BEHIND THE LENS: Goddard Photography, Jackson, MO

Welcome to today's Behind the Lens featuring Stephanie Goddard from Goddard Photography.  As always, we love meeting photographers from all over the country and the world.  Stephanie hails from Jackson, Mo and as you will see from her images below her signature look involves bold colors....love it!  Stephanie has a strong faith, a keen eye and a phobia that I must admit I share (read below to find out).  Thank you Stephanie for taking time out of your busy schedule to share your story with us.  

And now please welcome, Stephanie Goddard.......

Your Name:  Stephanie Goddard

Your studio/business name:  Goddard Photography

Location:  Jackson, MO

Website:  www.goddardphotographyonline.com

Twitter/Facebook:  Goddard Photography

Style:

In 50 words or less, how would your clients describe your photography?  My photography is very subject oriented.  I’m not a props kind of girl.  I love full framed close ups.  People’s eyes captivate me…not the chair that they’re sitting in.  Bold colors in contrast with deep backgrounds are my signature look.

Are you self-taught or classroom trained?  Self-taught

How many years have you been a professional photographer? 4

Where do you want to take your photography business in 5 years? Full time for both myself and my husband.  Specialized to what I love to shoot…not what I have to.

Is there a photographer who inspires your style?  Who would that be? Brianna Graham

Favorite location to take photos? Can’t pick one!  A fine portrait can be taken nearly anywhere.  You just have to clear your mind and see it.

Favorite vacation spot? Hands down…Grand Cayman

Your Business:

What was the pivotal moment when you decided to become a photographer?  When I decided to step up and aggressively focus on technique.  Style comes and goes, but exposure, focus and emotion are steadfast.

What’s the best marketing tip that has worked for you? Facebook SneakPeeks and customer service.

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has asked you? “Is this going to take long?”  Gotta love the husbands who would rather be set on fire than be photographed.

Favorite print lab? ACI

Your Gear:

Are you Canon or Nikon (or –other): Canon

If you could only have one lens on a photo shoot, what would it be? 50mm 1.2

What brand bag do you carry your camera in? Canon backpack.   It is an absolute must.  I never know what I’ll be climbing up, around or under on a shoot.

What gear would we find in your camera bag? My Canon 7D and Rebel (always have a back up), 50mm 1.2, 28-70mm 2.8, Speedlite 580EXII, memory cards and new batteries.  I have a phobia of every piece of equipment being dead…all at the same time.

Are you a natural light fan or strobe fan? Both.  Love natural light, but my 7’ octobox creates the most amazing light too!  And…it’s consistent.

Are you PC or Mac? PC

Your Tips and Tricks:

What post processing tools do you use? Photoshop CS5

Do you shoot in Raw or Jpeg? Always RAW

Best advice you would give your 20-year old self?  Be obedient to God’s plan for me.

Best advice you would give a new photographer? Only compare your work with what it use to be.

What site do you use for your photography and why?  Zenfolio.  Very user friendly.

What Else Should We Know?

What was your worst photography experience?  Formatting a card before downloading an entire engagement session.  (Luckily, they rescheduled!  I was EXTRA careful with their wedding memory cards!!!)

What would surprise people most about you, whether it is photography related or not?

I am a wealth of useless knowledge.  Did you know that the male seahorse gives birth to their babies?  How cool is that?

And just because we want to know you better, fill in the blanks...

Three things I can’t live without….My Savior Jesus Christ, my husband Ryan and my son Bo

I wish I had more…..metabolism

The best thing about being a photographer is…capturing in my camera what I see in my mind.  

Oh…and making people cry (happily) when I get just the right shot.

The most important lesson I ever learned was….Be bold and live life.  You only get one shot.  (My husband taught me that.)

My favorite time of day is…evening.  Settling in for the night with my family.  That’s where life happens.