*I received a Lensbaby in exchange for this post. The Lensbaby Composer Pro with Sweet 35mm Optic is such a fun lens. I have had a blast learning how to use it and figuring out different ways to photograph our lives with it. Below are a few lessons I've learned from using my Lensbaby. 1. Set your aperture to f/4 or f/5.6. Unlike most lenses we are used to these days, you set your aperture on the lens. In fact, your camera will say the aperture is f/0. Don't let that confuse you. ...continue reading

The most popular question I get asked is "What lens should I buy first?". Most people purchase the camera as a kit. This means you buy the body and the kit lens that comes with it, normally a 18-55mm zoom lens. I recommend skipping the kit lens and buying the camera body only. This leaves the question, what lens should I buy first? There are so many lenses on the market and it can be quiet daunting to shift through them all to figure out which one will help you achieve the look you want. ...continue reading

I get a lot of questions about my favorite photography items. The contributors and I created a list of some photography items we can't live without. And because we all have a wish list, we included some of the things we are dreaming about. Photography Items We Can't Live Without Lightroom 4 Nikon 35mm f/1.4G Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ExpoDisc Neutral White Balance Filter Canon 50mm f/1.4 Nikon D700 LensPEN Our Wish List Nikon 135mm f/2 Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro ...continue reading

Courtney receives alot of questions about what to buy when it comes to wedding photography lenses, so I decided this would be a good topic to write on this month. I think lens choice can be a personal thing, but I'll do my best to share what I have experienced along the way. Wedding Photography Lenses When I first started shooting weddings I heard that the 70-200mm 2.8 is THE ABSOLUTE BEST when it comes to wedding photography lenses. One website I read even called it the "ultimate ...continue reading

Camera lens rental may be something you should consider before buying your next lens or for your next photography outing. Is it affordable? It isn't as expensive as you might think in the whole realm of things. Well, photography related, that is. You can rent by the day, a weekend, a week, a month, depending on the company. Of course, the longer you rent a lens, the more it is going to cost. So one should think about how cost effective it is to buy the lens as opposed to renting for longer ...continue reading

Who doesn't have a ton of things that we day dream about purchasing related to our obsession with photography? The contributors and I have put together a list of items that are on our photography wish list. Laurie's wish list Lensbaby The Composer Honestly, I think this would just be fun to have! I've seen some really beautiful images taken with a lensbaby that are just dreamy. This lens Sometimes I just want to play with my camera and have fun! This would be an amazing lens for that ...continue reading