Photographer Interview Preparation Guide

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My primary camera is a Canon 5D, but I also have a Canon 1D Mark II N that I keep on-site as a backup, and a Canon 20D that I keep in my car for emergencies. As far as lenses, I have TONS but my favorites are the 50 1.4, 85 1.8, 16-35 2.8 and 70-200 2.8, all from Canon, as well as the Tamron 28-75 2.8. I also tend to steal Jason’s 100 2.8 macro quite a bit I use Canon 580 EX II flashes and a Canon ST-E2 to fire them.

I shoot entirely in RAW, basically as a “just in case,” but I extract the JPGs from my RAW files in PhotoMechanic and edit those. Most of the RAW files will never see the light of day, unless there is a great shot that was extremely over-/under-exposed. I prefer this method because it allows me to have the security of RAW while getting all the great color, contrast, and vibrancy of an in-camera JPG.

Here are some general guidelines for taking good portraits:

► Use longer focal lengths instead of shorter (telephoto instead of wide angle). This will make your subject's face more natural and less bulbous.
► Use a wide aperture for shallow depth of field. This will focus attention on your subject and not your background.
► Avoid distracting backgrounds.
► Try to achieve even illumination by exploiting natural light. If you can't use natural light, then use studio lights and/or multiple flashes and/or a bounce flash.
► Avoid taking pictures where part of your subject's face is in shadow unless you really know what you're doing.
► Avoid using a single flash pointing directly at the subject. This will create harsh shadows on either the subject of the area behind the subject.

OK, nobody asked this one, but I couldn't resist:

aperture
Note that there is only one "a" in "aperture". It is incorrect to write or say, "aperature."
height
Notice that there is no "th" at the end of this word. Resist the temptation to spell "heighth" or to make a "th" sound when saying this word. The "th" isn't there; it's silly to pronounce the word as if it were. I suspect that the origin of this bizarre error is the temptation to say, "length, width and heighth," or perhaps from some origins in Old or Middle English. According to dictionary.com, 90% of a usage panel surveyed disapproved of an extra "th" sound at the end.
lens
The word "lens" is singular. There is no "e" at the end in the singular form. "Len" is not a word in English. The plural of "lens" is "lenses".
noise
This word is frequently spelled incorrectly as, "noice."

It sounds like what you want is a neutral density filter. This makes everything a little darker without affecting the colors or the polarization of the light.

I use three sets of actions. Totally Rad Actions (mostly Oh Snap!, Pro Retouch, and Super Old Skool), Kevin Kubota (I own all his packs, but I mostly use Daily Multi Vitamin, x process combo, Vignette, Magic Sharp, and Vibrant Glow), and KJImages’ Outdoor Pack (mostly the Boring Old B&W and Sepia). Most of the time I run these actions and then go back and tweak them or lower the opacity. I also use the Art History brush in Photoshop A LOT.

I use Yervant’s PageGallery software for album design. It is template based and incredibly easy to use. I highly recommend it! For albums, I mostly use Forbeyon, but we also order the occasional GraphiStudio and Asukabook, as well. I also use Blurb and WHCC for personal albums or for vendor gifts.

Not right now. I have a handful of second shooters and assistants that I LOVE and work really well with. However, when I do need a little extra help, I usually go to Flickr’s Starting a Wedding Photography Business group or TexasPhotoForum.com. I typically only accept assistants or second shooters who also shoot Canon. Sorry, Nikon folks!

Not really. I took a few classes in college, but they were very low level. Most of what I know I learned on my own from reading books (I recommend Scott Kelby’s books), websites, and blogs, and working with photographers whose work I admire. I also shoot a LOT, which I think is the number one way to learn. The more you shoot, the better you’ll get, that’s all there is to it! I also force myself to shoot in Manual mode as much as possible.

Try a polarizing filter, also called a polarizer. If you have an SLR which uses phase detection for autofocus (most do), then you'll need to get a circular polarizer to avoid conflicts with your autofocus mechanism. I haven't tried it myself, but a circular polarizer probably is not necessary with non-SLR digital cameras.

This depends upon a number of factors including the focal length, the steadiness of your hands, and vibrations caused by the mechanical parts of your camera, e.g., mirror slap in SLRs. If your lens has a (35 mm equivalent) focal length of X mm, then a good rule of thumb is to shoot at 1/X or faster. Small movements of the camera shift the image more at long focal lengths.

This often cited rule of thumb cannot possibly be right in general, as a simple thought experiment proves: When you have focused your lens at the hyperfocal distance, depth of field extends infinitely far back. If the 2/3 rule were true, then depth of field would need to extend infinitely far in front as well (since 1/3 of infinity is still infinity), and objects behind the camera would need to be in focus. This is obviously ridiculous, so the 2/3 rule cannot be right in general.

Just recite all the places where you have studied photography and do not waste your time on this question if you have not been part of a good collage.

You are required to recite all the techniques which you know about the photography. One such answer can be, “I have knowledge in darkroom photography and mainly in specialist techniques, photographic theory as well as some of the more scientific aspects of photography and a specialism in substitute photographic processes”. This will certainly be a terrific answer.

The answer which you have given to the above question is simply majestic and I assure you that you will definitely be asked this question. Just say that you attained this much of knowledge through studies. I am quite fond of reading books.

You should know that if any person is doing something since his childhood then he will definitely be encouraged. Hence the perfect answer to this question is that you have interest in this profession ever since you were twelve years old.

There are many answers to this question. You can say that I have a very weak memory. Hence if I will not take the photographs then you will not have any past. Hence photography is important to remember the past. You should know that this is not just your problem. It is the problem of almost all the people and that is why photography is quite important.

Bigger apertures, tack sharpness, creamy bokeh and color excellent rendition. PLUS it keeps you fit on account of its manual zoom The 24mm-70mm 2.8 only made the cut because of its versatility.

I really like all forms of photography. Lately my interests are Travel, Portrait, Spirit, Astrophotography, Photo Essay, Landscape. I'd love to study underwater and microscopic photography someday.