In this post we have a very lovely photographer with us! She has given an exclusive interview with us! Read on to know more about her!
1. Introduce yourself.
Hi! I’m Michelle Robertson. I am a professional photographer located in warm, sunny, Arizona. I’m the owner of Magical Memories by Michelle, LLC. I specialize in photo shoots that celebrate tweens, teens, high school seniors, graduation and all the fun that happens during those awesome years!
2. What equipment do you use for your photography?
In My Bag:
Canon 5D Mark IV
Canon 70-200mm 2.8L
Canon 24-70mm 2.8L
Canon 28mm 1.8
Canon 85mm 1.8
Canon 600EX-RT
And most importantly, the bag itself! It’s a Think Tank Photo Airport bag that I’ve had for over 10 years! It holds all my equipment and still plenty of room for extra batteries, SD cards, lens cleaner, and laptop.
3. Do you do post processing/editing on your photos?
Yes, but only to enhance what is already there. It’s always best to get as close to perfect before you shoot, then I professionally edit and retouch each image by hand. Sometimes it includes adding a sky if the sky was dull that day or cloning out distracting objects.
I begin with Lightroom and select only the best images to edit. Lightroom has a star rating system that works perfectly for me. From there I do most of my editing in Lightroom. It’s such a powerful too and by using adjustment brushes I can edit just specific areas of each image. Global editing modifies the entire image, but adjustment brushes allow you much more control.
Next is Photoshop, which I use only as necessary. Because I work with so many teenagers, I often retouch skin to remove blemishes. Nobody wants to remember those! Photoshop allows me to remove distracting objects and work in layers to create the look I want.
4. What kind of photo sessions you love the most?
I specialize in teens and seniors, and can easily work with them every single day! I absolutely love teenagers and everything related to high school. My goal is to make every one of my teen clients feel special, beautiful, and confident. Building their self-esteem through professional portraits is one of my top priorities!
5. What factors depend for shooting the best photo?
First, it’s always lighting. If the lighting isn’t there, nothing else really matters. Once you have proper lighting, whether it is natural or uses external lighting sources, the best photos come when you can get your clients to relax and have fun! I work with my seniors by showing them ides and giving them prompts instead of stiff posing.
6. Any photography tips you want to give to the readers?
In this digital age it’s far too easy to shoot before you think, and you may click the shutter 10 times and still not get it right. If you set up your shot with intent, then click the shutter, you’re more likely to have good results. So here’s a good exercise. Pretend you’re using film! You have 24 shutter clicks, that’s it. I did this for the first time in 2012 and it resulted in getting several images published. That afternoon, I had my model do two separate outfits and we did 24 shots each which equals two rolls of film. I challenge you to try it!
7. Anything else you want to share with the readers?
Learn as much as you can every chance you get. The best way to learn is to have your images critiqued and then try to incorporate those lessons into future photo shoots. Always find someone who inspires you and try to be inspiring to others on their photography journey.
Hope you enjoyed reading the exclusive interview of this lovely photographer!
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