bryan college station photographer | the map project | {staying inspired}

the phone rang as i was walking away from my desk.

"shauna maness photography, this is shauna-"

"hey shauna, it's carrie, i'm calling you back from yesterday."

the day before carrie jo, a sweet photographer from Knoxville called with a couple of questions and i really love to  help out when and where i can, so we chatted for a few and then my client came, so we pressed pause... until the next window of opportunity.

open to wednesday:

her voice is sweet and i can hear that her heart is really looking for some answers, and not the answers that you can find by reading a book about business, or looking at your reports from quick books. the bottom line she is searching for is a little different, more of a calm water in the storm... not disliking the rain, but just learning how to be calm in it... and how not to drown.

she asked if i had time and i said that i was just stepping away from the computer to start a creative project.

"is that something you do for your clients, or a product you sell them? or is that something that has nothing to do with photography? or does it? what is a creative project?"

well, it's how i stay sane.

collected.

inspired.

moving.

growing.

hoping.

dreaming.

and loving what i do.

i gingerly opened my grandfather's atlas from the 30's and carefully picked out the countries and states that i wanted to piece together and began to cut the funky edges with a razor blade, an antique yard stick, and my cutting  mat, mounted them on poster board and then trimmed all of the edges.

kind of meticulously.

and i'm not meticulous.

it is out of the box for me, a project that requires patience, diligence, and close care.

when i have been working a lot, i purposely pick projects that require a different part of my brain, my hands, my heart- this was the perfect combination of sentiment of my grandfather's loves, our travels, making our house a home, and telling a story with art instead of words. PERFECT.

carrie jo and i talked about the balance of business, delegating to hard working assistants (i love you jes!), and staying motivated to make art, and my giving our lives away.

your business can be bigger than your quick books reports.

it can be greater than your bottom line and your profits for the year.

you can use your business to bless.

your business can reflect a life lived fully and gladly, it doesn't have to be overwhelming.

it doesn't have to be heart ache, frustration, and cynical hearts-

it can be more.

carrie jo shared with me the way God was stirring her heart- how she wants to turn the wedding industry on it's ear and allow her clients a place in this world to give back, to make their day matter in a bigger way.

she called me for questions and left me inspired.

if you are sitting at your desk, and it's been a while since you've stepped away, try it.

start a project.

you don't have to finish today, but at least give your heart and mind a release from the daily grind.

maybe someone hasn't called you for questions, that might be tomorrow- but i bet there is someone in your life that could use some encouragement.

go for it.. i dare you... what will your story of inspiration look like?

how do you stay inspired???

where do you begin? {faq} (camera talk)

more than any other question i get, comes

"if i just wanted to start somewhere, with a good camera, what would you recommend?"

so, this is a "this is what i recommend post... i go WAY more into depth in the salsa CRASHcourse, but if you want the BLOG version, here you go!

there are a couple of questions you need to ask yourself BEFORE camera hunting.  (so the crazy camera guy doesn't

a.) sell you way more camera than you need

OR

b.) sell you way less than you need

if you are an everyday, just want to dabble... have a middle of the road investment, and take great shots when they come about...

I SHOULD BACK UP AND SAY, i shoot canon's & hasselblads, always have, and unless the heaven's open up and God himself tells me to switch... that is what i will continue to shoot- NOT that nikons, or leica's, or any other brand is bad- or not as good- but because it is what i am used to- and i would have to undo 10 years of muscle memory- and that is a lot of work! so, i'm going to recommend canon's, but i have lots of talented friends who can't stand them:) but, one of my photographer friends came to shoot with me, used my gear, and flew home and sold her nikon's... so... if that happens in two days of shooting- you might as well start off on the "cool" side :) (I'M TOTALLY JOKING!) i emphasis that, because some people get really intense about their gear, and brand and all of that... i'm not that girl- and you shouldn't worry about all of that! so, please don't be offended!! and just google the version of this gear in your preferred brand!

OK, BACK TO YOUR QUESTION!!

there are a few things that are extremely important:

• lenses
• filters (because they protect the lens)
• camera bodies
• camera bags (because they keep everything protected and tidy)

so, if i were you, i would work really hard to save for great lenses, because they will outlast your camera body- and give you the kind of results you want.

my favorite to recommend for starters is:

canon 50 mm 1.4 - it will run you about $399 bucks, but is worth every penny. there is a 1.8 that costs less, but it is not the same quality- look on ebay and for refurbished lenses and try it out if you don't want to spend that chunk initially

for wide angle lenses, i would shoot with the sigma 17-70 2.8, it is really great- it will cost you around $369- again, look for it used to try it

you might be thinking... SHAUNA, that is already $800!!! you don't have to start with BOTH- but if you had to pick one, go with the 50mm 1.4- you can do a lot of low light stuff, inside shots, and great portraits!

put uv filters on every lens you buy... it will protect your glass, you will be glad you did!

for camera bodies... you can always go with the latest rebel, if you want to keep it simple and basic.

i would recommend checking ebay for the latest "d" camera- (ie...10d, 20d, 30,40,50d...) you might be able to find it for a steal! BUT DON'T BUY IT FROM A PHOTOGRAPHER unless you have asked if the shutter has been replaced or how many frames have been shot. (i'm going to get some hate mail for this) but here is the deal, i use my camera more in a weekend than most people do in a year! and the average camera will shoot for 150,000 frames (or so my camera repair guy says)- so, you may never get there, but we do- so you need to make sure you aren't getting a camera that will crap out at any second.

i don't really recommend buying cameras that come in "kits" because normally the lens isn't so hot- plastic casing and high apertures aren't ideal for long lasting use and clarity. so, you might be able to save a few hundies by skipping the kit, going with the body and grabbing your own lens. (some companies like adorama let you pick your lens and then add a camera body for a discount)

canon has a really great, simple camera backpack that holds tons of stuff- i've used it for YEARS and can't seem to get rid of it- it is super cheap- i call mine, mean green... she is a trooper!

my favorite bags are thinktank bags... but you really need to save your pennies for those!... but when you do, they are TOTALLY worth it!

THESE ARE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD recommendations- you can check out my gear bag if you are wondering what you would want if you were really going to be doing this photography thing- and believe me, you don't have to have everything at once. 

i'm a keep it simple kind of girl, so the less gear i can use to reach my goals artistically, the better... so, don't rush it- save your pennies and make smart choices!!

ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ABOUT GEAR?  send me an email: shaunamaness@gmail.com

i'll answer it here!!

lens flare {tutorial}

who doesn't love a little lens flare? i happen to LOOOOVE IT!! i always try to capture a little lens flare in almost every session i shoot (if the sun permits) . i love it so much i almost cry- it is the sweetest reminder that God is watching- and i alway feel like it is a little high five... kind of cheesy- but oh, so true. like my own little inside understanding with the heavens. loooove it!!

so!! how do you make it happen? well... there are lots of different ways to get lots of different effects- today, i will show you two- and you will have to forgive my not-so-by-the-book explanations... seriously folks, this is real talk- who can understand those books anyway?

so, here is the CRASHcourse... SHAUNA version!!

first- check out both images... they look similar- but they are quite different- we won't talk about all the differences- today we will just focus on the flare! look at the flare- one is nice and cloudy without any definition- and the other is more star like- much more defined.

i am going to show you how to acheive both!!

check it out.

cloudy flare

starry flare

if you want cloudy flare-

open up your aperture all the way (or as big as you can get it with the correct exposure... depends on how fast your shutter speed will go)

you want to expose for the sky- (which means you need to make sure that the light meter in your camera is reading the sky) i always shoot in manual- because your camera is a computer and it doesn't always know what you want- so you need to be able to over-ride it- (and you really want to shoot in manual to nail your exposures anyway, right?)

CLOUDY FLARE = LARGEST APERTURE (smallest number)

for starry lens flare

expose for the sky again but this time- use the smallest aperture- the smaller the aperture, the more depth of field and the more star like flare you will get...

STARRY FLARE (yes, that is a technical term)=SMALLER APERTURE (larger number)

the same thing works at night too... if you want street lights and stars to be all starry... just close down your aperture and decide how starry you want it!!

have fun trying it out!!

photographer cafe {biz tools}

this is sooo BRILLIANT i had to share... it is almost 4 am and i can't sleep- i accidentally found this site and can't wait to explore it later!!  you have to check out photographercafe they have some really smart products that will make your life as a photographer easier!! their designs are smart and fresh!! 

what i love about this is they have created recipe cards that allow you to combine all of their designs in different ways- if you aren't a natural designer this would save you both time and energy & your press printed cards will look like a million bucks!  for the price point you are getting hundreds of design possibilies- you can even change the colors and fonts- this is very well thought out and super simple for a busy photographer! (and ps... if you buy templates all of the time and can print your clients cool cards... but they can't actually see all of the designs... you probably won't sell that many :)... the recipe cards are a great way for your client to see all that you can offer them !!!

what's in my gear bag? {faq}

i love to talk gear with other photographers & always learn a lot by what i see others trekking around-

style dictates need- and evolution of style can lead to a crazy amount of gear-

i have bought and sold a truck full over the years... but i have some classic favorites that i will hold onto forever... i try to keep it simple when i shoot on location and especially at weddings... with that said... here is the list- bags and all....

2 canon 5ds

1 canon 5d mark II

hasselblad 501c

2 canon AE-1s

canon ELAN 7e

a few land cameras (save the polaroid)

canon 50mm 1.4 *

canon 50mm 1.2L

sigma 50mm 2.8 macro (this is AWESOME for rings and such)

canon 24mm 1.4L

canon 24-70mm 2.8L macro

canon 16-35mm 2.8L

sigma 17-35mm 2.8*

canon 85mm 1.8

canon 70-200mm 2.8L

580 EX flash

480 EX flash

3 pocket wizards

1 alien bees B1600 Black Studio Flash

light bracket

13.5' Light Stand

bogen monopod & head

tripod (i'll have to check the brand... also a source of never ending search for perfection)

60" flash umbrella

2 10 ft. backdrop stands

a few different paper backdrop colors (black, white, grey)

42" metalic reflector

60" metalic reflector

2 lumiquest softboxes (for flash)

canon deluxe photo backback 200EG

lowepro computrekker plus AW

Think Tank Airport Security V2.0, Carry On Roller Bag

Think Tank Low Divider Set for the Airport Security Roller, Works with AI 15 & 17

Think Tank Urban Disguise 30

cases for each lens... filters galore...

somewhere around 34G of memory-

i always roll out with my WD 320G portable harddrive-

some all weather covers (i grab them at ritz... makes me feel better as i travel)

My Macbrook Pro

and my FLIP!

*these are great lenses for folks just starting out- i have had them both since my first digital camera and still think they are great!

i feel like i'm forgetting somethings... i'll have to think this through again- there are a couple of other lenses i have my eye on... so i'm sure i'll be adding to this soon!!

where to go to get all of this stuff???  I BUY EVERYTHING I CAN HERE... ALWAYS HAVE... ALWAYS WILL- they are really thorough & might just call you to tell you that you screwed up your order and need a couple of more things- or that you ordered things you don't need- they are really great- don't be put off with their tendency to be direct :)

if you want a really great printer for all of your personal photos... your work... anything you need printed- this is who i send all my clients to when they purchase digital negatives from me- they are really great!  i always tell my CRASHcourse-ers about them too- and they see tons of their prints!!  for 50 prints free, click the link below to set up your account today!!