I often receive emails from my peers in the photography industry asking about everything from what can be found in my shoot sac on any given day to my work-flow and post-processing techniques. There is nothing new under the sun and I have decided to respond to some of the more common inquiries here. Enjoy!

What equipment do you shoot with and do you have any recommendations for a beginning photographer?

The truth is I am still VERY new to all of this myself. However, if I have learned anything the hard way its that as much as I enjoy post-processing there is simply no substitute for getting it right the first time in camera. It’s truly important, even when first starting out, to invest in good lens glass that at least goes down to an aperture of 2.8. It is also a good idea to buy all of your equipment from a reputable dealer, like B & H photo. I would hesitate to buy a used lens considering that the cost of savings is usually modest versus new. Of course with “classic” (out of production lenses) you don’t have much choice, but I’d probably look at KEH or B&H who have reputations to uphold and offer return privileges. Can’t afford to buy fast glass right now? No problem! When I first started out I rented most of my ultra-killer lens’ from Lens Rental. Unfortunately you have to rent for a minimum of 7 days, however there is NO deposit and are respectably inexpensive for a week rental. This is also a great place to “test drive” a lens before buying!

Here’s a list of what I carry to every wedding….

Canon 5D Mark II (Simply. Amazing. 21.1-megapixels of sheer Goodness)
70-200mm 2.8 IS (My only zoom but a must for low light ceremonies)
50mm 1.4 (I use this lens 70% of the time. It fits me like a glove.)
85mm 1.2 (Great portrait lens with an oh so buttery bokeh)
45mm 2.8 tilt shift (Takes practice with a great pay off)
24mm 1.4 (Another favorite. Great for rocking the reception)
100mm macro 2.8 (Token ring shot lens)
Canon 580EX II Speedlights
pocket wizards

Can you tell me more about your post processing and the actions you use?

Sure! Most of my work-flow actions can be found in Totally Rad Actions sets. I use these action for things such as sharpening, sharpening for web, and adding grain. I had originally used many of the color shifting actions in this set but when I became more proficient in photoshop I began creating my own actions that are unique to Clayton Austin. Love. Stories. Unfortunately I do not sell these actions at this time. Here are few examples of those actions in play. Oh, and I have aptly name these actions after some of my favorite movies…

I love being behind the camera! Its my life! But editing can be so tedious and painstaking. Any suggestions??

Oh so glad you asked! Editing can be very a very daunting task if you don’t completely embrace all that Photoshop has to offer. Too often photographers make the mistake of thinking that photoshop is just an editing tool when it is so much more. The automation capabilities are unparalleled. In my opinion even to Adobe Lightroom or even Adobe Bridge. Here are some things that every photographer should know how to do in Photoshop.

1) Actions! If you don’t know how to record your own personal actions you are really missing out. Actions can be used for everything from batch resizing to prepping an entire folder to blog ready. 

2) Assigning your F Keys functions! This is done by double clicking the right side of an action in your actions palette. From there you can set your function key to your hearts content. Every one of my F keys has a very important roll. For instance F1 is my “flatten the image” key which compresses all of the layers into one image. My F2 key is my “sharpen” key, F3 is my “save to assigned folder” key and so on and so on. With this type of organization I am able to open an image, sharpen it, apply a color action, add grain, and have it saved to an assigned folder in less than 5 seconds. Oh yes, yes I can…

3) Create droplets.This is my favorite! A droplet is an executable file generated by Photoshop that allows you to apply a set of actions just by dragging and dropping files or folders on to it. This is a great time saver when you have to apply the same action to a lot of files! If you do this manually, you’ll spend a lot of precious time, energy, and most probably get bored!

Let’s say you have to resize 100 jpeg’s, or apply the same effect to 500 more jpegs, or even better, resize, apply the same effect and save them. No problem! You create a droplet in Photoshop and the job couldn’t be easier! Below is screenshot from my desktop. With a droplet all I need to do is drag the folder with a gazillion images onto the droplet and bam! Photoshop will automatically begin opening each individual image, completing any assigned actions, and saving them to the designated folder. Feel free to grab a soda and call mom. By the time you are back the files will be in the designated folder. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G 

I still don’t get it! Do you offer any workshops?

Want more? Become a fan of my Facebook page where I plan to regularly post tips that I have picked up along the way. You will also be able to start discussion topics with other photographers. But mostly importantly you will be able to keep me company. However, at the moment I do not offer workshops or mentoring  sessions.

I have a great idea that you should add to this page!

Excellent! Drop me a line at clayton@claytonaustinlovestories.com or just leave a comment below!