stacyreeves || photography

Note:  This blog has moved, and will soon be deleted.  Please visit the NEW blog at www.stacyreeves.com.

I get lots of the same questions from other photographers, so I thought I would go ahead and combine them all in one place! Here we go…

1. What equipment do you use?
My primary camera is a Canon 5D, but I also have a Canon 1D Mark II N that I keep on-site as a backup, and a Canon 20D that I keep in my car for emergencies. As far as lenses, I have TONS but my favorites are the 50 1.4, 85 1.8, 16-35 2.8 and 70-200 2.8, all from Canon, as well as the Tamron 28-75 2.8. I also tend to steal Jason’s 100 2.8 macro quite a bit I use Canon 580 EX II flashes and a Canon ST-E2 to fire them.

2. How do you light your images?
I try to use natural light whenever possible. I find that it is much more attractive and produces gorgeous colors and contrast. However, when natural light isn’t enough or I just want to get a little more dramatic, I also use off-camera flash. Typically I will have an assistant holding a flash mounted on a monopod at a 45 degree angle to my side (opposite the bride). It’s hard to explain, but basically I don’t want the flash pointing straight at the subject or at their side, but rather somewhere in between. Sometimes I will also mount a flash on a light stand behind the subject to add a little rimlight. I NEVER EVER put my flash on camera. I just don’t like the look of bounced flash. I also don’t diffuse my flashes, they are all direct.

3. Do you shoot RAW or JPEG?
I shoot entirely in RAW, basically as a “just in case,” but I extract the JPGs from my RAW files in PhotoMechanic and edit those. Most of the RAW files will never see the light of day, unless there is a great shot that was extremely over-/under-exposed. I prefer this method because it allows me to have the security of RAW while getting all the great color, contrast, and vibrancy of an in-camera JPG.

4. What is your post-wedding workflow?
Well, to answer that I have to go to my wedding day workflow. At the start of the reception, while everyone is eating, I quickly go through the photos I have taken that day and pick out around 30-40 of my favorite shots. I do some minor retouching of those in Lightroom and/or Photoshop and then I put them into a ProShow slideshow. I display this for the rest of the reception, to give everyone a glimpse of the photos I have taken and get the buzz started!

After the wedding, I pull a few more photos from later in the reception and combine those with the other images to form a “favorites” gallery. I use this gallery to do a blog post and sometimes a ShowIt slideshow, as well as the initial album design, which we post about one week after the wedding.

After that I divide all the images into categories – Bride, Groom, Ceremony, Formals, Reception – and edit each category individually. I open all the RAW photos up in PhotoMechanic, use color tagging to select the best 100 or so, and then extract the JPGs. I then open those JPGs in Lightroom and do some tweaking. Once I have gone through every photo, I upload to Exposure Manager and send them off to the client!

5. Do you use any actions or special programs?
I use three sets of actions. Totally Rad Actions (mostly Oh Snap!, Pro Retouch, and Super Old Skool), Kevin Kubota (I own all his packs, but I mostly use Daily Multi Vitamin, x process combo, Vignette, Magic Sharp, and Vibrant Glow), and KJImages’ Outdoor Pack (mostly the Boring Old B&W and Sepia). Most of the time I run these actions and then go back and tweak them or lower the opacity. I also use the Art History brush in Photoshop A LOT.

6. What albums and album design software do you use?
I use Yervant’s PageGallery software for album design. It is template based and incredibly easy to use. I highly recommend it! For albums, I mostly use Forbeyon, but we also order the occasional GraphiStudio and Asukabook, as well. I also use Blurb and WHCC for personal albums or for vendor gifts.

7. Do you need any assistants or second shooters?
Not right now. I have a handful of second shooters and assistants that I LOVE and work really well with. However, when I do need a little extra help, I usually go to Flickr’s Starting a Wedding Photography Business group or TexasPhotoForum.com. I typically only accept assistants or second shooters who also shoot Canon. Sorry, Nikon folks!

8. Have you had any formal training?
Not really. I took a few classes in college, but they were very low level. Most of what I know I learned on my own from reading books (I recommend Scott Kelby’s books), websites, and blogs, and working with photographers whose work I admire. I also shoot a LOT, which I think is the number one way to learn. The more you shoot, the better you’ll get, that’s all there is to it! I also force myself to shoot in Manual mode as much as possible.

9. Can I ask you something specific?
Absolutely!! Just e-mail me! stacyreeves [at] gmail.com

Note:  This blog has moved, and will soon be deleted.  Please visit the NEW blog at www.stacyreeves.com.