Stephanie Fay Photography

Jenny Smith - Hey Stephanie, Can you talk about your exact settings when using an off camera light during receptions? Both the settings for the camera and the flash and the off camera flash? I have tried this several times and am struggling with it. Apr 10, 2012, 2:09PM

Sarah Kehl - Hi Stephanie! You have just the loveliest bridal party photos! I think your group posing is amazing - symmetrical, great lines, each individual looks beautiful, perfect backgrounds, and so original than the everyone-squeeze-together approach that we see so often. Your group posing is stunning and so artistic. So my question is: how do you do it?! What's your inspiration for group posing, what's your thought process when posing large groups of people, how do you decide what "layout" to place the people (or clusters of people) in? If I could pick your brain about one topic, this would be it - I LOVE your group shots! Thank you for sharing your expertise with us!! And one more thing - how do you feel about people using Pinterest and pinning your photos? I love your work and would pin away, but I want to make sure it's okay with you first, I know that some photographers are uncomfortable with it. Thank you, Stephanie! Huge fan! Apr 2, 2012, 4:03PM

Lea P - I have a question from your most recent wedding you posted (gorgeous of course!) Do you have any special advice for OUTDOOR receptions regarding flash etc since bouncing light from the walls and ceiling isnt possible? Thank you! Mar 30, 2012, 11:50AM

Stephanie Fay - Hi Tina! I dont do anything with the opacity- just use magic sharp! Maybe check how large your photos are- if they are super small or shrunken it can be more harsh Mar 29, 2012, 3:30PM

stephanie fay - Hi Hannah! I dont control anything inside my camera- I have all settings (white balance etc) set to auto- there just isnt enough time at a wedding to change these- I control my images by using the natural light and reflectors around me to achieve the best lighting :) Mar 29, 2012, 3:28PM

Stephanie Fay - Hi Kristin!-unfortunately magic sharp is a photoshop preset- You may be able to upload it to lightroom but I have no idea how to do that... maybe try googling your options- Mar 29, 2012, 3:24PM

Andria - Stephanie- Not to sound geeky-like "ME too" but that's my favorite as well. I've never found a lens (even trying more expensive ones that were returned) that give my baby shoots prettier skin tones than that one. =) Love your work. You truly understand the wonder and beauty of light in natural forms. I think you take such graceful images because you yourself seem very graceful to me...not that I even know you or claim to. ;) Thanks for the question answer session. I've never used magic sharp, but now I'm curious to play around with it a bit to see how different it is from the sharpening options in LR. I wish you well with the new baby too! My little boys are the most magical thing that has ever captured my imagination or attention. Being a mom is an amazing thing. Mar 27, 2012, 10:45AM

Hannah - Hi Stephanie, I was curious if you could explain a little about what all you do to control your images in camera? Aside from shooting in manual, is there other settings you change to get the best coloring? Thank you for answering all of these questions, they are all very helpful! Mar 26, 2012, 11:25PM

Ginny - Hi Stephanie! Love your work and have been secretly stalking your blog for awhile. I recently launched my own album design business. What do you think is the best way for me to get the word out? The idea of sending a blanket email to wedding photographers seems so impersonal to me. Would love to hear your thoughts on how to make my business grow. Mar 26, 2012, 6:22PM

Stephanie Fay - Jennifer- Thanks for the comment! I think first you want to decide how much YOU deserve to make after all expense. Add in your time shooting, and your time editing- Time is valuable and its up to YOU to determine your value. We recently increased our price and added in our costs necessary to provide a bigger album as well as other costs like batteries, and small things we found were definitely costing us extra money. Nothing significant but as our business has grown we have noticed some of the cost of the small things. Hope this helps! :) thanks you! Mar 26, 2012, 11:08AM

Stephanie Fay - Kristen- Thanks for the question! As far as my sharpness goes- Alot of it is due to making sure my subject is in perfect focus- as well as making sure my FSTOP is higher- 2.0 or higher. This helps with sharpness and I finish my photos of with magic sharp. My best communication to my clients is my blog and our initial meeting. I tell my clients to always check out the blog to get a good idea on what to expect.. and at our initial meeting I walk them through how we work. I show them a variety of photos and if props are something they want to do, I can expect a more elaborate shoot and if they just simply want photos with no special effects, thats ok too- I just feel them out for what theyre looking for first and help them achieve that look. Hope this helps! :) Mar 26, 2012, 11:05AM

Tina - I have one other question:) Do you run Kubota's Magic Sharp at it's full opacity, or do you somehow lower the opacity? I always feel like it tends to be really harsh on my photos! Mar 26, 2012, 10:57AM

Kristen - Stephanie, can you explain some more about your images' sharpness? It's rare to see such deliciously crisp photographs. Also, how do you communicate with clients before a shoot to get the best session possible without overwhelming them - especially for clients not so into planning? By planning I mean talking about what they're looking for, possible props, outfits, location, etc. Some people simply want to take the pictures and be done, and of course you want to please the customer-how do you balance this? Mar 26, 2012, 9:52AM

Jennifer - Hi Stephanie! Thanks for your openess to help :) Currently, I'm struggling with my collections/pricing. I've recently increased my prices and I'm having a hard time determining how much/how little to include with my collections. How do you handle price increases and determining what to include in your collections? Mar 26, 2012, 9:15AM

Bec - I wasn't going to comment, but I have to say, it's so refreshing and so lovely to see someone else not falling into the trap of overediting their images with actions! I love the simplicity of your images, and my style is similar in the way that I love clean processing. Love the post too, love the pic of the albums. Very nice! Mar 25, 2012, 10:19PM

Stephanie Fay - Michelle s- my husband Stephen does shoot every shoot with me. He is also pursuing Professional golf as a career so one day he will God willing me playing golf one day and not shooting :) Mar 24, 2012, 11:32AM

Michelle S - Thanks for the reply! I've wondered about your husband's role in your business? Does he always shoot with you? Does he have an additional job? It's great that you can work with your hubby! Mar 24, 2012, 11:24AM

Stephanie Fay - Hi Michelle S! Congrats on the new camera! I ONLY shoot manual so I'm always in control of what my lighting looks like. I don't always worry about the blue sky because I sometimes think having a blown out background makes a very beautiful photo.. It just depends on your style and location. If I'm shooting the ocean in the background, shooting different angles will help achieve g the deep blue ocean .. so it all depends on your style :) no right or wrong way to shoot! Mar 24, 2012, 11:12AM

Michelle S - Hi Stephanie! I so admire your work and I love that you love the Lord! I just bought the 5d Mk ii and am still learning all of the features. Do you adjust the white balance while shooting or just use Auto? Also, I love the lighting in your shots. How do you compensate when the skies are dark and gloomy and there is not a lot of natural sunlight? Thanks! :) Mar 24, 2012, 11:04AM

Stephanie Fay - Hi Sara! I think after 10 years, most photographers do not still have your digital images or copies- it all depends on what your contract says- Also, if you were un happy with your photos, it may not be something to bring up 10 years later- That is something that should have been discussed probably pretty soon after the wedding so maybe they could have worked something out for you but unfortunately since you saw their work, signed a contract with them and trusted them to document your day, im not sure theres anything else you can do? Mar 24, 2012, 10:48AM

Michelle - Great! I do adjust those too and hope to nail it more consistently now that I will be working with HS Seniors instead of little kiddos :) Thank you so much for answering our questions and letting us have a glimpse into your talent! You Rock! Mar 23, 2012, 9:10PM

Stephanie Fay - Steph H- yes I definitely scout locations ahead of time. I talk to my clients at the engagement shoot about the wedding day timeline as well as how we work. They get a good feel for us at the engagement shoot. Mar 23, 2012, 8:06PM

Stephanie Fay - I shoot around 80-100 gbs. Not sure how many cards exactly but around 80-100...it all depends on how many images we take on a wedding but we typically give our clients somewhere between 16-20 mb. (300 dpi) I shoot with the mark II Which also makes Images larger As well as shootinh on raw. Hope this helps :) Mar 23, 2012, 8:04PM

Gina - #1 How many CF cards do you use on a typical wedding day and how many megabytes. #2 How large of a digital file do you usually hand the clients? Thanks for your post! ^_^!!! Mar 23, 2012, 7:57PM

Steph H. - Hi Stephanie, Do you pre-scout a lot of locations or just go with the flow on the wedding day? How much info/itinerary ahead of time do you give the couple for the wedding day in regards to photos? Thanks! Mar 23, 2012, 7:57PM

Stephanie Fay - Yeni - Here is what my typical workflow looks like. 1) Shoot 2) Upload to Hard Drive 3) Upload to Lightroom 4) Adjust in LR 5) Export from LR 6) Batch Magic Sharp in Photoshop 7) Upload to SmugMug 8)Burn and mail out disc to clients Hope this answers your question :) Mar 23, 2012, 6:26PM

Stephanie Fay - Michelle - I shoot manually just as you do. I adjust the ISO/shutter/aperture to achieve the right look. When I first started I read my manual, but after that I learned based solely on experience. I do believe that my photos are lit well largely due to where I position my couples based on my use of the natural light surrounding me. And this was something that I had learned overtime as well. Mar 23, 2012, 6:16PM

Michelle - Yes, Stephanie! Thank you! I shoot manually but never realized there were other settings that were adjustable in camera! Do you have any sites that you recommend that have helped you learn what adjustments to make in camera? Thanks! Mar 23, 2012, 6:06PM

Stephanie Fay - Michelle - Typically in lightroom I will adjust by generally taking some contrast out of my pictures. I brighten/darken them accordingly (generally not much) and sometimes use a bit of recovery on the picture if needed. I also will adjust the temp/tint slightly if it is needed. Sometimes the photo may look too warm/cool so I adjust accordingly. Mar 23, 2012, 6:02PM

Stephanie Fay - Hi Michelle! You are so sweet... Thank you for your kind words! So what we do is focus more on shooting IN camera rather than spending more time editing... So I often find myself looking at the venue and lighting a few days before a wedding so I know what to expect. I change my settings in camera to achieve the right light so I don't have to spend hours in Lightroom... But I do perfect lighting and coloring in LR still. Hope this helps? Mar 23, 2012, 5:49PM

Michelle Hebert - Your talent is just so inspirational and you're pictures are flawless. If most of your pictures are close to what we see on your blog, what tips can you give us for obtaining that same flawless look through LR without over editing? Thanks Stephanie! Mar 23, 2012, 5:43PM

Stephanie Fay - Tracy - All my photos are adjusted in lightroom as well but are shot pretty close to what you see. I try to do most my work in camera, but yes there are also some slight adjustments done in lightroom afterwards. I don't use any presets/actions/effects though except for Kubota magic sharp. Mar 23, 2012, 5:25PM

Stephanie Fay - Karen Shinkins - As far as actions go, I don't use any. I work strictly based on light and that is how I attain the effects in my images. The only effect I use is Kubota magic sharp to get my images and extra pop. Mar 23, 2012, 3:20PM

Stephanie Fay - Lea - So exciting that your moving to the desert! I have never personally seen a snake when shooting, but I'm sure some are around. As far as group meetups, there is a phoenix pug (pictage user group) that some photographers gather to meet and mingle with each other. I'm sure there are some others, but I haven't attended them. I can keep my ear out for you if I hear of any more. If any of you are reading this and know of any photographer meetup groups let us know :) Mar 23, 2012, 3:18PM

Stephanie Fay - Tina - Posing is something that I feel like many people struggle with. I do physically show people how to pose and then let them interact with each other from there. I also ask my clients to take a look at my blog to get a good visual on what to expect. It also helps that my husband, Stephen, comes with me so that we can physically demonstrate to our clients how we'd like them to pose. Our entire is simply to make them feel comfortable in front of the camera and enjoy themselves. The more comfortable they are with us, the more natural they become which results in better images Mar 23, 2012, 3:13PM

Stephanie Fay - Tira J - Yes, I am launching a new website/blog soon created by the fabulous infinet design. It hopefully should be launching fairly soon...next month probably :) Mar 23, 2012, 3:09PM

Karen Shinkins - Hey Stephanie, I love the crisp, light, freshness of your photos. I know choosing great light to place your subjects is a key part of getting that look, but I also wondered if you use any actions on your photos and if so which actions are your "go-to" actions? Am considering investing in some but there are just so many options. Mar 23, 2012, 2:44PM

Lea - As someone that will move to the Phoenix area from the midwest soon, do you have any advice? Like, any great forums or groups where i can get to know other phoenix photographers? Tips to shooting in the desert, like any deadly snakes?! haha!! If you ever need help with your new baby arrival, let me know:) Mar 23, 2012, 2:29PM

Sara - s it dumb after being married 10 years to ask for the negatives from your wedding or to ask to pay as back then no ditgal about an hour ago · Like i believe does great to see someones work first which we did but can't say that i was happy with all the results or got alot of what they did i wish i had better shots or close ups of my ceremony. As well it took forever and we had to keep calling to see if they where ready we where a bit upset as everyone had paid ahead of time Mar 23, 2012, 2:07PM

Tina - Those Cypress albums look amazing! I have always admired how you pose people and how comfortable they look in your photos - any advice on getting natural, comfortable reactions? Do you physically show them what to do? Any advice would be appreciated! Mar 23, 2012, 12:37PM

Tira J - Hi Steph! Can't wait to see that wedding. And, I love your new Cypress albums. I've been designing my own albums, but only with the help of Melissa Jill & her PhotoJunction templates, and now Bobbi & her new InDesign templates. I use Leather Craftsmen for our albums, and since I am only a portrait photographer now, I have some more time to work on the design process. My question for you is: Aren't you working on a hew web/blog/branding design? When will it debut. Hope you are feeling great! Mar 23, 2012, 12:10PM