Today’s Blogger Spotlight is a good friend of mine and a fellow frugal blogger.
Jenetta from Frugal Freebies & Deals is one of a kind.
She’s motivational, inspiring and so hard working.
She is one of the most amazing women I know and I’m so proud to call her friend.
Let’s not make this a total lovefest though…I am totally calling Jenetta out on her mad photography skills!
Jenetta is an “ex” wedding photographer and she has brought her passion and expertise in photography to her blog.
This makes her a real winner in this “Pinterest” world of blogging nowadays, so I decided to pick her brain to see if we could steal glean (sounds nicer, LOL) some knowledge that will help the rest of us out!
Q1: What is your background in Photography? Are you self taught? Or did you take a class(es)?
When I started my first photography business I had no background, none.
It just seemed fun and I did a few wedding for very cheap to build a portfolio. I don’t really recommend that route. I did not know anything; luckily I had some natural talent.
When I moved to San Diego I looked for a photography related job so I could get some experience then started up my wedding photography business again about 6-9 months later while I still worked for a photography studio.
All in all I ran my wedding photography business for always 15 years.
Q2: What kind of camera do you prefer to use? Do you ever use a smartphone to take pictures?
My primary camera is an old Canon Mark II but I would love to update it, it’s so heavy. And sure I take photos with a smartphone, but they don’t tend to be very professional looking most of the time, the quality just is not that great.
But this image was taken on the fly with a smartphone.
Q3: How has Pinterest changed your photography (if at all)?
Pinterest changed my photography but actually encouraging me to take photos again. A weird thing about me is that I am not a hobby photographer. If I am not working I rarely take photos.
But because Pinterest is so important for blogs I came back around and starting photographing things for my blog. Mostly now I do food photography.
Q4: Any tips for bloggers who want to improve their photography but might not have time/money to invest in pricey equipment or classes?
My best advice is learn to use natural light. It’s the cheapest, easiest way to photograph subjects without a lot of bulky equipment. I know many people end up needing to do their photography at night (after the kids go to bed) but I would still encourage them to figure out a way to do it during daylight hours.
External lighting is expensive and can be frustrating to learn to use right. Natural light is easy.
If you don’t have a lot of natural light indoors take it outside, it doesn’t have to look like it was taken outside. Much of my food photos are taken outside on my deck:
Sometimes on my Kitchen Counter:
Or on my dining room table:
To get good ideas flip through magazines, there are always lots of great photos of photos of people, food and crafts to inspire you.
Thanks for asking all of our questions Jenetta!
Head on over and check out her site Frugal Freebies and Deals and let her know how awesome her photography is!
[…] In addition, Jenetta is also my Blogger Spotlight of the week over on A Southern Mom. […]