I say, "We're going to start with a couple formal shots, just to get them out of the way. Then, we play!" That way, I get that stuff out of the way at the VERY beginning when the kid's patience is still in tact. Then we run and we jump and we play! I can continue to shoot some posed shots, but they are basically just used as framework to get "the inbetween shots" as I call them. Meaning, the shots in between the poses where people's real expressions come out.

Mostly, it's just about being yourself and engaging well with your clients. Making them feel comfortable and confident and like it's safe to be themselves.

This is the kind of stuff I really don't care about. Not the exposure stuff, that matters to me a lot. I don't care a lick about the metering stuff. I will be the first to own that I look at my LCD to adjust my exposure. I take a test shot, check it, and test again until I'm happy. I'm not ashamed of that. It's one of the reasons I shoot digitally.

Now remember, if the background is really really bright, no matter what you do, if you're exposing for someone's face, the background will be blown. There isn't anything you can do about that unless you're using flash to fill in those shadows. Likewise, if you've got a really bright background and you expose for the background and not your subject, no matter what you do, you're going to have a dark face. Period. Again, unless you use flash.

Hope this helps. I'm not copping out, just telling the truth. Lots of people in the digital community feel ashamed about using their LCD's. Not me. I'm all for it. It would be like a film photographer feeling ashamed of using a light meter. In my opinion there is no difference. Both are tools that can be used to ensure proper exposure.

Wordpress. Love it. It's a customized Wordpress template, customized by Flosites. Love Flosites too. I'd recommend them to anyone serious about functionality.

The number 1 marketing strategy I've found, and really the only one I've ever employed, is that I show what I want to shoot more of. A couple of years ago, I stopped highlighting images that weren't in line with my ultimate stylistic goals. Sure, I'll still shoot those things for my clients if I'm asked (aka more posed, formal type photographs), but I started only showing more candid, relaxed, REAL images on my blog. Now, these are the kinds of clients who gravitate toward me. It's not an exact science, but I sure do find that I have more and more clients contacting me who really "get me" and want exactly what I have to offer.

I don't get everything that needs to get done, done. Not ever. :) I subscribe to the philosophy that it's not about how fast I'm going, rather it's about whether or not I'm headed in the right direction. "Direction not perfection" essentially. :) I go to bed early (for the most part), this helps with the burn out, and I also really do my best to stay hydrated and eat foods that will fuel me well throughout the day. I've been really lax about these foundational elements recently, and I have most CERTAINLY felt a difference in my ability to maintain energy throughout the day. I'm working on getting back on track. Go easy on yourself! Rome wasn't built in a day. One foot in front of the other, one choice at a time. Nobody's perfect, and if they tell you otherwise, either through word, or through the online perception they've created for themselves, it's all an illusion! (Or they're lying through their teeth.) xo! N

The images you are referring to were shot in a VERY, VERY, VERY poorly lit room. I shot RAW on my 5d MK II and then did all image adjustments using ACR (Adobe Camera Raw for CS4). If there is a slight purple tint, it's due to the dramatic shift in white balance necessary to correct the poor color quality caused by the lighting in the room. I do not use LAB. I actually don't know what that is. :)

I'm a minimalist! Levels and curves adjustments, dodging and burning and sharpening in Photoshop (after basic color correction and contrast in Adobe Camera Raw).

Very recently I've started playing around with the VSCO film filters available for Camera Raw in preparation for a review I'm writing for DPS. They're great so far. I definitely don't see myself using them on everything I do, but I'm glad to have them for certain shoots. . . if I'd like to go for a softer, film esque feel.

Well, it's important to acknowledge the fact that this "honesty" can be a really good thing and a really difficult thing as well! Sometimes my honesty with myself is painful, heavy. . .and perhaps misguided. Sometimes I try so hard to see the honesty in my life that I overreach and make things harder than they need to be, put more pressure on myself than is necessary etc. Does this make sense? I'm working to strike a balance between honesty (what is real) and perception (what is only PERCEIVED to be real).

I think that for me, this commitment to truth comes from my inability to be satisfied by anything that feels postured. Are you familiar with that word? Posturing is when we adapt a certain way of being in an attempt to mislead. . . to make things appear different (better) than they really are. I've NEVER been comfortable with this. Never, ever. It makes me vastly uncomfortable (and dishonest) when things feel this way.

But this doesn't really answer your question as it relates to achieving the same in your own life. . . my recommendation is that you take a good, hard look at your life and determine what you want your life to look and feel like. . .really. . . at the base of your heart what do you want your relationships to be like? Your self perception? Your world at large? What kinds of behaviors have you developed that are not conducive to this kind of living? What kinds of lies are you buying into out of fear, or convenience, or perhaps unknowingly, that would limit your ability to live this life that you REALLY want to be living? When that connection to and commitment to what you REALLY want grows bigger than your fear of doing the work to get there (living an honest, authentic life), you'll find that you're well on your way.

It's all about exposure! Frankly, I'm sure there is a way to achieve the same result in editing software, but I'm not well versed enough to tell you how!

Expose for the SKY if you don't want the sky to be blown out (aka not your subject). Take the bottom 2 images on this post for example (well the bottom 3, technically if you count the bottom dyad as 2 separate images):

http://natalienortonblog.com/2012/04/16/cardon-gregory-turns-7/

Both of these images were taken only about 5 minutes apart from each other. On one, I exposed for the sky, on the other, for my cute son, Cardon. That's clearly an extreme example.

Another example is found in the same post, the dyad fourth down from the top. I exposed for the sky here too, but since the light on my son is the same (in direction and intensity) in the sky as it is on my son, I achieve this effect.

Note: all of the images I used to illustrate this point were shot at approximately F4 on a 24 mm Canon L series lens. The only exception would be the second to last image in the post (with the blown out background), which was shot on the same lens, but at f2. Hope this helps!

Well first of all, you have but one voice.

It comes from your "heart's center," if we're being yogi's, your soul, if we're being Christian, and your gut, if we're being diplomatic.

Once you tune in to YOUR authentic voice, it will breathe life into every aspect of your world: motherhood, photography, writing.

In the beginning, tuning in to your authentic voice can feel like being in a noisy room, trying to hear the drop of a pin. What would you do in that circumstance? The very first thing you would do? 1) Eliminate distractions. 2) Then you'd stop and listen, hard. You'd listen to the silence, until it felt heavy in your ears. 3) If you were patient long enough, if you truly tuned in to your surroundings, eventually you'd hear the faint "ping" of that needle hitting the floor.

I get emails all the time from people looking to "find" their voice. To me this implies that you've got to go out searching for it externally.

Notice how I describe the process not as "finding" but as "tuning in?" Your voice comes from YOU, not from anywhere else. You haven't LOST anything, you've just forgotten how (or never learned how) to get in touch with it.

The best way to TUNE IN, is to TURN DOWN the volume on competing influences in your life: turn off the television, turn off the radio, eliminate inessential internet usage, avoid twitter and facebook, and if necessary, even take a sabbatical from popular blogs where you go to seek inspiration (yes, including mine, gulp). You're trying to hear the drop of a pin here, remember?

The next thing I recommend is filling your life with things that fuel your soul: meditation, exercise, prayer, writing, good literature (as in a book, not the vortex of distraction that is the internet), a clean physical environment, taking care of your body (through diet and personal hygiene).

Some of this may sound silly and unrelated, however once you've nurtured yourself long enough, you'll find that you'll begin to tune into yourself: you'll come to know and understand yourself in a whole new way. This getting to know one's self. . . tuning in to one's self. . . is the first and most essential step to getting in touch with your authentic voice.

NOTE: It's a process. Be patient. Go easy on yourself. Be still. Listen. Be willing to LEARN. It's work, but it's worth it. 100%.

Blessings to you! I'm rooting for you, woman!

Natalie

Yes. I do blog. It's my only webpresence. :) I've never heard of PureBloggers.com. . . Am I missing out? ;)

1. Back up gear is a must.
2. Set clearly defined expectations with your client. Do they know it's your first wedding? You don't HAVE to disclose this, but I've found that it's always best to make certain your client's expectations are clearly defined so you are 100% able to meet them.
3. Get out of your head and into your heart. It's easy to let nerves get the best of us, and that can wreak havok on our creativity. Trust that you know what you are doing (I'm assuming you do, or you wouldn't be shooting a wedding, right?), and go out and do it. You've got this!

The rest of your question didn't come through. Want to try again? Just include the question part, so we're sure you don't get cut off again. xo!

The choice between a 35 and a 24 is a really tough one to make! If I were you, since you already have the 24-70 mm (2.8 I'm assuming), I'd go with the 35. I bought the 24, because my primary lens is the 50, and I don't have the 24-70 that I can use for really wide situations. If I had that lens, I would have gone with the 35, because it's more practical and useful in a larger variety of settings (as it is wide, but still considered a portrait lens).

But I really, truly, deeply love my 24! Like, oh-so-very-much. For example: http://natalienortonblog.com/2012/02/28/3950/

Good luck! xo!

Drum roll please:

1. I shoot Raw (or small raw) on the MK II (I often shoot jpeg for personal work).

2. I upload and cull using PhotoMechanic (highly recommend it, as in, go buy it RIGHT NOW).

3. I then batch rename the files I've chosen.

4. I FTP the selected images to my photo editor.

5. Once I've received the files from the editor, I duplicate my folder in PhotoMechanic and then I resize the duplicated folder and upload the proofs to my Instaproofs site for client viewing.

Ta da!

I believe The Bible is the word of God! The Book of Mormon truly exists to support and further prove the validity of The Bible and to support and confirm the presence as Jesus Christ as the savior of mankind. As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe in the Bible and The Book of Mormon. We also believe in continued revelation from God through a prophet (much like Adam or Moses or Noah in The Bible).

This two paragraph explanation will give you clarity as to how and why Mormons believe in both The Book of Mormon and The Bible. The explanation here is so candid and spot on that I couldn't articulate it any better myself: http://mormon.org/book-of-mormon/#the-book-of-mormon-and-the-bible-support-each-other

I've considered doing something like this! The challenge is that this kind of medium doesn't really lend it self to be successful given the nature of the Breathe curriculum. I don't think the impact would be as deep or profound without the face to face format. I've played around with this and other options to make it more accessible to people in different regions, and it's still on my radar, but at this point, I am only ready to commit to 1-2 live intensives each year. xo!

Prints larger than 8x12 I have drop shipped directly from the lab. It's too much of a hassle for me to do all the work to protect them adequately. The lab already has all the materials they need, and I know that they'll get the print there safely.

Well, I have no immediate plans of stopping shooting weddings. HOWEVER over the next couple of years I am definitely planning on taking on fewer and fewer clients. But I'll tell you what, when you find your man, you remind me of this conversation, and I'll do everything in my power to make it happen for us. Deal? ;) xoxo!

You got it! We work so well together it's frightening. ;)