I get DMs all the time asking me a bunch of beginner questions - so I figured I would make a blog post trying to answer the most 10 more frequently asked questions and linking you to resources I love or know about. These answers are my personal response and may not be the same for everyone. These recommendations are what work for me and I hope inspire and encourage you in your journey!

1.Do you shoot in RAW or JPEG? Do you think one is better than the other?

I shoot in RAW! This setting allows me to have more access to the image taken. Raw is uncompressed data from your camera sensor. When editing, raw files allow me to work with more data and can change things much easier - such as color/white balance in the image. PEG images are compressed versions of RAW files. When it comes to post production, I work with HSL sliders and lots of settings and JPEG settings make it much more difficult and limit my editing abilities where RAW lets me access all of the data and allow me to edit the colors and everything in the image accurately. Check out Adobes article on RAW vs JPEG for more details.

2. What is your favorite Camera Body?

Right now I am shooting with a Canon r6 and love it. I have always shot with canon and stuck with it. I am loving the mirror less camera for multiple reasons:

Its auto focus abilities are amazing
It does not limit you to a grid for focus points
It does really well with low light and the ISO can go really high while maintaining low noise (less grain)
Its light weight and more compact compared to my DSLR Canon

3. What is your favorite Camera Lens and why?

It honestly totally depends on what I am shooting! If I am shooting portraits, an 85mm is incredible as it compresses the background and feels much creamier. If I am photographing a wedding ceremony and want it to feel documentary and cinematic, I use my 35mm and my 135 for wide shots (35mm) and my 135 for getting close shots to capture tears, hands, and emotions while physically not being up close.

If you are photographing landscapes, you would want a wider lens that allows you to have a higher aperture to get all of the landscape frame in as well as the detail.

4.What is your favorite editing software to use? Why?

I have always used Lightroom! I use Lightroom classic. Its great for bulk editing while Photoshop is great for more nitty gritty adjustments and removals of details or moving things around. If you are a student, the might have a student discount!

5. How did you begin educating yourself on how to photograph and edit?

I bought a camera and just did trial and error for a while! I asked my friends to model for me and would just shoot for fun. In college I took a film photography course for fun and it made me really pay attention to my camera settings and composition and not rely on technology to fix things.

Before I started becoming really serious in the wedding industry, I had a mentor. He showed me how to use my camera in different settings and introduced me to lightroom and photo mechanic. He would answer my questions in real time and I would watch him and what he would do, how he would see things and saw his approach to photography.

Editing started off with me messing with every setting in Lightroom to see what they did, and I eventually got a style that would change over the years. There are presets that you can buy. Which are essentially saved settings that can allow you to achieve a certain look. I found when I photographed as true to color and light as possible, that was when my editing was the best because I did not need to change as much! Understanding light and the camera and it’s settings is the foundation for good editing. And not all presets will work for you nor are they all worth it!

6. Is there any item that you have purchased for your photography that you wish you hadn’t?

Probably investing in education from instagram “famous” people. Just because someone has a lot of followers or a cool instagram feed does not mean they are an educator or know how to teach. Not everyone is an educator.

Also, I learned I do not need to buy every preset and presets will not make me a better photographer. Understanding light and composition is everything.

7. What are your ride-or-die items that you have with you for every shoot?

A backup for everything! I always bring extra batteries (camera batteries and flash batteries - if there is a battery piece for equipment, always have extra and have them all charged before every session). I always bring a backup camera body just in case something happens. I always bring my 24-70 lens as a backup lens in case my 50mm or 85mm is not letting me get the shot I need for the environment. I always bring extra memory cards and always dual shoot. Meaning, I always record RAW images to 2 memory cards at the same time. This way if a card somehow corrupts during a shoot - I have a backup ready and recording the images so I should not fail a photo session. I always have clear umbrellas just in case. I always have an emergency outfit for me in the car just in case (I have been caught in the rain and ripped my pants way too many times to not be prepared anymore!)

8. What is your favorite form of gallery delivery? USB? Online Gallery? Prints? Other? And why?

I deliver my galleries on Pic-Time! This is an online gallery delivery system that allows me to send high resolution galleries to my clients and creating personal galleries for each individual client.

Pic-Time also has a print lab/shop connected to galleries allowing photographers to connect their clients to professional printing labs. This makes it super easy for my clients to order prints at a later date and create their own albums without my involvement. PicTime does have a great client interface where you can work on an album design with them and make comments online for an easy process too. You can select the labs you want your products to go through and limit what products you offer in the shop tab as well.

I do think that everyone should print their images. I think wedding albums are classic to pass down to generations and have a story telling method of the day as well as canvas and prints to have in ones home.

9.How did you start figuring out documents and contracts for client shoots?

My mentor told me to always have a contract for every session and as soon as he told me I started using a contract!
I now work with a lawyer to ensure that my contacts are specific to my state and what I do. But a good start is The Legal Paige and having a lawyer make adjustments for you to make sure the contract fits your laws in your state and is specific to you.

Even if you are doing a session for free- you need to have a contract. This is for your protection, setting expectations, clear communication, and being professional for all circumstances.

I use Dubsado for my client management system and have my clients sign with an esignature online. If you don’t have multiple clients yet and don’t need a client management system, you can use DocuSign and do online document signing pretty easy! I would recommend having a folder on your hard drive or even online where you save all of your documents for easy access/record keeping. If you are needing a client management system, Dubsado is amazing for automating a lot of your processes. You can sign up with my link or code and get 20% off your first month or year: dubsado.com/?c=monnetteco code : monnetteco

10. Do you have any tips, tricks, or advice that you would be willing to share with someone who is just starting out?

Keep shooting! Ask your family and friends if you can practice with them. Know that good light is better than a cool location or understanding how to use the light in a location for your advantage. Practice helps you learn your craft and you will mess up and you will keep learning.

Once you have gained experience, are shooting in RAW, understand how to shoot in manual settings, have a contract set up, start charging for your craft. You can increase your prices as your talent and skills increase. Create boundaries for yourself. You will start off by offering free and discounted sessions, but in this process make it clear that this if free for this session because you have a creative vision for a specific shoot. But dont let people use that against you for them to use you. Decide who you will do free sessions for and charge everyone else or simply everyone. I have personally decided that I will not charge my immediate family for sessions. Friends and family will need to pay for my full rate as this skill costs me every time I work. I pay for memory cards, hard drives, backup systems, camera gear, editing software, gallery delivery system, my time Ive crafted my skill, my expertise in posing and guiding clients. Your time is worth it.

Invest your time in getting to know your camera. A good 50mm with a low aperture will change your game compared to a kit lens. Aperture will change the depth of field and will get you going towards that more “professional” look compared to a kit lens. Invest your time in understanding light and shadows. This can also mean getting to know flash! Wedding Receptions can get dark for me and I use off camera flash (not the pop up flash on a beginner camera, but a flash on a stand with a flash trigger on my camera) will allow me to get more light and control over my light.