Greatest Quote!
"That's a great picture, you must have a really nice camera!" Such is the perception of most who don't really know anything about a photography. It's about the same logic as saying "that was a wonderful meal, you must have a nice stove!" This quote was sent to me by a friend. He read it on an Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5187081. Its fun to read if you want to check the rest of it out but I really loved the above quote. How many times do people ask what camera do you use? Or what lens are you using? When in reality that is just "part" of the equation. Yes it can "help" to have good camera gear but seriously...its what you do with it that really matters. Having an understanding of your camera, lighting and also posing is the important part. Just because you have what you think is the right equipment this does not make you a professional photographer. I have also had quite a few people ask me where the awesome locations that I shoot are? Well...A parking lot? ha ha. Okay not always but honestly I shoot mostly around my studio which may not be the ideal spot but I am able to make it work perfectly. There is a bit of "Seeing" or "Vision" that is also just as important as the above things. I think what helps separate professionals is a bit of that vision. Seeing something out of nothing. Or knowing how to use your surroundings to create something awesome. We dont always have the perfect setting or the perfect lighting or the perfectly well behaved child. Instead we use the knowledge we have to create. I thought it would be fun to show a bit of my vision with some before/after shots showing the locations I use the most.
If you havent been to my studio you may not know what it looks like. Its not in the most creative location but I love it just the same. Its in a business park and I am in the farthest back corner possible which is great for when I want to photograph outside. There is hardly any traffic and its nice to be a bit secluded in the back. The studio part has a huge roll up door which allows for awesome natural light. Here is a photo of the front of the studio:
This is just a straight out of the camera auto magic nothing special shot just so you can see what it really looks like. We will touch on this photo again at the end of this post. Now if you do a complete 180 this is what you see from my windows...
Not bad. Not great. But not bad. At least I get a green view rather than just more buildings. This also has a staircase that leads down to a path area that I use A LOT. Its still not something I would seek out and say WOW this is beautiful I can not wait to shoot here. Instead it was...Okay...This is nice, Its close...and I can make it work perfectly. Different times of day change the look as well as the seasons. I have shot all year round here though. Fall is beautiful but I have even been on the path after/during rain and in the winter time. If I have a clear sky and opportunity its outside I go. Here is what the stairs going down to the path looks like and then the path if I look right...and then left.
So to recap...I would not call any of this an AMAZING location. I mean not really. And dont get me wrong I do enjoy shooting here I just want you to see the reality of where I shoot to the results I get. So now that you have seen the real truth....Lets get to the afters. Here is a series of shots that I have taken down this path. All different times of the year. What makes these so special to me is the clients in them and the feeling they portray. You can see with the proper lighting, pose, focal length AND a bit of post we can rock out some great shots from a "Simple" location.
That was a ton of pics...Sorry I may have gotten a little carried away...But kinda cool right? Keep in mind I used the EXACT same camera to take the Before shots. Hoping that shows...does it really matter what camera you have? Its all in what you do with it. Since this post is so long I will go ahead and finish it up in a second part tomorrow. I have a couple more shots that are taken around the studio building. If you guys enjoy this and enjoy learning a little bit let me know and I will keep up on the before/afters and also sharing fun information with you in between my client sneak peeks!
Thanks for reading :)
~Whitney