What’s in my Camera Bag???

While recently shopping for a couple of new equipment pieces I came across one photographer’s website who included a peak into what is in his photography bag. Seeing this definitely popped the idea into my head, combined with some friends asking me what kind of lenses I have and what I use them for. With that being said here is an idea of what is in my Photography Bag:

Sorry for the not-so-good photo of the bag. I had to use the point and shoot because of course my cameras are in the bag! Unfortunately you aren’t able to actually see all of the pieces as well as I had hoped .

Camera Bodies
Canon EOS 50D (15mp)
Canon Rebel XT (8 mp)

Camera Lenses
Canon EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
Canon EF 50mm f/2.5 Macro Lens
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Sigma Zoom lens – 28 mm – 300 mm – F/3.5-6.3
Phoenix 100-400mm f/4.5-6.7

Flash
Promaster 7500EDF Digital Electronic Flash
I have another one put away for right now that is broken, but I have every intention of getting it fixed. My guess is that the bulb blew on the flash. (FYI…not a good thing to have happen as the bride is being walked down the aisle with her father)

Accessories
Gary Fong Lightsphere Universal Pro Kit (best thing ever!!!)
Filters (hardly ever used so not worth listing)
Batteries (2 for each camera along with Energizer rechargeable AA’s for flash units)
Battery Grip
Memory Cards
SanDisk Memory Card Reader (not pictured)

I am sure that I have various other pieces of equipment that should be listed here but unfortunately they are not coming to mind. So how about you…what are some of the pieces in your camera bag that you absolutely could not do without???

An original quote to leave you with:
Don’t forget, your actions today shapes your future of tomorrow, which shapes your next week, next month, and next year. Chase the opportunity of today and continue to reach your ever growing potential of tomorrow.

Senior Portraits – Justin L.

I completed my first “official” senior portrait session a couple of weeks ago, and then proceeded to get SLAMMED with other photography business after photographing the Victor Classic Softball Tournament, and then the 19th Annual Finger Lakes Classic Fastpitch Tournament. (photos to come soon(ish) I am not complaining in any way shape or form, I was just blindsided is all and not as prepared as I would have liked to have been.

Anyways…the senior portrait session went great, and although the heat and humidity were horrible I am proud of Justin for making it through. Afterall he was wearing a longsleeve shirt, and at times his heavy heavy lettermans jacket. Below are a sample of some of his edited images : ).

“Being defeated is often only a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.” ~ Marilyn vos Savant

Tresta & Eric Reception – 5/8/10

Sorry to have taken such a long leave of absence on here! This past Saturday night I had the honor of photographing the wedding reception for Tresta & Eric. They got married in North Carolina a couple of weeks ago and came back to celebrate with their family and friends. Their wedding photos were BEAUTIFUL from the photographer in NC and honestly I was quite jealous, but at the same time I have to remind myself I have not had the honor of photographing along the ocean at all. Anyways as I edited photos last night I only got through about half of the photos, but wanted to share a few of my favorites that I’ve found so far…ENJOY!!!

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.
Henry David Thoreau

Final Installment – Getting to Know Me

I promise this is the final getting to know me post (I think). I was going through my various possible blog topics I jotted down and I realized one has been sticking out to me often – Craigslist. There are so many different angles I can take regarding this one, but the angle I decided to take was the reason behind why I use it because I feel it personifies me as a person and not just as a photographer.

Yes I have an ad on Craigslist – why? Multiple reasons:

1. It’s free advertising.
2. It gets my name out there.
3. It has earned me money.
4. It helps build my portfolio.
5. Main reason: It creates a positive experience for all – people go on Craigslist because they want to get something for cheap and to save money. By me working with the client on pricing and such I create an excellent experience. The client is more likely to refer me to friends and family.

I am the person that will work with people and their budgets. I have wedding packages listed on my website for people to reference, but when all is said and done I am willing to work with each potential client to meet their needs. This doesn’t mean I am going to give them something for nothing. I want to make sure the client is completely happy throughout the entire experience. I have received multiple bookings from Craigslist and I have surpassed all expectations of each client.

I have to say that even though I love Craigslist for the positives listed there are a few disadvantages. The main one being FALSE COMPETITION! With technology where it is today every kid with a digital camera thinks they are now a photographer (sames goes for any person who uses Photoshop – suddenly they are graphic designers!). I have enough confidence in myself as a person and as a photographer that my work speaks for itself so when they contact me I have enough to back everything up – especially having my own website (www.monicaeverdykephoto.com) it helps to set me aside from the false competition, along with other competition of course : ).

So bottomline…I’m the type of person who will work with you and within your budget to make sure that everyone involved is happy!

Quote: Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.”   ~ Goethe

a little more getting to know me…

Hello!

Well in my first blog I explained the purpose of this platform. One of the main things that I left out was the simple fact that I want clients, (current, pending, or future), to get a better glimpse into me as a PERSON. Building the relationship between a client and myself is extremely important to me. When I am hired to work with someone, whether it is for a wedding or for a portrait session, this client is entrusting me. I want them to get to know me as a professional individual, but also to know me as a real person. When they get to know me as a real person their guard comes down and it makes the environment much more relaxed and enjoyable for all involved.

Think about the last time you hired someone to take a portraits of you or loved ones. Maybe you took them to Sears, or JCPenny, or somewhere along those lines. How was the experience? Were you happy with the photos? I can honestly say from my own experience I only had a good experience at one of these types of places ONCE. My mother had taken my brother and I to Sears for portraits starting when I was in middle school. I would say that I had about 6 portrait sessions here and none were great to speak of really. It was not until the seventh portrait session that the photos actually came out to my liking. The reason for this??? The photographer that day was down to earth and joking around. I even recall telling her that day that it was the best portrait session I could ever recall. My smiles for the portraits were genuine. She had me laughing and I was relaxed the entire time. That experience has stuck with me, and that is what I want to provide to my clients. This past summer as I was leaving a wedding reception and I said good-bye to the bride and the bridal party, I overheard the bridesmaid say to the bride, “I really like her, she was a lot of fun to work with.” For that day – MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

My main purpose here is like I said – I want people to get to know me as a person. I’ll be honest and tell you that my college degree is NOT in photography. It is in Visual Communications, specializing in Advertising and Graphic Design. I found my passion for photography as a senior in college, working on my senior project. I do regret that I lack more of a background education in photography, but I also enjoy how much I learn with “on the job training.” Many people in life do NOT need a piece of paper to hang on their wall to tell others that they are qualified for the position. Granted the majority of careers do require that piece of paper I encourage you to not let that piece of paper stand in the way of working with me. Photography is very knowledge based, but at the same time classes can only teach you how to use the equipment, it is what you do with that equipment and your own knowledge that makes all of the difference. People want their photos to be different – why hire someone who was taught about this pose, and that pose – hire the person who thinks out of the box, and who wants it to be different, but not always over the top different.

I’ve posted a couple of photos below to demonstrate what I am saying. The wedding group photo on the left is the more traditional group pose, the photo on the right is the more contemporary “out of the box thinking” pose. The same goes for the wedding couple photos. Traditional on the left, more contemporary “out of the box” on the right. I took all of these photos, and I definitely chalk this up to on the job training. By the way – the more contemporary photos – they came from the wedding that I was complimented on as I mentioned above. ; )

Quote of the Week: Success often follows a resounding failure, as if life wants to reward the brave soul able to surmount such a devastating set back.

Welcome!

Hello!

Thank you for finding me on here! I want to take a moment to explain my purpose behind this blog and what my readers/followers can expect from me.

I am photographer located in the Central New York area and will be posting a blog at least once a week highlighting many different things. I will take the time to focus on the world of photography, whether it be a new style or craze, various equipment used in the photography word, tales from my ventures as a photographer, or some posts may just be basic ramblings that I would like to share with everyone.

So sit tight and look for my posts every week. I believe I will be posting on Monday mornings, so look for my next post on Monday November 30!

Until then…

(I’m a big quote person, so I will be closing each post out with a favorite quote of mine)

“Treat people as if they were what they ought to be and you help them to become what they are capable of being.”
~ Goethe