q + a | baton rouge lifestyle photographer

I receive lots of emails wondering what exactly lifestyle photography is, what my images look like before I edit them, a couple of people have asked how I do my editing, why I watermark the images on my blog, a question about my pricing, and I even had one email wanting to know what kind of perfume I wear! Since I’ve been bad about letting these emails sit in my inbox, I’ll do my best to answer them here. Here goes:

What exactly is lifestyle photography?

I don’t think there is just one answer to this so I’ll do my best to give you what I think lifestyle photography is. Lifestyle photography is a very laid back style of shooting. I usually meet my clients at their home or the location they chose. I use natural light so no flashes, no backdrops, just me and my camera so my clients are able to relax. I will do a few posed shots if the mom requests them but for the majority of the session I interact with the children – watching, observing, following them, watching the light and watching the background so that I can control every single shot. Lifestyle photography captures true moments, the way you will remember your child. I love nothing better than shooting children and families enjoying some of their favorite things together: picnics in the backyard, making pancakes on lazy Sunday mornings complete with pjs, tea parties, Saturday afternoon trips for ice cream and a walk around LSU’s campus.

Editing:

I edit all my images in Light Room and then in Photoshop. I was asked to show a before and after image so here you go! This image was shot on a rather overcast afternoon so SOOC (straight out of the camera) it is rather dull:

After:

I have a DSLR. Why don’t my pictures look like yours?

Well, first things first: learn your camera. You can take great pictures with any camera if you understand how to use your camera and if you understand light. For starters I’d suggest you learn to take your camera off automatic and learn to shoot in manual. I will be offering a workshop this summer for people that want to learn to use their cameras whether it is a point and shoot or a DSLR. If this is something you’d be interested in, email me!

Why do I watermark my images?

I watermark the images I show on my blog to prevent them being downloaded, scanned and printed. They are copyright protected and should not be reproduced in any way, shape or form and yet it happens and that is stealing. A colleague had a client that swiped images from her blog, had them printed and then called the photographer to complain about the poor quality! Images posted on the web are 72dpi (lower quality to allow for webpages to load more quickly) while the images I send to the lab for printing are 300dpi.

Pricing.

Yes, I know there is a photographer in town that will sell a disk of images for $250. Yes, I know that you could go to XYZ studio and get a lot of prints for $49.99.

That photographer is either portfolio building or is seriously under priced. My prices are in line with PPA standards and are non-negotiable. When you eat dinner at a restaurant, do you negotiate the price of your meal? Do you negotiate the price of a pair of pants before you buy them? I appreciate that John Doe will sell you the entire digital collection for $250 but I stand firmly behind my work and believe you do get what you pay for.

In regards to the studio, I realize that there are more inexpensive ways to have your family photographed. I do not offer the studio experience. I offer custom photography. You can read more about what custom photography is here and better understand why the custom photography experience is more expensive.

I’ve been asked if I have a minimum purchase requirement. At this time I don’t but I am seriously considering it. A la carte prices are premium prices. Packages are discounted significantly. Occasionally I run a special which you can find out about through the 225 Photography fan page on Facebook.

And the perfume question.
Sweet M, the day I saw you I was wearing Kat Von D’s Sinner. It isn’t my usual but I received a deluxe sample at Sephora and love it. Thanks for asking my dear!

If anyone else has questions, leave them in the comments or email me. I’ll do another q+a soon. Don’t forget to become a fan Facebook — you’ll be the first to know about specials and contests!