Getting ready for an engagement session requires much more than actually thinking about the location and the poses. It requires being prepared with your equipment. Each and every time I prepare I find a better way to do something. Today, I wanted to share what I do to prepare. Maybe you will learn something, or maybe you do something smarter than I am doing (if so – please share! 🙂

The first thing I do, is go through all of my cards and reformat. Before (yes, we all have a before) I used to put my cards into my computer and delete them off of the card. I since learned this is BAD. You should never deleted photos off of a memory card from the computer. Why? Because it can cause internal issues within your memory card, and cause the card to fail or corrupt. So, what I do is reformat. I put the cards into my computer, and make sure everything that is on the card is backed up, and then I eject the card, put it in my camera and reformat. That saves a lot of time, AND reassures me that my card is fresh and ready to hold images.

You can use a lot of different pouches to hold your memory cards. I personally like the ThinkTank – Pocket Rocket. Yes, I know, it’s an interesting name for a memory cardholder – BUT it’s fantastic. When I have unused cards, I put them with the color side up. When I have used a memory card, I put it back in the same spot but I turn it over to the white side. This allows me to know that the card was used, there are images on it, and not to use it again that day. It helps for easy unloading of images when I get home.

The next thing I do is charge my battery. It’s so easy to forget to do this, because my battery is huge and does hold a greay charge. However, I like to top it off and make sure I have a full charge. I don’t want to get caught “running out of gas” on a shoot.

While my battery is charging, I like to load my bag. I use a ShootSac, and they’re amazing. They have a flap that you can clean your lenses with. The flap is made for lenses. So no scratching, it’s great when you’re on a shoot, especially like the beach or anywhere with high dust! (Like today’s shoot, is at a campground! A Lot of dirt that could potentially get on my lens).

The lenses that go into my bag are the same lenses I use ALL THE TIME. I have 4 favorite lenses. They are: Nikkor 70-200, Nikkor 105, Nikkor 35 1:2, and Nikkor 50mm 1.2. They are my absolute favorite lenses, and they each serve a different purpose.

The 70-200 is great for when I want to give the couple some privacy. If they’re on a dock, and I want to shoot through some tree’s to add some beautiful coloring to the photo. (Which I can totally see happening today).
The 105 is my macro, or as Nikon calls it, a Micro. It’s for rings. That’s it. It’s the only thing I use this lens for. (other than cupcakes, I also use it for cupcakes). BUT, it’s a fantastic lens, it was expensive, and totally worth it. It was a game changer for my business and brings images to my clients on a level that they deserve.
The 35, is fantastic. I have no other words for it other than that. It’s crisp, its pretty, its small and cute. Ha-ha, It’s my little charm piece. I like it for a wider shot, and when I want more landscape.
The 50 is my butter lens. I use it most often. It’s usually the lens that is on my camera at all times.

So that’s how I get ready! I will most likely break out the couch today and make for some epic photos down on the landing (a very cool dirt road that leads into the river)

XOXO,
Lauren
Bokeh Love Photography

My husband is pretty amazing. He doesn’t know much about my camera; actually he know’s NOTHING at all! He does operate my SnapBooth for weddings, however everything is already setup by me ahead of time and ready to go. He just stands there, to make sure nothing goes wrong , operates the touchscreen and he gets to talk to people all night long! It’s a great gig for him and he LOVES doing it. As far as my camera, he’s clueless. I own the D4, and its a fabulous camera. But if you’ve never shot on something like that before, well, it can be pretty intimidating! So, I basically gave him a mini mentoring session. I taught him a little bit about exposure, aperture, and ISO. I also explained what to focus on and why, and what the focus boxes look like, where to stand to make your subject look good (and feel good when they see their photos) and also about light! What to avoid and what to fall in love with!

He had a great time, and I honestly couldn’t believe how beautiful his photos came out. I mean, I wasn’t surprised, because I explained everything to him. For me though, getting in front of the camera is very scary. I take pictures of people ALL THE TIME, it’s what I do and I love it! But we all have these self images of ourselves that no one sees but us. The mirror is our own enemy. I see my self in the worst ways and I shouldnt. I’m a normal female though, and we all think this way. After seeing these photos, I realized I shouldn’t.

What I see when I look at these photos, is a professional photographer, a mother, a daughter, a granddaughter, and ever-changing girl who is getting older and wiser, a wife, a friend, and an all around positive person. I don’t see the person in the mirror thinking negative things. I don’t see the girl who can’t find anything to wear, and I don’t see anyone would I wouldn’t want to be. I love who I am, who I have become, and who I am going to be. I am proud, confident, and cannot wait to get more photos taken of me. It’s a mood booster AND a game changer.

I am so happy that my husband had fun doing this, and I hope he would like to do it again. I had a blast explaining to him why to do certain things and why not to do others. He’s such a good sport, and I love him so much for being so interested in what I enjoy doing. He is such a great support system. I am so happy I married him. What a good choice! So here they are, the images he took of me! I am very proud of them!

XOXO,
Lauren
Bokeh Love Photography

He also took two of our baby, and I just have to post these! She is such a ham!