Category Archives: FAQ

Jan 22 2010

FAQ II | Marta Locklear Photography

FAQ II

A week or so ago a new little social media trend popped up called Formspring.me . Formspring.me is a place where people can come and anonymously or under profile login ask me anything! Sticking with my New Years Resolution of giving back in photography, I gave it a whirl. I was so surprised at all the questions I was getting and loved answering them!

Since most of the questions have been photography based I thought I would share the link here today in my FAQ. But don’t let that fool you…I will answer everything…not a single question has been skipped yet!

So head over to my Formspring.me profile page and read up on what others have asked…or throw me question yourself!

Question.

Haley asks: My question for you is about your post processing – I love it!  It is light and airy and just so pure feeling.  Could you share with us where you learned the most when it comes to post processing and/or maybe a little tip/secret about your post processing (it could be anything).

I have tried just about every post processing out there. Saturated, vintage, BW, Sepia, light and airy, washed, clear, contrasty, and the list goes on. As an artist I am always trying new things and playing with new actions and presets. My preset and action palettes are shameful they are so full. But this is exactly where I found my current post processing style…I played with actions until something fit the look that was in my head. I do infuse a lot of light in my images, so it was important for me to find actions that worked well with that and made me giddy when I used them (seriously…I am a dork like that, and get giddy while processing).

Some of my favorite Action/Preset Artists are (not in any specific order, I use all these all the time) Lily Blue, Jesh De Rox, Totally Rad Actions, Florabella, and Fall into Blue, to name a few.

A tip for you is to seek out actions and presets that fit the look you are going for, and play…play a lot! Then start to dissect the actions and learn how to adjust them, and make them your own. You will also learn a lot about photoshop while playing with the settings. I tweak everything I use and rarely run an action straight up.

Thanks for your question!

roids cmbo

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Posted in FAQ, Inspiration
Jan 13 2010

FAQ I | Virginia Portait Photographer

Yay! My first FAQ post! Here goes nothing…

#1  How do I do it all? Determination, desire, and a bum load of hard work! It is not easy. There are days that I just want to throw in the towel and quit. Just when I think I have tackled all the obstacles, lessons and such, another one gets thrown my way. BUT…I don’t quit…cause I don’t wanna! I like the business, I like the marketing, I like the teaching, I freakin ADORE the photography, and honestly I am just plain happy doing what I do. I do work for my hubby, drafting and care for my 3 kiddos as well…and this is where people start to wonder about me. It is a lot of work, many of days of no balance, a very patient family, a not so patient me, less sleep than most get, very little “me” time and a dedication to get where I want to get that is unprecedented.

My determination fuels me. It pushes me hard. Each part of my business and life I see as a challenge. I embrace it, figure it out, tackle it, enjoy the reward of personal achievement….and move onto the next. I never limit myself or my capabilities and I enjoy the process of figuring out how to learn and do new things.

#2 What is my favorite lens and what camera do I use? I think a lot of photographers get these questions from other photographers. But my lens answer is hands down Canon 50mm 1.2L. I just added this lens to my bag this past fall and love it to pieces. I shoot 100% with prime lenses and my 50mm is truly my baby. There are mixed reviews on this lens when shooting wide open, but I can say I don’t have an ounce of regret or trouble with it and I shoot 1.2-2.0 all the time. My camera is the Canon 40D. WHAT? None full frame? Yes folks, I like my sensor just the way it is. Do I want to upgrade to lower noise, blah blah blah, not really…I like my noise just the way it is :). Right now I have no reason to upgrade my camera. I rather add to my glass collection or get something totally new…hmmm maybe a Contax or Canon Film Camera? You can see the rest of my gear here.

#3 When will I do a newborn Workshop? Until recently I had not idea that I had a “newborn photographer” tag on me. I have had a couple of people introduce me that way, and clients that have contacted me have said the same thing. It really surprised me. I do love newborns, and get giddy each time I get to work with one, but I do not consider myself a “newborn photographer”. I photograph just about everything, and I plan on keeping it that way. Since I started my other WS’s I have been asked over and over about doing a newborn one. The legistics are something that I need to work out. Timing a birth of baby models around a pre-scheduled 2 day event just seems like the entire universe has to align just right, but I am up for the challenge and I will be doing some this year. They will be very intimate Workshops though with only a few attendees at a time. Working with a newborn is a beast all in its own, and I want to be sure each photographer gets the hang of the process and even get a chance to work with the baby individually. You can subscribe here to be notified of the dates when they are set!

Thanks for reading and keep the questions coming!

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Posted in FAQ, Inspiration, Uncategorized, news, workshops
Jan 04 2010

FAQ & Inspiration: Giving Back

In 2009 I got countless emails weekly from other photographers and even clients asking me about the in’s and outs of my business, my gear, and even how I survive it all. Then I started doing workshops to teach more in depth my creative perspective and quickly I learned just how much I love to teach and share with others. My workshop is more about the creative side of photography but I still get swamped with a ton of questions about my gear, systems, business practices, vendors, inspiration, motivation and much more.

So it got me to thinking.

I owe a lot of my biz knowledge from chatting/quizzing other photographers, book, blogs, forums, and any other form I can find to absorb as much information as possible. I continue my research, inspiration and networking with other photographers on a daily basis. The photographers before me have paved the way by sharing their wealth of info, and now I need to do the same.

It is time to give back.

The Workshops will still continue, but continue as began…creative…and will be getting even more so in 2010. Here I want to share “FAQ’s” from my readers and any other form of “Inspiring” information I find along the way. So start sending those questions and links to inspirational threads to marta@martalocklear.com. I will do my best to get to all of them over time.

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Posted in FAQ, Inspiration, Uncategorized
Jan 01 2010

New Year, New Toys, New Adventures | Virginia Portrait Photographer

Well…it is a new year! Time for fresh starts, new adventures, personal promises and growth. I can sit here and give you a laundry list of all my personal promises, goals, adventures I am planning, etc…but then if I broke them (which a solid handful of them probably will be broken) that would just look bad, so I am going to refrain from publicly embarrassing myself too much.

But I do have somethings I do want to share, since I know they will not be broken (yes the safe route…I am chicken…or self doubting). Marta Locklear Photography is getting a bit of a face lift in the next couple of weeks. You will find all my info in just 2 locations…no more clicking your way around several sites to find all the info. Simple…streamlined…and delicious! My color story will also be changing…I am very excited about this. The site will still remain simple, clean and fresh but I am incorporating a new color story. It turned out the last couple years there was a “blue/aqua/turqoise” explosion in the industry…and I just got tired of it. So after hours of research I think I found a combo that I have not seen yet.

Over the last few months I have taken an extremely heavy interest in film. Nothing like going backwards right? Even though I spent years in art schools, photography was never something I dabbled in, so the film era completely skipped me over. But now that I have the digital thing pretty much down, I wanted to play with a new medium…test the waters, and loose control. For now, it is mostly for my personal use and fun, but as I get comfortable I do plan on incorporating it into my sessions, and business…ya never know…this girl may go 100% film one day. Some of my photography idols are film shooters…and that excites me (simple and geeky…I know).

Now I would like to introduce to you my little “dream team”. I am still recruiting new players, and will introduce them to you as they come along. I will also be adding a gear list and FAQs to my blog in the next coming weeks. This will have all my standard shooting gear…but this post is for my “new” babies.

Miss Holga – The simplest camera…so simple I honestly didn’t think it worked! She produces moody images with the yummiest of imperfections.

holga marta locklearAnd a few from my very first (messed up) roll of film with her. It took us a little while to understand each other (even though my two year old could shoot with her) so the next roll should be even yummier.

holgaas

Mrs. Nikon FE-2. She has taken me to the dark side (Nikon) and comes from the loving home of my Dah and Step Mother. I saved her from the life on a shelf, and will be testing my film skills with her. Just like Miss Holga…we are having a few “issues” but through a little bit of  Manual therapy, and Google, I think we will be running smoothly in no time. I am still working on my first roll with her…so no images yet.

fe-2 marta locklear

Miss Sx-70 Polaroid c. 1973. Don’t tell the others…but she is my baby. I love this camera to death. I love the way she looks, feels and the images she produces. Her expired films each have their own tones, and the excitement of the watching the image come to life brings the little girl out of me each time I shoot with her.

sx-70 marta locklearI have lots from her (told ya she was my Fav), but only a few from my first pack for now.

roid

Thank you for taking the time to visit, comment and supporting me through my past years, and new years. I wish each and everyone of you a prosperous and VERY Happy New Year!

Much love, Marta

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Posted in FAQ, Inspiration, me, news

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