
I want to know your favorite lens?
For the last few months I’ve mainly been shooting with the Canon 24-70mm 2.8. It really is such a great all round lens. Although I love the sharpness of primes, I’m not keen on changing lenses all the time and I like that the 24-70 still has the ability to give that slight wide angle distortion which I love while being sharp enough.
How do you get your pictures to have that 3D effect and lovely bubbly fisheye feel?
I think the 3D feel comes from the sharpness which is more evident at certain settings than others. The fisheye effect is when I shoot at 24mm.
I also want to know what your favorite actions are?
I honestly don’t use anything other than my own. When I was using other actions, I found I was pulling apart and adjusting them so much that they really resembled nothing like the original action at all and the concept of saving time with them was completely lost. I decided to just start making my own from scratch. When I made the Eye Candy set, I thought about not just the pretty side of things but also all the practical things I like in an action and incorporated them..These really are what I use every single day and although I know there are other good actions out there, my own work perfectly for me :)
I also wanted to know if you are a self taught PHOTOSHOP guru or did you take classes?
Completely self taught. I had Photoshop literally years before I owned a DSLR. I love learning new things & don’t imagine I’ll ever get to a day where I know everything about PS..it’s so intricate!
How are your house renovations coming along? Can we see some before photos?
Oh they’re about as far along as they were back at the bath post! And as for photos? Not until I can show you that it’s new and improved!! I couldn’t stand it! We really are about to get started though. Glenn? Glenn? (Me calling my wonderful uncle-come-builder).
When I go to comment it has the last commentors name and details in the field…
Not a question, I know, but I thought I’d explain this..it’s to do with the cache plug in I have installed to have the site load faster..I’m so sorry!
Where o where does one get the Wizard of Oz cards??
Jayne? Do tell :)
I would like to know how Grandad is doing?
He’s good! He lives not far from us and visits every single day, numerous times in fact. He’s actually outside tearing around on the ride-on mower right now!
Do you and your family have any pets?
No..We did have Chester and Tonker, the guinea pigs. They were supposed to be a substitute for dogs but before long the boys realized they’d been somewhat tricked and that the small fluffy things were not going to fetch a stick no matter what. The novelty wore off very quickly. Luckily the woman we got them from insisted they go back to her in case of emergency so, back they went.
What is your favorite TV show?
I’m not that into TV but if I do watch something it’s usually those really intellectual shows like Americas Next Top Model or Project Runway. I’m also sucker for anything to do with pregnancy or birth, seeing as I’m really a midwife in another life. I like catching Oprah because it reminds me of days going out to work and just wishing I could stay home and watch daytime tv. It still feels like a treat to have her on!
What is your favorite perfume/scent to wear?
I don’t own perfume - it gives me an instant headache. I adore body cream though and have said before, Lollia Wish is my favorite scent in the World. For waking up I love the Aveda mint shampoo scent. I also love Chloe as it reminds me of my Mum.
What are some of your hobbies that you have not mentioned before in your blog?
There’s not much I haven’t shared in my blog! Some of my favorite things to do that may or may not be called hobbies:
Visiting beautiful tea houses. I shared a lovely day with my sister at Batavia here in Brisbane recently. If you’re local, you must go.
2nd Hand/Flea Market/Antique Store Shopping. I love a good bargain, I love quirky and I love the unexpected. They’re just the best places for finding photography props and kids decor.
Visiting art galleries. I don’t get to do this often enough. I adore art. Probably why I really like Laguna Beach in California, with a gallery on every corner. I have links to my favorite artists on my Bio page and I need to add Elle Moss who although is called a photographer, is just as much an artist. I love what she does.
I can’t seem to get the magical lighting you get with your photos.
Thankyou! This might sound like a non-answer but I really think it’s just a matter of practice. I don’t remember a clear moment where I went from being confused about capturing light with the right settings and not. (Though I do remember feeling frustrated with the former). This is probably one of the most discussed topics in my workshops and it’s actually one of the practice tasks: capturing sun-flare.
Shooting with back light or sun-flare comes down to finding a happy medium between exposing for the subject and the sky/light behind. Too far either way and you lose the other. It’s a little too in-depth to really go into here but ultimately it comes down to practicing with your settings. It also helps to shoot at that time of day when the light is really low and pretty, around 2 hours before sunset.
My 50 mm 1.4 doesn’t lock the focus like it does on other lenses?
I have owned 2 copies of this lens and one had the problem you’re referring to, the other didn’t. I know exactly what you mean. It’s a beautiful lens but it can be hit and miss with focusing. Consider having it calibrated at Canon as often it will entirely fix it. It’s a very sensitive lens that damages easily when dropped, or even knocked, so make sure it’s well stored.
Is Photoshop worth the money?
I’m biased as I’ve only ever used PS. If you were to ask the Lightroom converts they’d probably say otherwise but for me I can’t imagine life without it. If you have a student in the house, they can purchase it for a lot less than normal retail. You won’t regret it!
Do you have any advice when it comes to metering?
Getting correct exposures is something that you will just find you do more and more of in time. It’s so frustrating to not know where to start with settings when you see beautiful light (or not!) but the more you practice, the easier it gets. It’s something I just don’t think about anymore. I don’t use a gray card, I meter off whatever I can but usually only for artificial light situations. For clean natural light I generally use auto. I’m a lazy shooter! Saying this though, when you don’t have good light, a custom WB is essential.
I can’t seem to work out how to crop or trim down my photos..
Do you mean in Photoshop, not in camera? (I would never recommend you crop in camera anyway). In PS it’s just a case of choosing the crop tool in your tools window and dragging it over the image. I’m unsure why it would not be working for you? Sorry I’m not of more help there.
Thanks for asking!
Sx