More Answers :)

Thank you again to all of you who have sent questions to be answered. Here are a few more Questions we have received and the Answers from the Chicks :) You may want to check back from time to time because although the question has been answered, other chicks may add to the answers if they do things a little differently :) So you may get a few different takes on how to do things :)


Q-I'm having trouble keeping my subjects in focus, particularly fast moving children. What are the appropriate camera settings to use? If I need a slower shutter speed to let in more light and don't want to increase the ISO, what else do I do?


Hi this is Denise...Photography literally means "to paint with light". Light is always your most important consideration. If you aren't willing to raise your iso, you will need to find more light. Whether that means opening shades or curtains, finding a better location, or using supplemental lighting such as flash or strobe,your job is to find the light. At all times, your shutter speed needs to be at a minimum of 1/125 if you are using natural light to capture moving subjects. Higher is better. In order to achieve this shutter speed, your options are to open your aperture, raise your iso, or use flash. While flash is a complicated subject deserving of more in depth explanation, you can easily mount a flash or speed light to your camera and bounce the light off of the walls or ceilings to give you enough light to freeze your subjects. We recommend checking out www.planetneil.com for some great information on using your flash. For flash diffusion (to avoid that "flashy" look, we recommend the Demb flash diffuser - they are inexpensive and do a nice job)

Hi this is Hayley, I just wanted to add, that I am strictly a natural light photog and completely agree with all the advice Denise has given you. But since I use only natural light I do not use a flash (which Denise is great at) so my advice in addition is DO NOT be afraid of raising your iso. It is there to help you in low light situations and if you are a natural light photog, you will need to venture into that area of your camera settings eventually :)

Q-What is a good f/stop to get everyones eyes in focus as it relates to DOF?

Hi this is Alli Gaulin-For keeping the eyes all in focus in an image where there is more than one person you can use an f/stop of 5.6 or above. I typically do not shoot groups at any less than 5.6, however, this is not always possible- you may be shooting in low light and need to open your aperture as wide as possible. In this case, I would try to make sure that all faces are on the same plane, then open your aperture up as wide as it will go.