I always save as a PSD first to save my steps in case I need to go back, then I go back to the picture to sharpen, convert the color profile, flatten & save as a jpeg. The folder I have set up for each client are RAW, PSD, JPEG, WEB, PRINT (for preparing orders).

this is tough to answer because it is all dependent on what i am editing. newborns take a while bc their skintones are usually off & i use the CMYK method to get the #'s right. i am admittedly very slow at this. i hand edit & take way too long typically :) sometimes i finish a picture then go back to it & find something else to work on. it also depends on if there is any tricky cloning i need to do. i've had pictures take me an hour before! typically i'd say atleast a few minutes with a session taking like 5-10 hours (bc i never have 5-10 hours to sit at once, it is broken up into little increments here & there). my best tip for you would be to stay away from actions. they are a crutch to people & they don't look good when you haven't properly learned how to use them. take a photoshop or lightroom or elements class to learn the basics. once you master clean tweaks on your own & understand how the program works, then you can add actions into the mix! the changes i usually make are skin tones, curves, color correction, levels, contrast, small exposure tweaks, stuff like that...

thanks! i think focusing properly, using the right modes for each situation, with a high enough shutter speed, finding good light & using good/ quality glass all help achieve good focus!

hhhmmmm.....i wish i could say i have a journal or some other organized method to keeping ideas in one spot but i don't. lots of times my best ideas come to me last minute & i run around town putting it together days leading up to a session. i look on etsy, magazines, etc. for inspiration as well

pretty much always spot - unless i am shooting a landscape or something like that, then matrix

at this time i do not mentor, just haven't had the time to get this type of thing together. i have been asked so it is in the back of my mind for the future. i wouldn't mind you coming in town & going to a session with me, though. i like to support other photographers as i have been supported!

50mm all the way! very versatile & very affordable.

i like different lenses for different things! i switch out alot! it is annoying to switch so much but i love the effect each one of my lenses has for different situations because i think they all have a distinct look. i am always finding that i want a different lens than i have on so i change them out multiple times during a session. sometimes i want to capture the same shot with two different lenses so i do change often. buuuut, my favorite? hhmmm, the 50mm 1.4 is well rounded. love the bokeh on the 85mm 1.4...the fish eye is so much fun. i don't know, i can't say!

lots of stuff! but in terms of cameras & lenses:
nikon d3s (primary)
nikon d700 (back up)
nikon 50mm 1.4G
nikon 24-70mm 2.8
nikon 70-200mm 2.8
nikon 85mm 1.4G
nikon 16mm fisheye 2.8
tamron 90mm macro 2.8

I never batch edit, always hand edit each image. Probably not the best use of my time but I like to make sure each image is just how I want it. I download them into Bridge, pull them into Raw & there I will tweak all the basics. I pull it into CS5 curves, layers & masking, the finishing touches, etc. If I want to use an action I will do it at this time, too. I try not to be too action happy though because I want them to look clean, classic & like "my" pictures - instead of like a fad....there are some I really like, though, for certain reasons, but I don't use much. I also have Lightroom 3 bur primarily use CS5 at this time.

I use a speedlight or two at receptions & bounce the light off of anything white I can find...ceilings, walls, shirts, reflector, etc. I have the sb-800s with pocket wizards

I don't take yearbook photos....sorry

Secon shooters typically get paid, yes. Unless it is set up as an internship type thing but I don't think I'd ever feel right about not paying someone unless they came to me & asked for the opportunity/ experience to do it for free. I am not a pro at answering second shooter questions. The weddings I have done where I paid a second person to come along, I treated them more as partners & gave them half.

I do have a minimum print order of $250. I allow people to either purchase a package (which have a combination of prints, print credit & images on disc - 4 levels at different prices) or go a la carte. I do this so that people can customize it to what they want. I think pricing is so hard & it doesn't seem like there is a perfect way (if so I haven't found it!). I have never had complaints on how I structure the minimum print order yet, but I think some people get comfused because they skim over the info in the welcome packet. There is a little reading involved to understanding all the options but so far it is working okay :)

I have only used Nikon (D700/D200) so I can't really speak for Canon (sorry). I am sure you already have some good Canon lenses so you may want to stick with Canon but if not, I think the Nikon D90 would be a good camera for you. I have heard it's a good camera & the price point is still pretty low!

I think you should be able to critique your work & be honest with yourself about where you stand, your knowledge level & comfort & your worth then only YOU can make that choice. I have always aired on the side of caution & waited until I was 100% sure about going to the next price point. I was free for way too long because I wanted to make sure I was ready to charge. Then when I first started charging I was still too low... but I don't regret that for a moment. I learned ALOT. I built my portfolio, became comfortable in tricky lighting conditions, felt more confident about running a session & confident in myself as a whole. I met new people, established a client base...the list goes on. I am a people pleaser so I have always waited too long to move up because I didn't want to lose clients or offend anybody. But if you're honest with people about how you are portfolio building & the prices are temporary, then they can't complain. You finally get to the point where you decide you have to do it for YOU & if you lose customers, that is too bad, but you will gain others. Alot of classes (12 to be exact), tons of practice, camera body upgrades, lens upgrades, researching, reading, studying techniques went into me finally feeling like I *know* I need to go up. If you don't depend on your income then you have more freedom to do what you want from the start...if you do depend on your income like me, you worry about pricing yourself out of work so you take baby steps. Lots of people don't understand the value of custom photography & the hours that go into it so they didn't know they were getting a steal before BUT lots of people did know....and that was another thing that led me to going up. I had friends & clients tell me I am too reasonable & about half were tipping me after sessions.You don't want to undercut or devalue other photographer's work or the field in general by being too cheap BUT I am a firm believer in not over charging yourself either. I never wanted to charge more than I was worth. Once you feel confident that you can produce a technically perfect image in lots of different lighting sources & handle anything that get thrown your way, that's a good indication that you're ready to charge! Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot to learn & will continue to continue my education & there are still things I find challenging but I got to a point where I was confident in my ability to handle stuff more than before. I have also heard that if people ALWAYS pick your highest priced package that you know it is time to re-structure & go up in price then, too. Wow, I wrote a lot. It's not a black & white answer, I guess & I am sorry. I guess you kind of feel it when it's right! Also, if you are like me & you have two jobs then you are selling your time away from your family basically. When you are to the point where you feel comfortable behind the camera & in your ability, you also have to take into consideration is $5 an hour (which was more or less what I was doing when I was at the end of portfolio builing) worth it if I am spending my entire weekend (plus working during the week) away from my family? My answer was NO!

It depends if you are using a full frame (fx) camera or a crop (dx). I loved my 50mm on my D200 but I also love it on my D700. Because of the conversion factor with crop sensors, on my D200 the 50mm acted more as an 85mm & on my D700 it acts as exactly what it is - a 50mm. So...if I used a dx camera still, I wouldn't like using an 85mm because it would be more like a 120mm with the conversion factor. If I was using a dx camera I would FOR SURE go with the 50mm. With my D700 now I do use the 50mm & I am buying an 85mm 1.4 G later this week because I think both work well for different things.

I download them to my working computer AND a back up drive, then edit them on my working computer. After I'm done editing I move them to my back up drive which then gets backed up by another drive & erase them from my working computer. I also burn a DVD (which is a pain & I hate doing!) backup with about 5 or 6 sessions on each one to store as an additional back up. I know lots of people who pay for the service of backing up (a company does it & you pay monthly OR I think some companies do it for free & you pay if you lose data & need to retrieve it from them). I don't do that yet, maybe one day. External hard drives are so cheap right now for a lot of space so that's how I am doing it. I feel like I have enough backing up going on that if I lost anything it would be really fluke.

I never batch edit, always hand edit each image. Probably not the best use of my time but I like to make sure each image is just how I want it. I download them into Bridge, pull them into Raw & there I will tweak contrast, blacks, colors, maybe WB, maybe noise reduction, stuff like that. I pull it into CS4 (I want to upgrade to CS 5) to do more with curves, layers & masking, etc. If I want to use an action I will do it at this time, too. I try not to be too action happy though because I want them to look like my pictures not a fad....there are some I really like, though, for certain reasons.