Ten on Tuesday: Shutter Happy

1. I shoot with a Canon T1I.
2. My go-to lens is always the 18-55mm.  I LOVE my 50mm and 75-300mm, but the 18-55mm is pretty reliable in most situations.  I'm usually pretty close to my subjects, which leads me to...



See? Much more powerful then a flat far-away shot of the whole gift table.

3. GET CLOSE.  Seriously.  I read in a book once to set up your shot to where you think it looks good, then take two big steps closer.  I'm telling you, detail is where the magic is.
4. "Show me your teeth!" works good when trying to get little kids to smile.  They're eager to show off the new pearly whites.
5. Photographers get to go anywhere and everywhere.  I had the best time at the wedding last weekend.  I was at the salon documenting hair and makeup.  I was at the groom's house documenting the guys bonding and straightening collars.  I played for awhile in the yard with his dog waiting for the guys to be dressed enough for me to invade.  When you act professional and confident (and have a fancy looking camera), no one questions the fact that you are obnoxiously in the way and in their face.  They just hope to be Facebook tagged in an awesome photo of themselves.
6. Natural light is where it's at.  Avoid using the flash.  Avoid indoor lights (unless its studio lighting).  Stick to windows, outdoor morning or late afternoon light, or full shade.
7. I shoot 85% of the time in AV mode.  The full name for it is "Aperture Priority."  You set the aperture you'd like to shoot at, and the camera automatically adjusts your ISO.  I use auto white balance as well.  Manual is awesome, but I can't usually afford the risk of having something set wrong.  Things happen fast, especially at weddings.
8. The batteries that came with my camera are ahhhh-mazing.  One battery lasted me 2 days, it lasted longer than my 8gb card actually.
9. In another monthish, without trying, without charging nearly enough, without seeking ANY jobs... my camera will have completely paid for itself.  In about a year.  This is without trying.  If you love photography, I would encourage you to invest in a nice camera.
10. Make sure you get in a few of the pictures too.  :-)