Morning Everyone!

I’m so excited because my twin sister and her family are headed to visit from Arkansas today!  Look out DFW the sisters are back together 🙂

If you have been following me on Instagram or Instastories you may have some idea of how fabulous this week has been….NOT.  A pipe leaked in our kitchen, so half of our kitchen has been torn out.  Our garage broke the day after that.   I had the WORST stomach virus over the weekend as well….so it’s just one of those times in life that you think “Is this all really happening?”  I’m sure one day we’ll look back and laugh….right?

Anyway, back to the topic of this blog post.  Last year around Christmas time I was asked to photograph the Red Carpet at the Jingle Ball here in Dallas.  I got notice literally the night before and I pretty much told Terence “Hey tomorrow night I have a shoot and I won’t be here!”  Because let’s face it, how many opportunities to photograph events like this will I have in my lifetime?

I arrived early and went through a ton of security.  They check all your gear and backpacks etc.  You are then escorted to a waiting room with a small red carpet and a handful of other photographers from other agencies working from laptops and some even have two or three photographers with them.  You have to be escorted everywhere, because you can’t run around with a camera unattended.  Even if you have to use the bathroom.  Gulp.

They did provide water and a few snacks, but here are a few things I wish I would have known before shooting a red carpet event.

• You are there to serve the agency you work for and nobody else.  You represent them and you are not there to mingle with other photographers.
• Bring a laptop. The sooner you upload your photos, the sooner they are likely to get published and sell.
• Bring ear plugs!  This is a big one….nobody told me this and I wish I would have known.  We got to shoot the celebrities on the red carpet and also the very first song of each performance.  Photographers stand RIGHT NEXT TO the stage equipment and speakers…..so I was basically deaf.  Lol!  After the first song you are escorted back to the waiting area for the next celebrity appearance.
• The waiting gets old.  You may be on a schedule, but the celebrities don’t show up one after the other.  There was at least a 30-45 min gap in between appearances.
• Everyone- including body guards, family members, and acquaintances of each celebrity bombard at once.   The room gets full really quick and it goes by fast, so be ready to shoot and click the minute they walk in.
• Be prepared to YELL!  “Hey Charlie look this way!”  “To the Left” “To the Right” (They are used to this and posing so ASK for their attention or you won’t get it).
• Bring a Red Bull or Caffeine because the night is long and nobody is going to deliver you a Starbucks.

I had the best time and so many of the celebrities were very nice.  Kesha….well…she was quite the diva and didn’t want her live performance photographed either.  To each their own I guess, it was still disappointing.

Here are a few photos I got from that night, I hope you enjoy!  I have hundreds…but you know…gotta whittle it down 🙂

Camilla Cabello

Hailee Steinfeld – Loved her in all the Pitch Perfect movies

Forgot this guy’s name…he was on the Bachelor?

Liam Payne- Former One Direction 

My absolute favorite of the night was Charlie Puth.  His personality was so cute and he was great with everyone.

Hailee’s first song on stage

Kesha

Niall Horan- Former One Direction 

My other favorite was The Chainsmokers.  These two were SO nice and down to earth.

Up and coming boy band- Why Don’t We

I hope you enjoyed these pics and a little behind the scenes info!  I look forward to shooting many more red carpets and having fun.  That’s what life is all about.

xo – Becky with the good coffee

If I had a nickel for every time someone asked me “What kind of camera do you have?” or “What kind of lens is that?” I would be a hundred-aire.  I’ve been thinking about this post a lot and I’m going to spell it all out for you below.  What lenses I use, why I use them, and what I use them for. Recently I shot a beautiful wedding in Tulum, Mexico so I needed something good and sturdy for traveling.  I’ve owned every kind of camera bag out there from the expensive Kelly Moore bags, sling bags, and hard cases.  I still use my hard case to store all my equipment in, but if I’m running around or traveling I use this backpack.  Thanks to my photographer friend Cindy who told me about it.  This bag has become a new favorite!  I have two camera bodies, two flashes, four lenses, extra camera cards, charger, accessories, AND a change of clothes!

I also have a hard case like this one that I use for storage.  It’s waterproof and STRONG, also great for travel.I shoot with a Nikon D750 camera body.  I considered the Nikon 810, but unless you’re shooting pictures that need to be blown up into billboards, I wouldn’t spend the extra money.  The D750 is an AMAZING camera!  I would recommend buying a camera body and all your lenses separate.  The lenses that usually come in kits are crappy and you get what you pay for.  If you want good glass and a great lens to go with your high end DSLR camera do your research and buy what you need, not what comes with the camera just because it’s there.  In my opinion there’s a reason why it’s in a kit.  It’s not the best quality lens and you think your getting a good deal…when in actuality you aren’t. Okay, now let’s talk lenses.  My go-to lens is what most people call the “nifty fifty”.  That’s probably because it’s one of the most universal lenses that can be used for both portraits & landscape.  It’s also really lightweight and easy to carry.  You can’t go wrong with this lens.  It’s a fixed lens, so you can’t zoom in or out, but once you learn to master it then you’ll find yourself grabbing it all the time!  This lens is also relatively inexpensive compared to most DSLR lenses.

A 50 mm also works really well in low lighting situations.

I carry a Nikon 28-300 in my bag.  This is a good overall zoom lens for just about anything and it pretty universal.  We used this lens when we traveled to Europe and it did just fine.  This is a great lens for any situation- up close or afar.

Now this is my MAC DADDY lens.  My baby.  My 70-200 lens.  This is great when I shoot weddings and need that up close and personal shot from waaaaay down the isle.  This is a zoom lens in every capacity.  I love this lens for all that it is…shoulder pains and all.  This is not something you want to carry on your shoulders all day long, but dang is it crisp and sharp.  If you’re searching for an all around zoom lens- this is it.Example shot:

I was standing pretty far away in this photo, but you can still see how close I got and it’s pretty crisp.

Last, but not least is a great wide angle lens.  This is a Nikon 20mm lens.  A fun lens to have for landscapes, real estate, or parties.  If you want to get a large group of people, an entire room, or a HUGE mountain….this is your lens!  Example shot:

As far as accessories go I’ll list a few out here.  I used to have a lighting set-up but I rarely used it, so I ended up selling it.  I have two off camera speedlights and a ring light if I need it.

Other accessories I always keep on hand are extra camera cards, an extra battery charger for my camera, extra flash batteries, and filters for all my lenses.

Accessories every photographer needs to have:

White Balance Card

Wireless Remote (for your flash)

Polarizing Filter

A couple of good tripods

UV Lens Filter

Light Reflector

Camera Cleaning Kit

I hope this answered some of your questions and feel free to leave a comment if you have any more. I love photography and it’s truly become my creative outlet.  It takes a lot of practice and time, but it’s so much FUN!  One thing I’ve learned over the years is you CANNOT compare yourself to other photographers.  Everyone has their own eye and their own editing style.  No picture is just alike and no matter how much you just loooove a picture on Pinterest and try to recreate it…it’s not going to be exact.  Just like I can’t make everyone look like a super model, even Photoshop has it’s limits!  If you are looking into editing software then Lightroom is a great place to start.  After you’ve mastered Lightroom you can get into heavier editing using Photoshop.  It’s all about your creative outlet and your eye for the photo.  Most importantly have FUN!

xo – Becky with the good coffee 😉