I have been needing this update for a while, but it was one of those things that kept being at the bottom of my lists of things to do, because my old blog was just so comfy and cozy. Sometimes the thought of completely abandoning all I know for something new is hard for me. Whenever I feel that way I just have to slap my self and say, “Woman, wake up!” I am always so glad that I branch out even though it takes some getting use to sometimes.

I would not have been able to do it though with out the fabulous help of Joe Godbee!  He did an amazing job designing my new blog, and listened to me ramble about all the things I needed and wanted. He took time to explain all the little details every step of the way and made the transition from blogger to wordpress a dream! If you are looking for someone to design a website for you, please visit his website & check out his incredible work. He does an amazing job!

Well, I am on vacation in Jacksonville to enjoy my precious family and the beautiful weather. I will be blogging saturday’s Wedding in the next few days. I hope you enjoy the new blog make sure to update your bookmarks and your RSS readers, in the mean time ……..I am off to buy some new shoes :)

Love Always,

Amanda Suanne

The first question is from Cassie, she writes…“I had a question for you – indoor lighting is the downfall of my husband and myself. We recently had a reception that was extremely low lit indoors and I was wondering what sort of settings/flash/equipment you use to capture exactly what you’re seeing. I’m having a really difficult time learning that”

A: I am no expert at lighting but I will tell you who is…ZACK ARIAS….if you are a photographer and have not purchased his “One Light DVD”, you need to. It will change the way you think about light! I learned so much from watching this video. At the reception, I have my assistant set up my off-camera lighting. It consists of an avenger light stand, and 580ex flash, a Westcott soft box and 2 pocket wizards. During the reception, I will use the soft box for a more elegant look, used in the first dance ext, and then when the fun dancing starts, I will pop off the soft-box for a little while and turn the light to the dance floor to get some fun light flair. Another great resource is Strobist.

The second question comes from Aubry, She writes….“my equipment needs some serious updating, and I am wanting to purchase some new stuff within the next week or two. Therefore, I am hoping and praying that you could possibly gear me in the right direction – because I am overwhelmed, haha. I currently have a Canon E0S 10D. The only lenses I have is the one that came with the camera and a 100mm Macro lens. Should I upgrade the camera? If so, what should I get? And can you recommend some awesome lenses, filters, anything? Basically, “what’s in your bag”?

A: I would consider updating your camera. I shoot with the 5D Mark 2. It is an amazing camera and can really increase the quality of your work. However, having good lenses is just as important in my opinion as having a good camera. Here are some of the lenses in my bag that I would totally recommend. Canon 24 2.8, 50 1.2, 85 1.8,100 Macro.

The third question comes from Tara, she writes…. “What advice would you give me on how to get started? How to advertise myself? ”

A: When I got started in photography, I started second shooting with other photographers and doing anything I could to help them. I also started shooting friends, family or just anyone or anything that I could get in front of my camera. I started blogging about the shoots I was doing, and then started getting people emailing me to BOOK photo-shoots!! I have paid for advertising on a national website, but have seen very little return on investment. I would just encourage you to meet with local vendors in your area. 90% off my bookings come from Vendor referrals and I do everything in my power to take care of the vendors I work with. Pay it Forward is my policy :)

Hope this helps!! And if it only helped ONE of you, then that would bring a big smile to my face!! If you follow me on twitter, you have heard about a big change in my life. I decided to die my hair back to its natural color!!! I am still getting use to the change and need to get some fresh pictures up of my new hair, but here is picture taken on my iphone!! What do you think?