Behind The Lens: Lindsay Salazar Photography, Salt Lake City, UT

This past September I attended Click Away, a photography conference held in Salt Lake City and hosted by Clickin Moms. It was a wonderful investment in education, inspiration and new contacts. Whether it was in a class session or standing in the lunch line, I met amazing, inspirational and creative people from all over the U.S. and Canada.  I call these people I meet where we end up talking about everything my 5-minute friends, a term I stole from one of my daughter's friends. Turns out her little brother makes these 5-minute friends wherever he is. I love that concept!

So anyway, that's how I met Lindsay Salazar - we were standing in the lunch line and started chatting. Turns out Lindsay didn't have to travel far to attend Click Away.  She hails from Salt Lake City, and let me tell you, her work is wonderful.  Whether it is a sunny day at the lake or a memorable day in a backyard, Lindsay captures breathtaking images that you will treasure for a lifetime.  Lindsay's work has been featured in I Heart Faces, Let The Kids, Light Inspired, A La Modo, Brinca Dada, and Stephmodo.

It was such a pleasure to have met you Lindsay!  And now it is my pleasure to introduce you to Lindsay Salazar!

Your Name: Lindsay Salazar

Your studio/business name: Lindsay Salazar Photography

Location: Salt Lake City, UT

Website: http://www.lindsaysalazar.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LindsaySalazarPhotography

Instagram: http://instagram.com/lindsay_salazar_photography

Your Style:

In 50 words or less, how would your clients describe your photography? One very kind client described me this way on Yelp: “She's not just a photographer - she's an artist.  Her creativity and eye for all things beautiful clearly translate into the portraits she takes.  We were so impressed by her patience and willingness to work around the chaos of our two high-energy children. Her professionalism remained constant from beginning to end. Lindsay is a pleasure to work with and her work is flawless.”

Are you self-taught or classroom trained? Self-taught. I learned by taking (and continuing to take) many online photography and editing classes. My favorite resources have been Clickin’ Moms, Brooke Snow, and I Heart Faces.

How many years have you been a professional photographer? 4 years

Where do you want to take your photography business in 5 years? I love photographing people. It makes my heart happy, and it serves as a creative outlet for me. In the next 5 years, I plan to photograph many more families and newborns. And who knows, maybe I’ll get the wedding bug and give weddings a try!

Is there a photographer who inspires your style?  Who would that be? Jean Smith because I love her point of view and editing style, Summer Murdock because she takes brilliant pictures of her kids doing everyday things, and Blue Lily because I enjoy seeing them photograph families all over the world.

Favorite location to take photos? At the client’s home. I love capturing people in their own home, because that’s where most of their memories are made.

Favorite vacation spot? My favorite place that I’ve ever been? The Amalfi Coast in Italy. A more practical destination that we try to visit each year? Newport Beach, California.

Your Business:

What was the pivotal moment when you decided to become a photographer? I had three young children (now there are four!) and in caring for them, I lost my sense of self. We decided to buy a nice camera that year with our tax return money, and I was hooked.

What’s the best marketing tip that has worked for you? Becoming friends with my clients on Instagram and my personal Facebook page. Then when their session is blogged, I put it on FB and IG and tag them so their friends see it also. It’s an amazing way to reach new people who are likely part of my target audience.

What’s the most surprising thing a customer has asked you? I had a mom ask me if I could edit a photo to make her daughter’s hair curly instead of straight. Nope, sorry.

Favorite print lab? White House Custom Color

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? It depends. For a family it would be the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II, and for 1-2 people, it would be the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 II.

What brand bag do you carry your camera in? I use a Kata bag to transport my gear, and a small Lowepro bag to carry an extra lens on my waist during the photo shoot.

What gear would we find in your camera bag? Canon 5D Mark II, Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 II, Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 II, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4,  

Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite Flash (which I’ve never used, so I don’t really carry it with me) and candy to bribe my younger clients.

Are you a natural light fan or strobe fan? Natural light, for sure!

Are you PC or Mac? PC

Your Tips and Tricks

What post processing tools do you use? Lightroom. I’ve purchased several presets, but I hardly ever use them and have ended up creating my own. I also use Photoshop if I need to switch heads or liquify. If you don’t know what liquify is, google it now and thank me later.

Do you shoot in Raw or Jpeg? Raw for clients and portrait photos of my family, Jpeg for everyday photos of my family.

Best advice you would give your 20-year old self? Major in Graphic Design, not Elementary Education.

Best advice you would give a new photographer? Practice, practice, practice, and network with other photographers in your area. It’s valuable to have like-minded friends in the same business and in the same city.

What site do you use for your photography and why? I purchased my blog site from Into The Darkroom because I like the layout. It’s unique and I love that it showcases my best photo from each session, right on the landing page.

What Else Should We Know?

What was your worst photography experience? I’m not a wedding photographer, but I shot one for a friend last year and I was so nervous I was sure I was going to throw up. I didn’t though, and it turned out to be really fun!

What would surprise people most about you, whether it is photography related or not? I’m the youngest of 5 kids and when I was little, my siblings convinced me that my real dad was Boy George. Still in therapy for that one. 

Tell us something else you’d like us to know. I’ve recently become a single mom, and while it’s challenging, I feel fortunate to be able to supplement my income with photography.