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revisiting our shoot in anything else from yesterday. So we are talking a little bit about that. But you were saying that there's some things that you had wanted to talk about. Oh, no, I just wanted to say it was the weirdest experience for me. Being tethered and having like court. I've done shooting workshops before were Will have, you know, 15 or 20 people following me. Every has a camera. We're all shooting. But it's in the way. It was different were like sort of like a little team moving around. And I could I had the freedom to go. And yesterday we were a little bit limited, so I just wanted to apologize for that part. You did great, E. Well, I think Teoh I kind of ran out of time and I don't know if you remember, but in the beginning we talked about how usually try to get, like, a shot like this, like sort of the portrait e things will. Everybody still will. Hair makeup are pretty and the kids clothing are still relatively clean. But then effort and we left. We did this stuff on t...

he ground were like rolling in the grass and stuff. So I have some of those in here to you. But I felt like I wasn't able to answer questions, so I wanted to see if you could hear me if you had questions are there were questions on the chat rooms that people wanted addressed just so that we don't skip that part. I felt like that's it. That's a big deal. And I felt like since we ended and then we were done, we didn't have a question part. Yes, Michael, I was just gonna comment that I was talking to Jen last night. One of first thing she said was a huge sigh of relief. He says, Oh, good. We're not the only ones that look sort of disjointed when we're doing a family shoot because they aren't art. But you can't script them. They aren't smoothly flowing event here. What do you think? These kids were amazing. And I was like, Oh, good. We're normal to see how someone looks just like Oh, okay, Yeah, I'm doing it right. Of course, that's no it not feeling that sense of alienation or feeling like other people deal with that too. So All right, my favorite part was after everybody left and you just kept going and going and going. And it was so fun for me to watch how much fun you were having more from Relax because I didn't feel so much when when everybody was still around. I remember joy sitting, see, can't stop her. And I love to see that because I have to tell me. Yeah, this might not go very long joint like I don't Yeah, it's not gonna be an issue, but I was just fun to see your passion for that. Yeah, just because I have to sell my clients, you're gonna have to tell me when you're done, because I could do this all day long, and it was just fun to see that part of it Is that, like we said earlier, a lot of times the 1st 15 minutes or washed, So by the time ever, it is kind of rolling and they're having fun. Then you do want keep shooting. You feel like Okay, now they're being natural. Now they're being really now. They're just now they know me. And I feel like I've got good stuff in the can so we could be more experimental, like I think for me. Anyway, I get so nervous before any shoot even like this is 11 years I've been doing this. I still get all nervous because you wanted, like it never goes away Because I always feel like what's gonna happen. You don't know. You don't know? Like a kid gonna freak out at the dad gonna be like, Hey, doesn't want to be there. Is the weather gonna suddenly like a huge rain cloud to socially here? I was like, Please, please don't be raining. Really wanted to shoot outside And all of the things that could happen You've no idea at all. So I think I get you know, I have this sense of, like, desire to do it perfectly. And then once you start feeling like Okay, good, good. I got that. I got okay. So I bought these and you can check, which is actually so great. I mean, when I used to shoot film that with, In case you feel nervous until you got stuff done in the labs like, but But then you can really start to play. And often times those are the most fun pictures. The ones that happened toward the end. When you're relaxed and they're relaxed and everybody is used to you and you know what, I think that that's one of my favorites. I think that's the first shot. I think I have a question about that. At the end, you were using 100 macro, and you were saying, Ah ha, I just love this lends what's different about that versus, like the 201 to 72 200. That's a good question. Sorry, I'll talk slower. Um, 72 200 obviously goes to 100 often at a portrait. That'll sort of my go to lens And I brought a bunch of lenses yesterday, kind of sort of hoping we could have much of variety. But the truth is, a lot of times I'll pull that lens out, and then I won't shoot with anything else because I feel like especially for family portrait, it's there is enough flexibility there in terms of wide and really close zoom, and I don't know if you noticed. I tried to say this yesterday, but most of those when I was shooting with that lens I would get like I wanted to be zoomed out to 200 millimeters and get us far from the family as possible because just like the way that a zoom lens works compresses everything. So it helps even that I shot that image. It, I think 56 we still have that nice soft background. I wanted to have all their faces, sure, but I am. But I still wanted it toe like portrait. So I the trick is to get its far back as you can. So but with the 100 the reason I love that lenses because its razor sharp like the dreams. It's just have this 100 metro, the I s land and you have the ability like there's a few images and we'll show you later that when I was cheating very close up of the Children were you wanted to make their eyes really pop with such a sharp lands and and the fact that you could get that close and it's still portrait lens, really, it's like this beautiful kind of engaging you were mentioning Michael er, Johnny was mentioning something about the popping of the eyes, and I think I keep looking at those that 50 and a super a small f stop. I think it was 2.2 or something on. The 100 doesn't go to 2.2, but it still gives you that very, very soft portrait equality just by the nature of the fact that it's a macro and it's 100 millimeter. So I find sometimes if they want more depth of field. But I still want that look. It's like the go to lens. It's awesome for that kind of thing. And then if I really want to get in tight and really get sharp eyes, you can. Because it's a macro lens, you could get up to their islands. You know, I love shooting that lens with them brides, right? When they finish their makeup, I always grab them. They just got their veil on and will go near a window and I'll get up on a chair and usually haven't looked down. And then she just their eyelashes. Oftentimes just half a face and the eyelashes, because a lot of them have these beautiful eyelashes, and sometimes when they're crying, they fall off by the end of the video. But but it's always sort of a dramatic thing, and that lens makes it so easy to do it so and the the fact that it's 100 you sort of have this macaroni portrait e kind of matching Gelman on the wish list. One of the things I always like about the way you shoot is that you have a way to see things no matter where we are. And so at the park yesterday you had a lot of obstacles trees and I mean not trees, cars and people and a lot of holes pulling like there's awards. But you even found like that archway, the natural tree archway and some of the things like you were talking about framing with natural things. And so I really like how you see that a lot of times I won't see something even until you shut. Oh, that's really meeting. So, yeah, I hope I was speaking about that apartment. My problem. I think internally so much about these things that I was trying hard to say what I was thinking. But, um Kenna. So we have some more. Some questions from the Internet. World Wide Web. Sam Cox from Colorado asks, Is there a lens that you don't have yet that you really, really, really want for the work that you dio. She has a lot of a lot. I think the one I probably would get next is the 81.2 because I love my 51. so much. So I borrowed at one time, and I think CPS had a lens borrow program. My husband and I. So I borrowed it for one wedding, and I loved how the images looked, but that lenses sort of behemoth. But I think the newer version is later. Is that right? So that was the one thing I like. I don't think I could carry this around all day and and I had an 85. But the reason I think I would like to get that lenses because I don't have a shoot with my 85 I have the 85 1.8 and I don't find that the images that come out of there ever they're never like They don't have that bright quality that 1.2 games. So I just tend to skip that range and I have the 102.8, which is very similar in stylist. As Faras portrait goes, it just doesn't go to that small. That's up. But yeah, that's probably the next one. If I I got a reconfigured my whole bag that I got all set perfectly. Who fits in there? So, um, Lisa B asks, What are your top three choices in shooting families? Unfortunates. As faras lenses go. If I had to take only three lenses, I would take the 24 to 70 the 72 probably the 50. Not the 100. No, not that one. If I only could take three because, um, 50 it has Is that nice, like, sort of. This is how we see the world kind of look, but it's so bright, they would just not so sharp. And you can't bring it down to 1.2. If you wanted to do that, that 17 24 to 70 and the 7200 are all 2.8 throughout. So that's the smallest of stuff that you could get Teoh or the biggest rather and I'm. But you have a range from 24 to 200 So if you wanted to do some more fun, wide things like we did on the Remember when they were spinning on that thing that when I use the 60 to 35 cause I love how that makes things look. But if I had to pick one, I wouldn't take that one because it's very limited and what you can do with it. Where is the 24 to 70? You could go wide but you, but at 70 practically a portrait, Linds. So sometimes, sometimes with families. If I am unable to put the 200 put my my lens to get it's far back, it's possible to say this park was significantly smaller. There were a lot of people or other obstacles. I would put the 70 the 24 to on Zoom all the way after 70 in it, and then you could be a little closer and still get almost 40. Look, you know some of the families of the more forgiving, but I don't like to shoot groups of people with wide angle lenses. I think it's extremely unflattering, and most people I don't like the way they look in them, so whenever possible, even of groups of 50 people. We don't shoot with a wide angle lens I will get. I will go back to football field with my little microphone because it just makes such a difference. So but that's why you have used off camera lighting and pocket with words. For things like that is often your in a church. So to be able to do that back of the altar you have you can't have an on camera flash, so that's another discussion. So a question from areas rock broke and, um, also are asking about Hood. Uh, do you always have a backup camera with you? I do always have a backup. I guess I didn't really show my bag, but I had my five d mark two, and then my old five b was in there. Do you recommend that for Yeah, I think you're shooting a wedding that there's no question. Of course, I always have three cameras at a wedding for sometimes for engagement shoots. If we're doing something somewhere that we wouldn't want to beam or inconspicuous, I will bring a smaller bag, and then I might just bring two lenses and a body and a lot of times. It's more local. So if something bad happened, we could just go back to the studio and grab another body. It's a pain, but it's not impossible. So but so sometimes for these kind of things, if you're close to you know, I have a back up somewhere, it's, you know, close by or it's in the car or something like that. I don't necessarily love them with me. The reason I had that backup with me yesterday was because I had just grabbed my wedding and brought that to the sheet. And sometimes I do that. I will just grab my wedding rag and bring into the chute because I like to have a variety of lenses and I'm the kind of target for book. Oh, if I only had my 16 this would be so much better and then I'll think about it. So I like to have that. You know where you have the choices. But sometimes I'm fortunate in that my sister comes with me often, and I really recommend bringing an assistant along with you, even if it's just to watch your bags. So you eliminate that fear of having your bag stolen or not having to, like, try to shoot and get down while you're carrying your bag or something. And sometimes there's a lot of art schools and things, and students just want to learn. And they want to just follow you around in a shoot, and it it's not expensive, goes back to what we were talking before about helping each other out. And I think that that's you know you have. They'll have your and you can learn things that I used to do that a lot. When I first started, we were second to each other's weddings, just learn and just like shooted a new venue. And then in a lot of times we would shoot the same. Like if we're both Canada and people, we would swap lenses. And that's how I actually got addicted to a lot of lenses I would borrow when it had a friend of a friend's at a wedding. And next they have to have that. It was such an awesome one that could have that one. And then this thing it's fun about second shooting for friends weddings Is that the pressure of so much lower? So you experience the schedule and you anticipate things are you realize, like, Whoa, I didn't see that kind of or different problems that come up with their not your problems, you know, But you can help troubleshoot, and that's a great way to do it is to team up with friends to do that. But in terms of this kind of thing, where it's a smaller chute, I mean, of course, you could have friends come along. But even just having 70 who's in school or someone who like helping with the reflector, it's just nice. If you're trying to hold a reflector and shoot and keep it in your bag, it just takes away from your creativity. You've got sort of anxiety flowing through you at the same time. Suddenly wake up and realize my camera bags at the other end of a football field, and I'm really glad there's no riels in this field today. Yeah, you never know. I mean, the one day you would let your guard down that sounds like what's best for the window. You don't bring it back. I remember we went to that one wedding at ST John, and everything that could go wrong went wrong to the point of, like torrential floods, car accident, everything has been in the chute. Opening the camera in the mirror was like tea. It's supposed to be like this course way had back. I'm sorry. Like use this one. Let's go And then, you know. But if you doing been, then that's it is after. So can I just ask quick question about I'm sorry? Changing lenses. Do you have to clean your sense? Or often do you send that out to do or the thing I like? What the Mark two is that it has that little shake every time. And so it served as his own sense of cleaning. But, um, yeah, it's have probably don't do it as often as I should do it. And then I don't know. What do you guys think? Half. And you clean your sensors. I have mine, has a self cleaning sense or two, but I mean, every now and then I'll take a lens off and just, you know, blow it out and dust the mirror. And, you know, if I'm seeing specs, really, usually do you take it professionally. Get clean. No, I do it myself. I mean, you just use a shammy and, you know, you just barely. I think she's with us. Oh, the actual little sensor. Yeah, I used to do it more often when I lived in L. A. Look walking distance from salmon camera so I would go once a month ago. But now it's a little more difficult, but I like I think if I started seeing a lot of dust, I would do it. I haven't gotten to that point yet because my self just kind of burns that I like high heat really quick, I think, is how it works. Is it a shape? I don't know. It makes a sound. It's a good sound. It generates an ultrasonic vibration. I know that the center of my cameras absolutely filthy. But when I'm shooting portrait's I mean rarely shooting past 63 or eight, maybe 2 11 depending on how much later is the on and you don't see it. It's when I start doing my portrait's. They're not working landscapes in my abstracts, and I'm shooting enough a 1,000, I bring it up on the screen and it looks like it's been snowing. Yeah, you know, I really need to take this in and I never get around to it. Yeah, I only ever noticed them. If we're shooting, 22 are smaller and it's more like I'm trying to get the sky TV really blue or we're trying to make this. The lights had a little star effect and the cameras on a tripod or something, but then you could close things out. But it's better. Yeah. Was there one other question that you excuse me? There's a couple. So this is more for wedding photography, but Vivian Hyphen photo Also the photo session. Do you ever have people, moms, dads, grandparents who bring point and shoots and shoot over your shoulder? And how do you handle that at a wedding? Well, it it says that sessions, but I would imagine that and also specifically articles talking about yesterday that they would to shoot the picture. I mean, people who are shooting the photo booth also shoot your other people coming in, and they'll your to rather than using your picture will just easier set up and take it for the first question that with people standing over my shoulder and point and shoots and and, like I think the big argument that people haven't like this. It's my pose. I found the light. I posed them like this. And I just figure like again, I think I mentioned this yesterday for me. Once they've hired me, especially for a wedding, I just want their experience of me to be 100% positive so that it's really and I'm telling you the truth here Mawr the way that you make your clients feel that they will remember. So if if you were like, yeah, I'm gonna wait until these jokers I was not Teoh. Please put your camera down like that's my They're just gonna All they will remember is that they had a nasty photographer. And even if the pictures are gorgeous, I swear that's not what they're going to remember. So again, like with the water marking question, I don't want to be the image police. I figured I was hired to do a job. Part of the job is to get along with their friends and family, and they're going to take pictures of whether you let them or not. So it's just gonna be a matter of them sneaking around and doing it and making jokes about you behind your back, more feeling like she's cool. That's all right. And I mean, I think because weddings are different than portrait sessions, where their front loaded most times and what I mean by that is that you're charging for your for your services in time. And they're paying a chunk of money to have you there documenting their day as opposed to a portrait session, a family portrait where a lot of times there's a low entry low barrier on entry, where the session fees a little lower and what you're making up money is your products and being able to convince them that you can use these images and creative ways for a wedding. A lot of times they already know we want a wedding album, and so they've pre purchased those things. So for me, I feel like, God forbid, something happened to my camera and I said, You can't shoot this then nobody got that image, you know? So I just I never stopped people. Sometimes I will just wait So you guys go ahead and then I'll go. And then the bride and groom are the ones who guys, guys let her shoot do it after. And so I try to make it like, put it on them a little bit. So I always tell them I'm gonna wait till you guys are done. Let me know when you're ready, and then I'll start So they feel like in their minds I'm letting them in the first minute and it kind of lets them realize like we should let her do her job. And then a lot of times, people are gracious about that. So I have had instances where that's happened, and then I'll get a really, really, really awesome shot. And the girl was looking, Yeah, that's why I say you guys all go ahead and when you're done, then I'm gonna go, Yeah, for that exact reason because I've had that happen to you. So we don't want to be all shooting some of its not paparazzi. And you know, I want them to get all of that stuff out first. And I think that also makes the bride aware that they're using up her time that we've scheduled out ahead of time that she's paid for Robin saying it like that, you know, she's paying for me. You guys go get some champagne. It's It's sort of a more polite way to let them know that this is on them. So I was gonna go get my champagne. Thing is not to be intimidated by other Fodor, apparently, uh, other people's cameras. Because now a lot of times they might have the same cameras. You know, they often have better cameras. Yeah, you have to think they don't have a kind of fishy. And actually, they're not gonna get the final product that you that you come up with either. You know, it's interesting. I've seen shots of people's weddings were there the guest and they had a better seat. And I was, like, all good shot like, I wish I could have sat there like, but the truth is, you're telling the whole story. They hired you for not just your photography equipment, but about the experience of working with you not only on the wedding day, but afterwards helping them put a book together. The way your process, the images, you have to like, let that competitive side go, especially when it comes to guests and family, friends and things. And the worse is when? And this happens sometimes, and I always go. Okay. The worst is when they're well, I have a cousin she was learning for targeting. Do you mind? She's just gonna follow you around all day. All right. I got myself a new assistant, like so I think that I think the truth is just like coming coming onto it with a super good attitude and realizing it's this person's wedding day. They're gonna like things are going to be burned in their memory. And if I don't want to make a very concerted effort that nothing negative about me is burned in my memory seriously, I mean, even if it is the most miserable time. And I remember once I was at a wedding where my boyfriend, I have broken up, like, three days before. So the entire winning like that was smiling. Oh, well, see, I didn't let her know she had no idea. It was so like swallowing that down. And by the end, being like, oh, we had so much fun. This was the best wedding ever. You guys such a fun party and so you don't want to ruin their day like you want them to like Sheamus Grace. She liked our party. She really appreciated us. And we're not lying. I mean a lot. We really dio todo today. Sorry, you're you're gonna say something? No. The last point I wanted to make about that is just to be confident in your own experience. And I have a lot of experiences where? Second sheet with jewels. And I'll shoot an image in things like, Look, I always want her approval to go. Oh, yeah, And show me the back in the camera And I'm like, Okay, remind her eyes just that much better than mine and that much better than the guest to so But again, you can't. It's not about that. I have to. Can't stress that enough. If you let yourself get all upset by their they have a better camera. They were better lends. They're probably getting better. Shots like that will ruin your time there. And that's just not a competition. Maybe they do get better shots. That's not what you're there for. So letting it go, the sooner the better. Yes, Kristen, I feel like there's there's so much like, confident, like it's a confidence thing on. That's definitely something that I struggle with. But, I mean, you know, you just have toe get past it And, um, just being confident in your art, and that's or faking it until you make it Absolutely. But not too much thinking. No, no. I mean, you can only do it to a point, but I mean, but really just like being aware of the, um of the separation between hobbyists and artists, you know? And, um, this is kind of my first experience with, like, actually realizing my own, you know, separation from the people that I have shot and friends that I know that our, you know, hoppy photographer person stuff. So it's been kind of eye opening for me. Cool. Just follow up. I'm assuming that since we're talking about confidence and that it's the same for family shoots as well, Vivian was asking again park shoots. And what have you there were Kids scare me. I'm not kidding. I'd rather shoot a wedding than a family portrait. This because I feel much more comfortable there. You know, I think it goes back to what we were talking about. That brides want to be photographed. Kids don't really care so you have to come up with all of these different ways to engage the Children. But then I also think that goes back to the whole question of your why. If you love kids and you love working with Children and families, that's really going to come out, you know, and again, if you love working with brides, that comes out to like the drama of the wedding. I mean, yesterday was so I don't hate shooting kids. I think if I choose, that would be my preference. But you have to kind of like Joy said, The best client is the one you already have and for my clients were having Children. They loved me. You know, I'm not gonna turn it away, and it's been a really interesting learning experience. When Joy came on, I wasn't really doing family portrait at all and so it helped bring a whole separate aspect of that. That was really but it was been. It's been really interesting learning curve because I think she's failing. Portrait's is very different then cheating weddings, even just the whole process, even like what we were talking about earlier, the way you price something of the weight, the expectations that are about it, or like Joy said yesterday, where with the wedding, the expectation is that you'll have a photographer. It's very normal to hire a professional people. Often people want a professional. They're seeking that out. Where's the family portrait? It's it's not. There's no clear cut times when you do it like Oh, yeah, every time that you have 13 year old, you get a picture like it's not not as clear cut. Holiday cards are a little more common, but even though is a lot of times people will just put a camera on a tripod. Or like from our trip. Teoh Boulder, You know, like things like that. So it's There's a less of a clear cut reason for a photographer, so even the marketing parts about that are so different.