There seems to be a million husband and wife photography teams in the wedding industry and to say I’m slightly envious would be an understatement! After numerous failed attempts to turn my boyfriend into my assistant photographer, I’ve given up on the idea of having my own JD Star!

Over the years, John has watched and occasionally helped on photo shoots, seen the countless hours I’ve spent on the computer and experienced first hand the joys and frustrations of being a photographer. I realized today that there is still much of what I do that he doesn’t understand or know about. So in an effort to share with him more of my life as a photographer and possibly share something useful, I’m answering a few questions he’s asked about my photography with you!

What do you really do on your computer all day?

Two things: twitter and facebook! ;) Although sometimes I wish that’s all it took, in reality it’s a combination of editing shoots, getting client galleries ready to view, returning emails, updating portfolios, blogging, album design, marketing, research and a small portion is actually taking pictures (sad but true)! Some other tasks are also backing up work, accounting, posting on photography forums and keeping up with a few dozen wedding industry blogs and photographers I admire.

Why do you think a blog is important?

For me blogging is a great way to hold myself accountable to the world and my photography. If I don’t post for a week, I feel like I’m neglecting my goals and the whole Internet can see that I’m slacking! It forces me to always move forward and find new (hopefully interesting) things to blog about. Its also a great way to share my journey, all the bumps and triumphs along the way. I know I will not be the photographer for everyone, but I hope my blog gives people a better idea of who I am and if I’m the type of person that want to work with.

Where do you get your ideas for a photo shoot?

I’m a planner by nature so whenever I walk into a shoot I have an idea of what I want it to look like. Not the entire shoot but at least a few frames, from there everything seems to evolve naturally. I love searching for the right surroundings and making the situation work for me, even when it’s not ideal! The biggest factor is the people I’m working with. If I have a really outgoing person, I might put them in situations that I wouldn’t otherwise do with a shy person (for example a busy street with lots of people watching). Like most people, I get a lot of my inspiration from magazines (especially for body poses), blogs and the work of other artists. Sometimes its just a color, feeling or area, simple as that!

When did you find your “style” as a photographer?

I think my style will always be changing and evolving, just like me. Since I’ve worked with a few other photographers I was taught their “look” before I learned my own. The experience was great, but ultimately I had no real style when I started piecing together my portfolio. I could see glimpses of it but it wasn’t until I threw out all the rules and started shooting for myself that I found my style.

Do you prefer working with an associate photographer?

For weddings I always prefer to work with an associate, unless its a very small wedding. I know a ton of talented photographers and I think its not only fun, but interesting to see someone’s else perspective of the same day. Logistically speaking, camera’s fail, mistakes happen and moments can be missed. By having two photographers it makes the chances of this happening much smaller and gives two different viewpoints of a wedding.

Whew… that was actually kinda fun!