congrats to YOU!! i stopped shooting 6 weeks before lucy's due date and it was still pretty stressful getting all the editing done before she was born at 38 weeks. with vivi i stopped shooting in mid september and she was born dec. 4th. and that was much better for me.

well now i'm embarrassed. my packaging SUCKS. because i basically burn a cd and a jewel case. lame! working on changing it though...

i use gradient map and a gray fill layer at like 5-10% opacity.

thanks so much! i would have no problem showing my sooc images... maybe i'll post some side by sides this week on the blog! stay tuned...

i used to do mentoring and loved it, but lately my schedule has been so full and i have like 80 kids apparently. i've contemplated doing it again or maybe even a workshop.... (eek!). message me if you're interested. ;)

wait, a salon? like a hair salon? crap. i don't think i know what you're talking about. hints?

i've been waiting FOREVER for the 800, but i'm with you! a little unsure about the 36 megapixels. it seems so excessive. and i love my d700, i really would just love to have the video capabilities for my family and kids! we'll see. i'll have to see one and play with it in person before i make a decision.

start working the flash! i also use a video light, but not usually for the ceremony.

Thank you so much! Hmm, I can't say that I ever intentionally avoid catchlights, in fact I like them. However, the trick to good indoor photos is making good use of available light and nailing he exposure. For me that usually means shooting wide open (or close to it) aperture and a high iso.

always, always, always RAW. the files are larger and record more information which makes them much easier to manipulate. i especially like that i can recover parts of wedding dresses that get blown out and you can tweak your white balance so it's perfect! i think shooting in RAW is a must for professional shooting, ESPECIALLY for weddings!

oh boy. i'm the LAST person who should be giving advice on websites! mine is tragic. i use bludomain because it's affordable, but fyi their customer service is horrible. i use redcart for client proofing and i really like it, other than the zoom feature which is BAD. it's kinda expensive but if you work a lot or have reasonable print sales it's much cheaper than paying a percentage of your sales with companies like instaproofs. wasn't aware that they had a free version though!

i shoot in RAW alllllways. but i have never noticed that issue.... wierd!

i mostly use the same second shooter and occasionally i use an up and coming photographer who wants to get their feet wet! i pay experienced second shooters an hourly rate and photogs with less experience are typically volunteering. i find that some people are indifferent about having a second shooter while other clients care about it a lot. it just depends!

i get a lot of questions about pricing and it's so hard to advise people on what to do without having a lot of background info on the indidual. however, i think pricing should be based mainly on three things-1 how much experience you have 2. the quality of your work 3. your demand/ how busy you want to be. ultimately, it has to be worth your time! good luck!

mine is battery powered and i usually use it on a tripod.

it totally depends on the lighting and what you consider grainy. i shoot receptions at 2000-3200 ISO all the time and although there is some grain, if you expose your images correctly they will totally look good! i think where the grain gets BAD is if your ISO is way up and then you underexpose the image. recipe for disaster.

i usually don't have issues with blowing out the highlights with the video light, you just have to expose for the subject you're shining the light on and the background will be darker. my video light has diffusers that come with it but i usually just use it without the filters or barn doors or anything!

thank you so much! i did use the video light for the gallery portraits, but a lot of the tables and food was ambient light. though i think i used the video light for the dessert shots!

i made my own logo and blog banner and i didn't use any templates, so i'm probably not the best person to ask, but i would recommend going with a website/blogsite that caters to photographers. bludomain, prophoto blogs, into the darkroom are all good companies to start with. ultimately i think knowing your style and sticking with it will help with branding more than anything! it can be hard when you're getting started. i also love design aglow templates and i believe they have welcome packets and marketing stuff. angie monson does too i think!

lens flare is tricky- especially if you're a nikon shooter. canons flare more easily, which is a good and bad thing i guess. i think it's easier to get flare at a wide angle and it really only works well as the sun is going down. and the sun can't flood your lens, it has to barely be peeking in. i hope that helps! but really i'm not a sun flare queen...