This may be the shortest blog post I'll ever write. Because the answer is NO - no photographers will lose business because of the release of the iPhone X.

Someone asked me the same question when the iPhone 7 Plus came out (which has the lovely portrait mode). I was at a workshop and someone asked if I was scared I'd lose business. Why am I so confident in my answer? Just look at the photos below.

Thanks Cleveland, for helping me prove my point!

Happy Friday!
​Autumn

Why I teach photography workshops:

• ​Because it's fun. Teaching is super fun. I never knew I loved it until I tried it. :)
• I don't believe in competition. There's enough for everyone. Maybe I'll write about this soon.
• Because I believe in helping people. It brings me lots of joy when I see people after a workshop and say, "You helped me get amazing photos of my family/friend/dog/etc.!" Being reminded when my work helps others is a gift that gives throughout the year. I'm so lucky.
• The answer you might have been expecting: when people come to my workshops, they see that I know what I'm doing. They see that they can trust me to do my job. Which means they might refer me to a friend, or hire me, or talk me up to someone who is in need of photography. It's certainly a benefit, I can't lie - but it's last on the list for a reason.

Told you it would be a simple explanation!

Happy Friday!
​Autumn

"She's killing it."

How often have you heard a friend say this about someone? Or better yet, has anyone said it to you? How does it make you feel? It's meant to be a compliment, but can it weaken your confidence?

​Over the past year, I've talked to other people who have been referred to as folks who were "killing it," and they feel the same way. Some of them have only recently started a new business or project and are still figuring it out. Others aren't yet making enough money to support themselves, and they certainly don't feel like they're "killing it." There are even some who are so stressed from the work that they're doing, that it doesn't seem worth it to be complimented with such a phrase.

And that's ok. It's all ok. No matter if you're using the phrase or receiving the phrase, know that it's intended to be a compliment, and that's it. If you said it, you probably made the person feel good. If you received it, congrats, people see what you're doing and believe in you!

Just like the old adage, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder," so is "he/she is killing it." It's all about perception, and has nothing to do with truth. Those being told they're "killing it" are not perfect - because no one is! Don't let others' hard work and accolades tear down your confidence about whatever it is that you're pursuing.

You're doing great. Keep going. I believe in you.

Happy Friday!
Autumn

SHUTTER SPEED
Adjusting the shutter speed means changing how long your shutter stays open (aka how long the camera sensor is exposed to light). If you set your shutter speed to 1/60 (one sixtieth of a second), the image will be brighter than if you set your shutter speed to 1/2000 (one two-thousandth of a second).

In addition to more vs. less light, shutter speed also has a lot to do with stopping (or not stopping!) motion. The longer the shutter stays open, the more motion is captured. With the same two examples, let's say your shutter is set to 1/60 at a sporting event. You might see too much blur as the athletes move quickly. But setting it to 1/2000 might be good enough to "stop" the action for a crisp shot.

APERTURE
Changing the aperture means you are making the lens opening wider or narrower. A wider aperture (lower f-number, like f/1.8) means more light as well as a narrower depth of field, while a narrower aperture (higher f-number, like f/16) means less light as well as a wider depth of field.

Depth of field is the distance of focus between the subject and its foreground and background. Wide depth of field means lots of parts of the image are in focus - things closer to the camera and things way behind the subject are more focused. Narrow depth of field means the subject you're focused on is crisp and in focus while the rest of the foreground and background are more blurry.

ISO
Increasing ISO allows you to work with less light. BUT! This is not a magic button to make the darkness in every low-light situation you are in go away. As you increase ISO, the image gets brighter, but quality gets lower. You will start to notice graininess in your images the higher the ISO you go. 

Homework:

• Set your camera to M (manual) mode and start practicing
• Purchasing a 50mm lens will change everything - here's why
• Let me know if you have any questions :)

Happy Friday, and happy shooting!
Autumn

August was a wonderful month, and it was especially amazing because of my collaboration with Allie Lehman and Megan Leigh Barnard. The three of us were doing personal (aka "for fun") creative portrait projects this past winter, and decided to put a gallery show together. We called it Ten by Three: A Badass Portrait Series since we each photographed 10 women in our own creative ways.

​The most beautiful thing I learned was that without this collaboration, the project wouldn't have been fun, or even possible. We needed each other to make this gallery show a success. And for me, that so closely matches the Creative Babes motto of "Fuck Competition. Build Community."

Thank you to everyone who supported, helped, and loved us through this process. It was so fun, and we look forward to future collaborations not only with each other, but also with other amazing creatives in our beautiful city. <3

Happy Friday!
Autumn