We, here at Las Vegas Photographer Magazine, love to hear how other people work. I'm fascinated by photographer bloggers and how they got to where they are. So, when I came across The Maternal Lens, and saw how successful they are, the first thing I thought was, "how did they do it?". So I thought I'd ask them...of course I never thought they'd be interested in contributing to our little baby, LVP, but they were thrilled to participate! The Maternal Lens is a group of five women who met online, became fast friends, and decided to collaborate and start a blog about motherhood, photography and friendship. Sit back and enjoy the tips and advise from these successful women!
What type/make/model camera do you all use?
Shannon-I'm a canon girl. I use a 5d (classic). I do have a mark II, but I use that as my back up. That's a whole other blog post. Haha.
Sarah-Canon 50d at the moment
Megan-Nikon d700 with the d300 as back-up
Meg- Nikon D300
Jen- Nikon D80…time to upgrade!
Which two lenses do you find yourselves using all the time? in other words which lenses are your "go to" lenses.
Shannon- I LOVE my 50mm. I mean love. I also love my 85mm. Other lenses I use often are the 70-200, fisheye and 100 macro.
Sarah-50 1.4, 85 1.8
Megan-50 1.4 ; 17-35 2.8
Meg-1.8 and the 24-70mm 2.8
Jen-I use my 50mm 1.8 100% of the time…time to upgrade that too!
What kind of equipment do you take on a "normal" shoot?
Shannon- I'm a two camera girl. I always have 2 camera on every shoot. Two 5ds and then the 50 and 85 is pretty typical, but I usually take them all because you just never know what you might need!
Sarah- My camera bag and its contents, me, sometimes a reflector if I will be inside...
Megan-Camera, 50 1.4, 85 1.4, 70-200 2.8, 17-35 2.8
Meg-50mm 24-70mm and 85mm tucked into my shootsac – I may also bring along some props for inspiration always a bottle of water and a positive attitude!
Jen- I travel light when shooting since I don’t change lenses or use a flash often, so it’s usually just my camera and a reflector and I keep a vintage wooden folding chair in the car.
How long have each of you been doing photography professionally?
Shannon- this year will be my 3rd year.
Sarah- about 5 years
Megan-about 5 years
Meg- 3 years (but a lifetime of dreams!)
Jen- I consider myself the least “professional” of our group, but I have been shooting for other folks since I was 18, so 15 years.
Where do you get your expertise? online classes? self taught? college courses?
Shannon- I am completely self taught. I learned my looking, reading, doing. Practice, practice, practice. Even still I try and take pictures every single day. The more you do and the more you try new/different things, the more you’ll learn.
Sarah- self taught--shooting, reading, shooting, reading, shooting...
Megan-High school photography class, self taught, research online, trial and error
Meg- My passion was handed down to me from my father (his from his father) I learned in the darkroom in high school and later on refreshed my skills at The New England School of Photography in Boston. But mostly I am self taught – there’s nothing like being hands on especially with photography you must keep on shooting.
Jen-I don’t have any formal training in photography. I have learned most of what I know from my fellow photographer moms in online groups and forums.
What's the biggest mistake you see pro photographers making when it comes to running their business?
Shannon-oh, gosh! Didn’t we all make mistakes when we started our business? I think that’s all a part of the process. I would just suggest that you go into it knowing who you truly are and know what you want your outcome to be. There is always going to be someone better or not as good. cheaper or more expensive, uses the latest actions or none at all…just do you!!
Sarah- Going into business too early (not enough portfolio building, not putting enough thought into branding or taking proper care of the 'business' side of things...)
Megan-Not evolving, changing with the times, or continuing to improve with each shot.
Meg- I honestly feel that how another photog runs his/her business is his/her own business. Who am I to judge. I only know what works and doesn’t work for me. Remaining true to my own style and not following the trend is something I hold very close to my heart.
Jen-I think it’s a huge mistake to become overly concerned with what other people are doing with their businesses. I often see photogs getting very wrapped up in what their competition and peers are doing, and that never leads to anything good. Focus on your own work and business and what makes you and your clients happy and let everyone else do the same.
What's a little thing that make a big difference in your photography?
Shannon-Passion! I think if you feel what you are doing instead of just going through the motions, your photography and all that you do will show it.
Sarah- Think more, 'click' less.
Megan-Having patience.
Meg- White balance, White balance, White balance.
Jen-Learning to shoot in manual created the most noticeable changes for me overall. Most recently, learning to work with backlighting and a reflector has changed my work considerably.
What's your philosophy regarding workflow?
Shannon-simple, simple, simple. I don’t spend a lot of time on the ‘after’ part of photography. I want to be taking beautiful photos, not spending hours/days fixing them or creating them. I’m a keep it simple kind of gal.
Sarah- If the image has spirit, work it. If not, Don't! Keep it simple.
Megan-Have fun with it!
Meg- I like many other photogs spend far too many hours in front of our computers culling, editing, tweaking, resizing, downloading, uploading, the list goes on. For this reason I have been thinking of film. I miss the organic aspect of shooting film – the beautiful colors of film that I spend hours trying to mimic in photoshop. However, I’m not sure if I am ready to let go of digital yet. But as far as my workflow goes, I try to remain consistent and I try to narrow down the very best images and learn to let go of the so-so ones. I am drawn towards the vintage feel and want all my images to to look similar across the board. I tend to get lost in my editing and if I stick with my own formula I can get my blog posts done sooner and my client galleries up faster.
Jen-I try to keep things simple, but I treat each image as its own unique work of art, so I am certainly not a speedy processor. I don’t have a large amount of photography work on a regular basis, so I am able and more willing than others to take my time and tweak things.
What's one piece of equipment they'd have to pry from your cold, dead fingers?
Shannon-My camera! Oh how I love my camera and my 50!
Sarah- my 50 1.4 :)
Megan-Besides my camera body, of course, probably the 85 1.4
Meg-(besides my camera!) I would have to say my laptop!!
Jen-Honestly, my laptop. I do everything on it, even editing. I spend more time on it than I spend with my husband. Secondly, my camera.
How did you all meet and what sparked your desire to start the Maternal Lens blog?
The 5 of us met about 5 years ago on a website called cafemom. At that time a couple of us had just started their business and a few of us were just beginning to test the photography business waters. The friendship, knowledge and support we gained from those days is something that will live in the hearts of all of us. We laughed together, cried together, loved together and an incredible friendship was born.
Somewhere along the way we thought ‘hey, the 5 of us should start a blog!’ haha. What, when or why we didn’t know, but we did it and we are all so happy we did. This march will be the 3 year birthday for the maternal lens. How awesome!!!
What is your favorite thing about collaborating on your Maternal Lens blog? And, what are some of the challenges?
Shannon- seriously, what’s not to love?! I get to work with 4 other amazing ladies, we have the greatest readers, vendors, contributors…you name it! The maternal lens has so much support backing it up, it’s completely overwhelming (is a great way!).
I love the people that it has put in my life and I love the strength that it has added to the bond of the 5 of us. Challenges? I would say time. There is a lot ‘behind the scenes’ work that goes into the blog. Between my family, my business and the maternal lens, the time to put 100% into sometimes is lacking.
Sarah- I love these ladies; their friendship and inspiration as mothers and photographers. One BIG challenge is all of our busy, hectic schedules and finding the time to give the blog what it deserves.
Megan-I love these gals! A challenge of my own is finding time to give it the attention it needs, while trying to run a business of my own, and be a mom to three little ones.
Meg- There are so many favorite things about TML but honestly, 5 women, 5 friends, 5 mothers, 5 points of view it’s all so wonderful! We are all on different schedules, so it is always a challenge to make sure the “load” is shared by all and not carried by one.
Jen-My favorite thing about TML is how it keeps us close. It’s like our baby and we love it and we’ll always be connected because of it. I think our biggest challenge is keeping the workload balanced. We are all mothers of young children, balancing work and everything else in our lives, and each of us struggles with finding time and content to contribute. I feel we are still trying find our individual strengths when it comes to the blog. We all know there’s so much more we could be doing with it.
What do you wish you knew when you were starting TML?
Shannon- I don’t think there is anything that I wish I knew. It’s been an amazing adventure. But what is didn’t know is how it would take off and become such a great blog. I also didn’t realize how much I would come to love our blog. I sometimes feel like it’s my 3 child
We do this blog simply for fun. Simply to share and to inspire. I think we are doing that!
Sarah-How awesome the ride would be!
Megan-How many people would actually read and love it!
Meg- The entire journey has been so wonderful for me. There really is nothing I wish I knew then that I know now. We are 5 women that came together on the internet – drawn to each other by our personalities, our lives, our photography and our inspirations to each other. It is very special to me and something I will always treasure.
Jen-I wish I had known how it would grow! Its amazing to me that we touch as many people as we do.
What's the single most important thing that photography bloggers should master?
Shannon- listen to your readers. I get hundreds of emails asking for certain things, as well as emails saying that they really aren’t loving something. Our blog is for the readers, so if we don’t listen to their feedback, we may have no readers…..in turn, no blog.
Sarah- To connect with people.
Megan-Making the time to blog frequently.
Meg- Wow – that’s a hard question to answer but again I think it goes back to being true to your own style – to your own thoughts – I really think people would rather have honesty – you can’t please everyone and that’s what is so great about TML – we are 5 viewpoints – it’s very refreshing.
Jen-I think with any type of writing, you should know your target audience. Have a firm idea of who you want to speak to and what they want to hear.
What do you think it is that makes TML successful and have so many followers?
Shannon- I think our blog is something that everyone can relate to. Whether it be photography, parenthood, a place to come get inspired, a place to learn a little something new or enter in a kick butt giveaway, we have something for everyone! And I think the 5 of us are pretty awesome gals. Haha!
Sarah- Well, our fabulousness of course. ;) the giveaways, the eye candy, the tips and tricks...I could go on!
Megan-Our genuine love for all things photography related. And Shannon's dedication.
Meg- For all the reasons I stated before 5 women, 5 friends, 5 photogs, 5 viewpoints – there are a lot of “us” out there and encouraging and supporting each other is really what it’s all about. Motherhood isn’t easy. Photography isn’t easy. Life isn’t easy but the ride sure is fun when you’re not alone and can identify with someone.
Jen-There’s a huge network of photographer moms out there and I think TML is just a great outlet for us and our common interests. We keep things real while keeping a positive outlook. Giveaways don’t hurt either!
To someone just starting their photography blog, what advice would you give?
Shannon- have fun!! Make it your own. Involve those who want to be a part of it.
Sarah- To offer a variety of features, become an expert on drawing people in...and network!
Megan-People love giveaways!
Meg- Just take the plunge – be consistent – have fun – just be you!
Jen-Know your audience. Stay focused on the message and image you want to portray. Don’t be afraid to inject your own personality into your blogging…people can see pretty pictures anywhere, so you want them to come to you because they enjoy what YOU are posting. Be unique – be yourself.
In reading through your blogs, I see that all of you have children/families. How on earth do you do it all??
Shannon-this was something I really struggled with last year and had to make some big changes for this year. I tried to do it all and I was failing. I was overwhelmed and my family, sadly, paid the price.
This year i have cut back my workload…by a lot. Time with my husband and boys is time that I will never get to repeat, so I will be making the most of every minute of it. But don’t get me wrong, you will still find me behind my camera doing what I love!!! I’m in a happy place
Sarah- Well, I don't! I don't do it all. I do what I can. I try to make that enough. I have to know what my priorities are and set boundaries. Still working on this one!
Megan-That's the question I'm still trying to figure out. When I figure it out I'll let myself know. ha ha.
Meg- I wonder that myself sometimes – my house isn’t in perfect order, and my hair might be a mess and there may be dishes in the sink {I’ll never tell!} but I know that when I found these wonderful women out there in the world I felt a kindred spirit and I knew it all would be okay. Our children are around the same age, we’ve supported each other in selling homes and moving, changing careers, starting our photography businesses, encouraging each other, caring for each other and most of all laughing about it. Daily. I’m not the perfect wife, the perfect mother, the perfect friend or the perfect photographer. But I have 4 perfect friends who I adore and somehow that is enough. Xo
Jen- Any mom will tell you it’s a hard thing to juggle everything! It’s a real struggle sometimes, but you always find time for that which you love.
