I JUST bought the Canon 5D mark II and I LOVE it, but before that I shot with a Canon 5D.

I have a 50mm 1.8 + 24mm 2.8 + 70-200 L series lens.  But my favorite is the 50mm.  I shoot 90% of the time with that lens attached to my camera and hiiighly recommend it to anyone looking for another lens to add to their camera bag.

I get this question aloooot, and it’s SUPER hard to answer.  Because it really depends on so many different things.  What’s your budget?  What are your goals + how do you see yourself using the camera?  Is it just a hobby, or do you want to start a business?  There are a lot of factors, and there’s really no way I could tell you for sure what camera will be best for you. 

BUT, I do know that the canon T1i and the XSi are really awesome starter cameras, and are a pretty good price. (sorry Nikon lovers, I don’t have anything against y’all, I just don’t know much about your cameras!)  So unless you’re planning on shooting weddings or something big soon (in which case I’d say go for something bigger and full frame like a Canon 50D or 5D) most of Canon’s entry level “pro” cameras are great!

Ahah—another hard question ;)

I would say two things.  The first one is something that one of my very first photography instructors told me. “Take lots of pictures.”  Seems pretty easy, and obvious, right?  But I mean reaaallly take lots of pictures.  Every day, take pictures of people, light, flowers, scenery, animals, furniture, and expressions.  Take pictures of EVERYTHING.  And then critique yourself.  Decide what you like, and what you don’t like.  Figure out what you’d do different in the picture, if you could do it all over again.  And pay attention to light above all else.  Photography is all about mastering the art of using light effectively.  So notice what it does to your subject, wether it be a person or a flower or a chair, notice where the light falls and what it draws your attention to.  Master light, and you’re more than half-way there to being a steller photographer ;)

The second thing more pertains to starting a business: Make sure you are being authentic. Don’t get so wrapped up in being like someone else that you miss out on making your business successful by being you.  Realize what your strengths are, and play to those…  One of the greatest things about owning and running your own business in my opinion is that it can be pretty much anything you want it to be, and doesn’t have to be anything that you don’t want it to be.  Figure out your goals, your strengths, your skills, and the talents that God has given to you specifically, then do your best to combine them into a business that uniquely fits you. 

I do most of my editing in Lightroom. (Love love LOVE lightroom! Espesh batch editing ;)

I’ll use Photoshop on some of my favorites to add a few actions for a more vintage flair

I designed my blog through a conglomeration of things.  I started out with the minima template that blogger offers, and then pretty much changed everything by using different HTML codes, etc.  I realize that’s not very helpful, but I would say that you can learn soooo much about blog design + HTML codes just by googling it and watching youtube videos!

My header is just 5 basic Jpg. files that were combined into a gif. file.  You need photoshop to be able to make it and here’s a link to the best online tutorial that I’ve found.  If that one isn’t clear enough, there are several youtube video tutorials on how to make a rotating gif file. :)