Friday Funnies!

September 20, 2013 by ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~ 2 Comments

I have people ask me all the time what kind of camera I use, because it takes beautiful pictures. I know it does. Because I know how to use it.

I’ve long argued that just because you own a DSLR doesn’t mean you’ll be a photographer. There’s more than just taking a snapshot that goes into making a beautiful photo. You think about the lighting, the background, and please, by all means, make sure there’s not something growing out of the back of your subject’s head (my personal pet peeve).

I found these the other day on a photo blog I read, and I had to share some of them! They’re from Shoppe Satire, and each of them is linked back to the store so you can purchase them!

This couldn’t be more true! For every hour I shoot I have another 1-2 hours of editing/blogging/uploading. So a 4 hour shoot might have me editing for 8 hours, a 6 hour wedding for 12. That’s why good photographers are expensive- because it’s not simply about taking the photos. Granted I believe you should have your camera settings correct before you take the photo so there’s less to be done in post, but there’s still work to be done. You make one pass through a shoot and throw out everything that a bad expression or the eyes are closed, etc. Then a second pass to delete multiples of the same photo (because I shoot 3-6 images of each shot since at a wedding you’ll inevitably have one or more of those where someone wasn’t looking in the right direction or their eyes are closed) and then a third pass to… Well you get the idea!

Guys, it’s one thing to ask a photographer for your photos on a disc if they offer that option- it’s a whole ‘nother can of worms to ask for rights. If you’re interested in learning about photographic rights, click here.

I get asked all the time what kind of camera I have because it takes pretty photographs. I know it does, but so does my iPhone. It’s all in the user, people. There’s no reason for a consumer to go spend $3500 on a camera when a $700 dslr would do the trick for you!

I found these little signs humorous and if you’re a photographer I know you did too!

About ~The South Dakota Cowgirl~

Jenn Zeller is the creative mind and boss lady behind The South Dakota Cowgirl. She is an aspiring horsewoman, photographer, brilliant social media strategist and lover of all things western.

After a brief career in the investment world to support her horse habit (and satisfy her mother, who told her she had to have a “real” job after graduating college), she finally took the leap and stepped away from a regular income; trading the business suit once and for all for cowgirl boots, a hat, and jeans. She has not looked back.

When Jenn first moved to The DX Ranch on the South Dakota plains, she never imagined she’d find herself behind a camera lens capturing an authentic perspective of ranching, and sharing it with others. Jenn has always been called to artistry, and uses music, writing, images, home improvement, and her first true love of horses to express her ranching passion.

Horses are the constant thread and much of her work centers around using her unique style of writing to share her horsemanship journey with others in publications such as CavvySavvy, the AQHA Ranching Blog, the West River Eagle, the family ranch website, and her own website.

Using photography to illustrate her stories has created other opportunities -- Jenn’s brand “The South Dakota Cowgirl” has grown to the level of social media “Influencer”. This notoriety has led to work with Duluth Trading Company, Budweiser, Wyoming Tourism, Vice, Circle Z Ranch and Art of the Cowgirl, to name a few. She also serves as a brand ambassador for Woodchuck USA, Arenus Equine Health, Triple Crown Feed and Just Strong fitness apparel. Her photography has been featured by Instagram, Apple, TIME Magazine, The Huffington Post, and Oprah Magazine. Jenn’s work has been published internationally, has been seen in several books and has graced the covers of several magazines.

Jenn became a social media influencer by accident when she started to explore Instagram as a way to share her life on the ranch with folks that don’t get to experience it. It’s grown into an incredible platform that she uses to empower women, create an environment for self improvement and share life on the ranch.

When she’s not working, she loves to drink coffee, play with her naughty border collie named Copper, start ranch colts, and run about the country chasing cans. Her mother still thinks she doesn’t have a “real” job.

Comments

Cindy says

September 20, 2013 at 6:07 am

I do! I even took one 😉 ty!

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Christina says

September 25, 2013 at 9:22 am

Love it! I don’t have a fancy camera or know how to operate one, but my partner has an awesome high end Rebel DSLR and I very much appreciate his work. I think part of it is that it’s the only thibg he finds really fun about my horses…taking pictures of their naturally photogenic selves.

The one thing I do know is that half of the work is knowing how to compose and balance a shot. This comes pretty easy to me, and I can’t figure out why so many people don’t get it!

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