we weren't kidding when we told you we had lots of goodness lined up!
one of our goals for this blog was to come up with some new and fun ways to share, inform, educate and, of course, inspire.
'wednesday's eye candy'...was one, where we feature over the top, amazing sessions and have the artists themselves share their thoughts/processes/inspirations behind that particular session. if you missed yesterday's...be sure to check it out here.
today's post is another idea we had. we thought...as much as we love to read straight interviews of featured photographers, what if we let everyone know (in advance on our facebook page) what the topic and/or who the featured photographer will be and then let you post (on our facebook wall) your own questions. love it!
last week, we asked the question, "what would you like to ask a wedding photographer?"
there were some great questions and thank you to everyone who wrote in.
we collected them all and sent them to our featured photographer who did an amazing job of answering all the questions!
so, are you wondering, yet, just who the fabulous wedding photographer is that answered all your questions?
we want to welcome jessica freely!
The Introductions:
Business name
Jessica Feely Photography
Website/blog
http://www.jessicafeely.com/
Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/
Where are you located
Sacramento Area (just moved from Seattle)
How long you have been a photographer
4 years total- 3 in business!
What Camera do you shoot with
Nikon D700 and hoping to upgrade if Nikon ever gets a replacement out.
What is your fav, lens
50mm 1.4 + 35mm f/2
***
The Questions:
How did you become a wedding photographer?
(asked by Casey Rose Photography)
I was asked to shoot a wedding and thought, what do I have to lose? If I can take portraits, then I can do a wedding. After that first wedding, I decided I was never going to do weddings again. Too stressful. Then I booked another, and the rest is history. And by that I mean, I love it!
Did you second shoot with a local photographer before you started?
(asked by Casey Rose Photography)
I 2nd shot with one local, but she was as new as I was. I pretty much have learned everything I know on my own. I have only 2nd shot a handful of times. I prefer to take on my own weddings.
How did you build your portfolio?
(asked by Casey Rose Photography)
I built my portfolio by doing bridal shoots, and by 2nd shooting. When meeting with brides in person, it was weird to show them an incomplete wedding. As second shooters, you don’t get everything, only bits and pieces. That is why I decided to build up my portfolio from my own weddings.
And what would you have done differently now?
(asked by Casey Rose Photography)
I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Is it better and easier to have a second shooter?
(asked by Jessica Mays)
From a head photographer’s point of view, yes. I feel a lot of the stress is taken off of me for the wedding day. I know they have my back and are there for whatever I need. Plus, its great having the company!
How do you delegate the duties of a second shooter and how do you prepare for the day?
(asked by kiwi street studios)
I usually let the 2nd shooter grab detail shots when I am working with family or bride and groom. I take on the most important events in the wedding, and I make sure that my 2nd shooter is covering me where I can't be. Basically, if I am needed in two different places, the 2nd shooter does it for me. For example: Bride and groom getting ready, I let the 2nd shooter always shoot the groom while I shoot the bride. Especially if they are two completely different locations.
What lenses are your favorite for weddings and which lens does you prefer using for the ceremony, reception, etc.
(asked by TornPaper Studios)
Believe it or not, but I love mostly primes for weddings. I use a lot of 50mm, 35mm, 85mm, and my go to wide angle that I keep on my camera is the 17-35. Its an amazing lens and it is a must have. Each wedding is so different with lighting that I use different lenses. For a wedding I had in LA this year, the ceremony was SO dark that I couldn’t use my 70-200mm. I opted to use my 50 1.4 and 85 1.8 lenses. I was literally shooting wide open.
How do you go about getting good reception shots? and what type of flashes do you use?
(asked by Shawna Roberts Peto)
IF I use a flash-right now I have my sb600. I also own a couple AB-800s that I plan on using more at weddings. A lot of my weddings don’t need flashes because they are outdoors and its still light outside. I think having a plan and knowing in advance what the lighting will be like is extremely important. I always ask and find that info out.
What is your work flow like after the wedding is over? How do you efficiently get everything organized, edited and delivered to your client?
(asked by Michelle Prano)
After a wedding I back everything up in several locations. I back up to my main iMac, then my laptop, then my external hard drive and then DVDs. I wont erase the cards until backed up. I also have online backup which has been amazing.
I like to wait a few days to look at the photos. I usually am so tired after a wedding that I need a break from everything. Once I open the images, I start sorting them in ACR. If the images aren’t good enough- I trash them. Everything else gets batch edited and saved in a final folder. I take my favorites from the wedding and do a harder edit on them in Photoshop and post those to my blog.
All wedding clients get their images on a custom cd + case! I like to throw in some unexpected goodies too.
The key is to do it all in one editing session. I find it harder to stay organized and focused if I am continually interrupted.
***
thank you jessica for being a part of our lemonade and lenses family and for sharing so openly with everyone!
xo
lexi and gina
one of our goals for this blog was to come up with some new and fun ways to share, inform, educate and, of course, inspire.
'wednesday's eye candy'...was one, where we feature over the top, amazing sessions and have the artists themselves share their thoughts/processes/inspirations behind that particular session. if you missed yesterday's...be sure to check it out here.
today's post is another idea we had. we thought...as much as we love to read straight interviews of featured photographers, what if we let everyone know (in advance on our facebook page) what the topic and/or who the featured photographer will be and then let you post (on our facebook wall) your own questions. love it!
last week, we asked the question, "what would you like to ask a wedding photographer?"
there were some great questions and thank you to everyone who wrote in.
we collected them all and sent them to our featured photographer who did an amazing job of answering all the questions!
so, are you wondering, yet, just who the fabulous wedding photographer is that answered all your questions?
we want to welcome jessica freely!
The Introductions:
Business name
Jessica Feely Photography
Website/blog
http://www.jessicafeely.com/
Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/
Where are you located
Sacramento Area (just moved from Seattle)
How long you have been a photographer
4 years total- 3 in business!
What Camera do you shoot with
Nikon D700 and hoping to upgrade if Nikon ever gets a replacement out.
What is your fav, lens
50mm 1.4 + 35mm f/2
***
The Questions:
How did you become a wedding photographer?
(asked by Casey Rose Photography)
I was asked to shoot a wedding and thought, what do I have to lose? If I can take portraits, then I can do a wedding. After that first wedding, I decided I was never going to do weddings again. Too stressful. Then I booked another, and the rest is history. And by that I mean, I love it!
Did you second shoot with a local photographer before you started?
(asked by Casey Rose Photography)
I 2nd shot with one local, but she was as new as I was. I pretty much have learned everything I know on my own. I have only 2nd shot a handful of times. I prefer to take on my own weddings.
How did you build your portfolio?
(asked by Casey Rose Photography)
I built my portfolio by doing bridal shoots, and by 2nd shooting. When meeting with brides in person, it was weird to show them an incomplete wedding. As second shooters, you don’t get everything, only bits and pieces. That is why I decided to build up my portfolio from my own weddings.
And what would you have done differently now?
(asked by Casey Rose Photography)
I wouldn’t have changed a thing.
Is it better and easier to have a second shooter?
(asked by Jessica Mays)
From a head photographer’s point of view, yes. I feel a lot of the stress is taken off of me for the wedding day. I know they have my back and are there for whatever I need. Plus, its great having the company!
How do you delegate the duties of a second shooter and how do you prepare for the day?
(asked by kiwi street studios)
I usually let the 2nd shooter grab detail shots when I am working with family or bride and groom. I take on the most important events in the wedding, and I make sure that my 2nd shooter is covering me where I can't be. Basically, if I am needed in two different places, the 2nd shooter does it for me. For example: Bride and groom getting ready, I let the 2nd shooter always shoot the groom while I shoot the bride. Especially if they are two completely different locations.
What lenses are your favorite for weddings and which lens does you prefer using for the ceremony, reception, etc.
(asked by TornPaper Studios)
Believe it or not, but I love mostly primes for weddings. I use a lot of 50mm, 35mm, 85mm, and my go to wide angle that I keep on my camera is the 17-35. Its an amazing lens and it is a must have. Each wedding is so different with lighting that I use different lenses. For a wedding I had in LA this year, the ceremony was SO dark that I couldn’t use my 70-200mm. I opted to use my 50 1.4 and 85 1.8 lenses. I was literally shooting wide open.
How do you go about getting good reception shots? and what type of flashes do you use?
(asked by Shawna Roberts Peto)
IF I use a flash-right now I have my sb600. I also own a couple AB-800s that I plan on using more at weddings. A lot of my weddings don’t need flashes because they are outdoors and its still light outside. I think having a plan and knowing in advance what the lighting will be like is extremely important. I always ask and find that info out.
What is your work flow like after the wedding is over? How do you efficiently get everything organized, edited and delivered to your client?
(asked by Michelle Prano)
After a wedding I back everything up in several locations. I back up to my main iMac, then my laptop, then my external hard drive and then DVDs. I wont erase the cards until backed up. I also have online backup which has been amazing.
I like to wait a few days to look at the photos. I usually am so tired after a wedding that I need a break from everything. Once I open the images, I start sorting them in ACR. If the images aren’t good enough- I trash them. Everything else gets batch edited and saved in a final folder. I take my favorites from the wedding and do a harder edit on them in Photoshop and post those to my blog.
All wedding clients get their images on a custom cd + case! I like to throw in some unexpected goodies too.
The key is to do it all in one editing session. I find it harder to stay organized and focused if I am continually interrupted.
***
thank you jessica for being a part of our lemonade and lenses family and for sharing so openly with everyone!
xo
lexi and gina
how wonderful that we are in an industry of peers that are so willing to share for the good of all.
ReplyDeleteamazing!
Great information. I have been wanting to ask a lot of the same questions. It's great that there are people out there willing to share.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Jessica, you have a super cute website!
ReplyDelete