera or you didn't. There's no way to fake it (without looking like you're faking it! ew!)
To punch it up a bit experiment with soft light filters and curves! :) Hope that helps!