Newborn, Baby and Children's Photography in Melbourne :: Kristen Cook {The Blog}

I’ve been wanting to put up a FAQ post for quite some time now, not because I think I have a lot of useful info to offer (far from it!) but because I am always getting emails from people asking the same sorts of questions. These questions may be in relation to my gear, my style, my processing – nothing revolutionary by any means, but obviously of interest to some!

Unfortunately, as much as I would love to spend the time going through and answering everyone individually with their questions, sometimes it’s just not possible to do so, but hopefully these Q&As will help in some way.

What gear do you work with?
Probably one of the most-asked questions I get, but it has changed a bit over the last 18 months or so. When I first got started, I was using a Canon 350D. That’s it – nothing fancy, nothing whizbang but still a great camera nonetheless. I loved this camera. It was how I got started. We went through a lot together, and even after I had finished portfolio building and had moved into the business side of things, I was still using this combination. So, when people ask me what sort of camera they should buy to ‘get images like mine’ I certainly do not recommend going out and getting talked into expensive gear by your local salesperson just for the sake of it. Sure, expensive gear is ‘better’ but it’s not going to give you better results if you don’t know what you’re doing with it, nor does a cheaper camera give you bad photos. In fact, just ask any photographer how they react when people comment “Ohhh, your camera takes such good photos!”   I would even turn up to shoots in the early days with clients that had more expensive gear than me, but it didn’t bother me in the slightest. It’s what you get out of it that counts. Although the 350D is long gone now, I think the current version of it (with loads of improvements) is the Canon 450D (just in case you were wondering).

I upgraded to the 40D after that which was beautiful, and a great workhorse. I still use this as my backup now, and used it right up until I recently got the 5D MkII when it came out. In a way, I’m glad I made the transition as I did. I feel I would have never done justice to the 40D had I bought that first, or heaven forbid, the MkII. Even now I feel like I am only scratching the surface of what that camera can do (including the video, which is fun to play with but I’ve never shared).

What lenses do you use and what do you recommend?
In terms of lenses, I have a mixture of quite a lot. However, when I first started I was only using the twin lens kit that came with my 350D and a 50 1.8. Again, I knew I had to know my gear inside and out (including my lenses) because I considered upgrading. There was no point me going out and buying tens of thousands of dollars worth of gear if I didn’t know why I needed it, what it would do or how I would use it.

I currently have the 85L, 50L, 24-70L, 70-200L and the 100 2.8 macro (all Canon). I love each and every single one of them for completely different reasons and they all get used in different settings. I must admit that when I first got my 24-70 I was hooked on having the zoom, and never could have imagined wanting to go back to primes. They have got my heart though, and if it wasn’t for those gorgeous fast paced children I always seem to shoot, I would work with primes exclusively. There is nothing that gets my heart moving just a bit faster than seeing that gorgeous creamy bokeh from fast primes – adore it.

For value though, you still can’t go past the 50 1.8. I used it for everything and if you only have a kit lens and have no idea what to buy next, go for this one. You can’t go wrong with it, seriously.

What mode do you shoot?
All manual, all the time. I am a control freak and want to manipulate the light myself (as wonderful as my camera thinks it is) – any other mode makes me cringe. I’ve tried it all ,but for the way I shoot there’s no beating manual to be able to get images right in camera.

But….how do I get my images to look like yours?
I get this question all-the-time, and it’s just not something I can answer easily in an email or even on this blog unfortunately! It’s a combination of a lot of things – proper exposure, use of light, (both of these are probably the most important factors) knowing how to make your camera work for you, engaging subjects correctly, composition and post-processing. Each of those areas can take a long time to learn properly but it’s also about finding something that you gel with when you press the shutter, and ‘feeling’ the image you’re taking. Next time you take a photo, ask yourself – am I taking an image of what this person looks like, or of who they really are?

Do you really only shoot with natural light?
Yes! I do this for many reasons (and not because I don’t own a flash…. I do!). To me, knowing about the availability of placement of light is crucial in the way that I shoot and my style.  To me, there’s nothing better than the beautiful, soft glow that natural light gives and so I use it whenever and wherever I can. Now that’s not to say I have never used my flash at a session – sometimes you just don’t have a choice (timing/location) you have to bounce, but I can honestly count on one hand the number of times I have pulled out my flash at a session in all of the time I have been in business. To me, it’s also about being able to connect with your subjects as well – especially with kids. There’s only so many genuine, real moments you can capture when flashes are going off in their faces, and you can bet they’re not going to be interested in what I am doing in the same way. Again, that’s just me - it’s not gospel, and it’s just the way that I work. I try and keep everything as genuine as I can – from the light to the smiles! Good, proper studio lighting can be just as effective though, and I’m a huge fan of it (especially OCF) - I just don’t roll that way for the moment. Maybe ask me in a year…

Do you use actions?
Yes and no; it depends on what I’m doing. Most of the time, no. My post-processing has become quite minimal now I’ve found a bit of a groove to go by and involves mainly a balance of levels and curves. I am a firm believer of getting it right in camera first. There’s no point spending heaps of time post-processing an image when you could have achieved most of the same result in camera. Editing software isn’t there to ’save’ images, but to enhance them. Of course, there are wonderful things you can do in Photoshop, and I am not saying any of it is irrelevant (in fact, it’s sometimes better knowing how to fix things so you can teach yourself how not to have to fix them by getting them right in camera!) but personally I’m a levels and curves girl most of the time.

Take this image for example:

Here I adjusted the white balance (I always shoot AWB), cropped and tilted slightly, and adjusted levels and curves. No actions.

If I am using actions, it’s usually to speed up things I do in repetition over and over to each image, but not where individual adjustments are concerned. You just can’ t use actions as a complete solution to post-processing. No action will work for every image you take, and even if you have a favourite, you’re usually tweaking it so much there probably wasn’t much point to using it to begin with. Using actions means you’re also not learning what’s happening behind the scenes. Sure, use actions if it will make things quicker, but don’t use them simply because you don’t know how else to achieve the result unless you did so. Have a favourite action? Click through the steps and find out what is happening with each step – there’s nothing wrong with falling in love with an action, just find out what it does to know why you love it! This will help you with your style as well and make your post-processing beautifully yours.

How do you get that creamy skin I see in all of your images?
Use of light (knowing it inside and out) and correct exposure! Honestly, I can’t stress this enough – I rarely do anything post-processing wise to achieve this.

What about those bright sparkly eyes – how do you get those?
Rinse and repeat – light and exposure I don’t touch the eyes in Photoshop.

Anyway, I hope this helps for now answering some of the main questions that seem to pop up!!