Know Your Gear, Save Your Shot!

I vividly remember my very first maternity session, which I shot for friends. It was so exciting to capture a special time in their lives, but even though they were friends I wanted to execute the session perfectly to make them happy and begin a new portion of my portfolio. Well, we did capture images that I adore, but there was a moment when my "oh crap" poker face came in handy. Finger on the shutter button, I pressed down and nothing happened. Nothing. My screen showed a dreaded error, but I'd not yet learned everything I should have about my camera body. FEE kept flashing at me, taunting me when all I wanted was the shot below with my 85mm. Luckily for me and my friends, I also had my 70-200mm on my other camera body for nicely compressed portraits. It only took a few seconds to switch cameras, but my heart was beating so quickly with the thought that my expensive lens or camera might be broken. A quick Google search when I got home relieved my worries, but I couldn't help but wonder what I would have captured if I'd only known I had to simply move the aperture ring on the lens and reattach it.


Being a student allows you the freedom to experiment and push your gear to the limits. To get the most out of it, though, you need to learn everything it's capable of. Read your manuals, look at reviews to learn how each piece excels or falls flat, and definitely memorize those error codes so you don't end up in a situation like I did!

Do you have any anecdotes about times when you wish you'd known your gear a bit better? Leave them in the comments so we can learn from one another.

Master the Maternity Session

Working with engaged couples and new parents is a blast because it means seeing people at their happiest. Emotions run high and the images captured serve as valuable reminders of important life events, from weddings to first birthdays. An event that is quite different from those is the pregnancy itself. Maternity sessions are exciting in their own right, but instead of the high-energy images captured at weddings and family portraits, there is an underlying sense of serenity mixed with anxious anticipation at a maternity session. Capturing this is so worthwhile - if you know anyone who is expecting, see if they'll let you try your hand at maternity photography to see if it's something you want to add to your repertoire!

Typically taken after the 30-week mark (I find 32 weeks to be ideal), maternity photographs should show off a mom-to-be's connection with her child and make her feel beautiful even though she's likely quite uncomfortable and ready for baby to come out! Selecting a location that is special to the couple, encouraging her to bring a few outfits that make her feel great, and shooting a variety of angles and poses will make for a successful maternity session. Incorporate props from baby's nursery or the other parent into the session for extra special images. Not only will the parents love having reminders of how they felt while waiting on their little one to arrive, but the child will get to see how loved he or she was even before taking a first breath!

-Friday Ambassador