The Beginner Photography Podcast

Experimenting with Different Photography Subjects, Angles, and Lenses with Sheila Bragg

• Raymond Hatfield

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#373 On this Community Spotlight episode of The Beginner Photography Podcast, I chat with Sheila Bragg, an active member in the BPP community. Sheila shares her journey into photography and how she struggled with understanding aperture and shutter speed until discovering the podcast. Sheila also shares tips on lenses, finding inspiration, and understanding the exposure triangle. We discuss Sheila's ultimate goal of establishing herself as a photographer and traveling the world. Finally, the conversation shifts to framing, where I ask Sheila about the hardest aspect of composition for her. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced photographer, this episode offers valuable insights and tips to take your photography skills to the next level.

Sheila Bragg grew up spending her summers in Ohio with her family's portrait studio where she developed a passion for photography. She always carried a camera with her and loved taking pictures of everything, but it wasn't until she found a podcast that explained aperture and shutter speed in a way that made sense to her that she started shooting manually. Now she can adjust her settings without looking at the camera and even experiments with underexposing her photos for a different effect. Although people always told her she should pursue photography, Sheila never took it seriously until she quit her degree program.

THE BIG IDEAS

  • Start Where You Are: Your journey doesn’t need perfect conditions or fancy gear—embrace your current situation and grow from there.
  • Learn by Doing: Progress comes from taking action, making mistakes, and learning from real-world experiences, not just theory.
  • Comparison with Curiosity: View other photographers’ work as inspiration and guidance, not a competition; every image is a learning opportunity.
  • Celebrate Growth: Focus on incremental improvement with each photo rather than perfection, and acknowledge your achievements along the way.


Resources and Links

Grab your Free CloudSpot account at www.DeliverPhotos.com

Connect with Raymond!


Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Sheila Bragg:

I feel like every picture I look at, I have something to learn, right? I can look at it and be like, that was a really good job on the lighting. I wonder how they got that. And then I'm like, okay, how could I get that kind of lighting? The lighting was like this, and I really liked it, how could I achieve that type of lighting or, frame up a shot in a way that, gives off the same vibe?

Raymond Hatfield:

Hey, welcome to the beginner photography podcast brought to you by cloud spot, the easiest way to deliver and sell your photos online. Guess what? We have another community spotlight interview for you today. This is my opportunity to interview you, a member of the beginner photography podcast community, just to learn more about you, your struggles and why you love this crazy thing that we do called photography. Now today I am interviewing community member Sheila Bragg. So over the past few months, that Sheila has been in the group, not only has she been an active member posting photos and asking questions, but she's also been helping out others as well with their photo questions that they have. Now I have found that in the community, it's a whole lot easier to get an idea of how long somebody has been shooting just by the questions that they ask rather than the photos that they post. And looking at Sheila's images, I. would have guessed that she's been shooting longer than she has, which I think just goes to show her excitement to jump in and just soak up as much information that she can about photography so that she can use it. And I see some amazing things coming for Sheila. And remember, if you want to be a part of the friendliest place on the internet for photographers to share photos, ask questions, grow their skills, well then come join us in the beginner photography podcast community by heading over to beginnerphotopod. com. Slash group. Again, beginner photo pod.com/group and that'll take you right there. So with that, let's go ahead and get on into this interview with Sheila Bragg. Sheila, I start this real off, real easy. I just want to know who it is that you are and when did you know that photography was going to play an important role in your life?

Sheila Bragg:

So I am Sheila Bragg and always, I always have, my grandfather and my great-uncle and my great-grandfather started a portrait studio. I don't know when they started it, probably in the eighties and, um, I didn't know them really well. We moved away when I was eight months old, but I would spend my summers in Ohio and with my cousin, we would be at the studio all the time. I spent the most time with her and I swear, we just were in the studio always growing up. I had no little disposable cameras or digital cameras. I always took pictures. Of everything. I think one year, my mom, she got some film developed for me. There was maybe about 80 film canisters and that was like my whole Christmas present. She just got all of my film developed for me and I just had this huge box of pictures and some of them were nothing, but of course, they were just of everything. cell phone cameras made it really convenient to take pictures. And, I used to deliver pizzas and I would see something cool. And I, not with people's pizza in the car, obviously, but like on the way back, I would see something cool and I would stop maybe take an extra 10 minutes to get back to the store and don't tell anybody, take pictures of sunsets or pretty flowers or bushes or just anything unique. but I didn't start learning about aperture and shutter speed. I knew they existed. But I didn't actually wrap my head around it until I found your podcast. I had been trying for probably like six months, you know, off and on. Like I'm very busy. My mom passed in January, so I, was taking care of her and I was even busier than I am now. But, you know, I've been trying to like wrap my head around it because my first real camera that I have, I've had for two years and I've played with it here and there, but I just couldn't, I couldn't figure out how to shoot manual. And then I found your podcast actually. And it was the first time somebody had put it in a way that made sense to me. And I was like, wow, I understand. And immediately I could shoot manual and, changing my settings. It was, it was almost like nothing, like everything I had the knowledge in there. So once it clicked, like it really clicked, And it was quick. So now I can go out and I can play with it. It's just remembering to change it because of course, when you're looking through little hole, right, you're seeing what you see and you can't always tell when it's too dark until the picture pops up. So, like even today I was out there and I was like, Ooh, look at this. You know, and I would take a picture and then it would come up and I'm like, Oh, it's dark. And I would, you know, change my shutter speed or just adjust the setting here and there. And I can do it now without looking at the camera. You know, I don't have to think about what to do to make it perfectly exposed. Today I played around with, not exposing my photos on purpose. Like, maybe I wanted it to be darker. Cause I would take the picture perfectly exposed. I'm like, that's not what I wanted it to look like. You know, I didn't want it to look as bright. I wanted it to be darker. so that was really fun, but always, I always knew that I loved photography. All my life. People are like, you should, take pictures. You should be a photographer, but I'd never took it seriously till I quit my. degree program. And

Raymond Hatfield:

so then I'm always interested in, in people who, grew up with a visual interest in photography, and then continue on, until adulthood. what was it that, you know, you said that you had the camera, right? You had it for two years and you finally decided that you wanted to learn how to use it. Why did you get that camera in the first place? and what happened to it then, that made you sit on it for, for so long until recently to pick it up again and start shooting.

Sheila Bragg:

So he got it for me for Christmas because I wanted to take pictures, but it was, a little before that, that my mom had gotten sick and then life got very hectic, very crazy. I took care of her. So, um, just took up a lot of time, which was fine, but you know, I just didn't have a lot of time to spend. So that's kind of why it took me until now to really get back into it. But, I read a book called the Puma years and it's a book that's I didn't, I read Kindle on my phone and I didn't realize the book was real until I got to the very end. And it was like, Oh, here's the pictures of all the animals and took place in an animal sanctuary. Here's a picture of all the animals and come visit us and support us. And I'm like, Oh my gosh, like everything I've read really happens and it's a real place. And I can really go there. I've kind of just been stuck on my little sandbar all of my life. And I just want to get out and see the world. And I want to be able to take pictures of those things. And so I kind of have a 10 year goal to establish myself as a photographer. I'm not in a hurry. I don't need to do it quickly. I don't need to, you know, making money is nice, but it's not my goal. I don't need to make money doing it. I just made my Facebook page maybe last week and I made my cloud spot so I could maybe share some of my location pictures and see if anybody wants to buy prints, which would be cool. But I just want to establish myself in 10 years so that I can do a little traveling and have some kind of passive income. And I feel like 10 years is a really reasonable goal. In the next 10 years, I should be able to, do really well if I practice for 10 years. So, yeah. that's it really. I guess that's my drive. My 10 year goal. My kid, my youngest will be 18 in nine years. So, by the time she's 18, I want to do three months in Bolivia and volunteer, kind of chronicle my time there. And then after that, I want to live in a van down by the river and travel the United States.

Raymond Hatfield:

Wow. Okay. So many things there. I want to know though, when you say that, within 10 years, you want to establish yourself as a photographer. How so? what would you define as being an established photographer?

Sheila Bragg:

I guess for me, established would be that I take pictures that people would want, right? So my pictures are good enough in quality, I can go out and take pictures and people are like, wow, those pictures are good. she's a great photographer. I would love for her to take my picture. I guess that's it. I feel like when I made it, when I can share pictures that people want to see. So not that they'll want to see every picture. Maybe there's pictures that I like that they don't and that's fine, you know, artistic point of view. Everybody has a different one. But, if I can take portraits and people are like, wow, she is good at taking portraits. I would like to hire her to take my portraits because her work, you know, is worth being hired. There's a local photographer down here. His name is, Rich Coleman and he is a wedding photographer because everybody gets married at the beach, right? There's probably hundreds of wedding photographers down here. It's a very saturated market. Like probably more so because it's a touristy place and everybody comes here to take pictures.

Raymond Hatfield:

Sure.

Sheila Bragg:

but his pictures are beautiful. They're local, they're beautiful. And I was like, wow, if I were to get married, which we've been together for 11 years, we're not married, but in the event that we do, I would want him to be my photographer because the pictures that he takes are absolutely stunning. So one thing I did is I went around and looked at the local work. Photographers that do work around here in my area. I'm like, well, what do I have to bring to the table? Right. So where do my pictures fare comparatively to other people's work? cause if I can't do at least as good as what they're doing, right. Then why would people want to hire me over them?

Raymond Hatfield:

Um,

Sheila Bragg:

and I'm not trying to be better than anyone, that's not what I want. But I would like to at least have quality work, right, that people want to buy. So, I looked at all their pages and I'm like, okay, well that's, my goal. Is to be at least that good, right? At least as good as some of the other photographers around here. So that my work and me taking people's pictures and getting hired as a photographer, I'll have a chance. So it's, I guess, you know, established.

Raymond Hatfield:

I see. So, I'm going to ask a follow up question to that. you wanted, you looked at these other photographers to see kind of where your work, stacked up against theirs. how are you, judging their work? How did you know? Like, what was it that you were looking at to tell their, you know, this photo is better than mine, or their photos are better than mine, or I need to work on this.

Sheila Bragg:

That's not really how I looked at it, though. Not like, Not so much that their photos are better than mine, but I don't know how to put it. Just is their work quality. you know, I feel like I can look at a picture and be like, wow, that's a great picture. Right. So when I look at their pictures, do I think, wow, that's a great picture. They did a really good job framing up the shot. The lighting is beautiful. You know, when you zoom in on their faces, can you see them? Right. That matters because people have these really beautiful pictures on the beach. And then you can't see their faces, you know, if you were to say, if you were to get a big print, right. To hang on above your fireplace, of on your wedding day, you and your husband and your bridal party, would you be able to see everybody's faces, right? That's important. So I kind of just look at all of that and it's not like, Oh, my work is better than theirs. It's like, Oh, I don't like to think that I'm better. I feel like every picture I look at, I have something to learn, right? I can look at it and be like, that was a really good job on the lighting. I wonder how they got that. And then I'm like, okay, how could I get that kind of lighting? so then when I take pictures, I'm like, I saw the picture. You know, when the lighting was like this, and I really liked it, how could I achieve that type of lighting or, frame up a shot in a way that, gives off the same vibe?

Raymond Hatfield:

I see. so the biggest gap that you saw between, other photographers work and your work is, would you say that it's, it's mostly lighting?

Sheila Bragg:

So I have no equipment. At all. I don't have reflectors. I have no, sorry, sorry,

Raymond Hatfield:

sorry, not, not natural lighting. Yeah. No, I just mean, overall how light plays a role in an image. Would you say that that's the biggest separator between other photographers work in your work or is it something else?

Sheila Bragg:

Experience. I would say that's the biggest thing. Difference,

Raymond Hatfield:

but so I'm going to challenge you because I think that we all we all understand that, you know, the more experience that we are, we're going to have more technical abilities as well. Right? We're just going to know more things about it. And then therefore, your images should be better. But when, when you took that time to study those other photographers work, Then I want to know, what was it, like, what was the conclusion that you came to? Because you said that, you know, within 10 years you want to reach that level. What was the conclusion that you came to of what you need to work on in your images to be able to get to that point?

Sheila Bragg:

Well, I haven't done it yet. So, I haven't taken pictures at a wedding. I haven't taken portraits on the beach. my kids have been my models. And I have a few friends where I'm like, please let me take pictures of your kids. I just kind of reached out in my community and I was like, Hey, look, I'm giving away free mini sessions, you know, five to seven edited images because I don't have a portfolio. Really? My portfolio is only my kids. So the difference between them and me currently is that I just haven't done it yet. You know, maybe my photos are that good, right? Maybe, I can produce quality work. For other people, maybe I can do that really beautiful shot on the beach of a wedding party, but I wouldn't know because I haven't done it. So I don't feel confident enough to charge for my work. Some people are like, Oh, well, you know, you're giving your time. Time is worth something, but I, I'm not ready for that yet. I don't feel like, I feel like my pictures are good enough. I feel like I produce pictures that are quality enough to be paid for, but. I personally wouldn't feel good going in there knowing that maybe I won't get a good shot in charging them money So when I feel like I can definitely get the shots that I want then i'll charge for sessions

Raymond Hatfield:

I see I see

Sheila Bragg:

but I just haven't done it

Raymond Hatfield:

So

Sheila Bragg:

truly, I just haven't done it yet. That's it. The difference between them and me is I haven't done it to learn from it because every time I go out to take pictures, I learned something, right? Like today I learned about lighting and maybe perfect exposure wasn't what I wanted. I wanted it underexposed because it looked more, natural or. Whatever. just recently I took a picture of one of my friend's kids and he was quick. Okay. He was, my kids are older. They're not that quick. He's four and he is so fast. And so I learned shutter speed, how important it really is when you're, you know, an aperture to, when they're moving so quickly, manual focus, you know, maybe because they're so fast, you have to use autofocus because they're so, incredibly quick. so every time I go out, I learn something new. And I imagine when I do get to take those portrait pictures, I'll learn something new then too. But I won't know what I'll learn until I get out there and do it.

Raymond Hatfield:

yeah, that is always the next step is to actually get out and do it. And I think that can be one of the hardest things to do because, especially, being a parent, having lots of extra curricular activities, it's always hard to find time to go out and shoot. so do you find that you, like to just, shoot your everyday life, like what your life is, or are you the kind of photographer who needs to dedicate, time to go out and focus on, learning photography?

Sheila Bragg:

So every day I take a nap, I get up at five for work and I usually go to live about 10 or 11 o'clock at night. So in the middle of the day, I usually take about an hour nap. And every day when I take my nap, I fall asleep to some kind of video about photography. I watch it for maybe 10 or 15 minutes and then I crash out. I get up if I have minutes, any minutes. So in the morning when I'm getting ready for work this morning, I was editing a picture because somebody was having trouble. I think on your page, actually, she was having a hard time. And, she was like, I can't figure out how to get rid of this. So I spent. Yeah, probably 40 minutes this morning editing her picture because she just wanted it done and I was awake and I had minutes, I had minutes to spare. I take my camera with me wherever I go. And I just kind of, if I see something the other day, my daughter, she was at, um, Taekwondo she's there for an hour. So I just walked around the area and I was like, what can I find? I didn't really find much, but I did find a, like a AC condenser fan,

Raymond Hatfield:

you know,

Sheila Bragg:

like the two big boxes with the air conditioning units with the fans in it. And I was like, Hey, this would be fun to practice my shutter speed because the fan was moving really fast. I was like, I wonder how fast my shutter speed has to be going to, to stop the fan blade and, ended up with one three thousandths of a second real fast. Um, but that was fun. So it was fun to find, to practice just that.

Raymond Hatfield:

Now, when it comes to photography and practicing, I want to know, do you go out with, is it always that, that, not happenstance, but I guess, do you go out and explore just to see what is there or do you ever go out with any sort of intention of, I'm going to practice this certain thing, and we're going to see what we get after this.

Sheila Bragg:

No, I never do that.

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay. So it's always, it's always like, I'm going to go out and just see, just see what, okay. So then, knowing that, when you go out, and you shoot, when you get back and finally look at all those photos, where technically do you think that, you struggle with most?

Sheila Bragg:

Framing up shots. And then also still, Though I can switch between my shutter speed and everything pretty seamlessly without looking at the camera, even sometimes I forget to change it. So I just forget. And then I go back and look at my pictures. I'm like, Oh no, like I didn't. Cause I don't like shooting in live mode. I don't like it. I've noticed a lot of people do that. I don't like it at all, actually. I like to look through the little little square. And so what I'm seeing though, and what my camera's seeing are different. And so sometimes like today it was really bright and sunny, so I couldn't see my light meter, very well. And so it wasn't until I walked through like a shadier spot where I was like, Oh no, like my camera was really underexposed or overexposed and I didn't catch it because I was looking through the square. So, I think I saw it on one of your videos or maybe on a podcast, something about, I If you want to practice like aperture and shutter speed, looking through it on live view or live mode shows you exactly what your camera is seeing. And, that's really helpful, but again, I don't like looking through live mode.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah, no, I get it. I get it a hundred percent. And when I was still shooting with the DSLR, with, my Canon cameras, I would never do live mode as well, unless I had to get something like over my head and, framing was important. But, yeah, it's just always much nicer. It feels like you're really in the moment when you're able to look through the viewfinder and, really focus on the photo. And unfortunately, sometimes, the settings aren't, aren't always perfect, but, if in the future you make the switch to mirrorless, there is no, the viewfinder is. Is an exact preview of what it is that you are going to see. So it's almost like live mode, but in the camera, but the disconnect that I always had with the DSLR is that because there's a mirror in it, it was always just too slow, like to take a photo. It always, there was always just a bit of clunkiness to it. It took an extra moment. but because there's no mirror inside of a, a mirrorless camera, It is instant, and it is a much more enjoyable experience that you'll find, I think, because you'll be able to see those immediate previews of what the image is going to look like. And, I have found that it has been a great teaching tool for a lot of new photographers, just being able to see how aperture is affecting your image or how ISO is, affecting your image as well. Except there is always a disconnect when it comes to, the actual, like what you see in the camera. And then when you get it on a computer to edit, because a lot of people are shooting in raw say, but that live preview is going to show you whatever the, color profile is within the camera. So it looks like nice and rich and vivid. And then you get it on the computer and you're like, this looks like garbage. It is so flat and boring, you know, cause it's raw or. or whatever. And I always hated that. But, I kind of went off on a little bit of a thing there. So I apologize when I want to go back to the framing thing, because, you mentioned that in the email that you sent, you're like, framing is difficult. and then you just brought it up there as well. So, what do you think it is hardest for you to frame? Is it that you're too far away or too close or just, just strange things? can you talk to me about that?

Sheila Bragg:

I don't know. It's just when I get, I feel like I'm just always cropping, cropping, cropping, cropping. And I don't think there's anything wrong with cropping to get the image that you want, especially you took the image. Right. So why not? Sure. No, if it's, if you just want to cut something out of it, maybe it's crooked and you want to straighten it. Like, but again, I hope to have prints that can be as big as people want them to be. As big as my camera will allow, which is I think 4, 000, resolution or pixels. I want to get those pictures that I don't need to crop. And, I think I just have to practice doing more of it, you know, instead of just like taking more consideration when I push the button instead of just snapping, snapping, snapping, right? So being, putting more thought into the shots that I'm taking. Versus, you know, it's real easy with digital cameras to just take a hundred pictures or 600 pictures. and not even consider it like, Oh, I'll just go through them later. You know, pick out the good ones. But I think being more, consider it when I push the button, getting the shot that I want the first time. Instead of taking 500 pictures to get there. That's where I want to be.

Raymond Hatfield:

How do you get there?

Sheila Bragg:

Practice practice taking more pictures. Like, you know, today that's kind of what I worked on today. I think I maybe came out with like 120 pictures, hour and a half. But most of the pictures so far are pictures that I framed up the shots nicely, maybe the lighting was wrong, or maybe I just decided I didn't like it. But as far as like the shot that I wanted, I got it because I put effort into getting the shot before I hit the button, so it didn't take as many, but I liked more of them overall.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah, and it's always hard to work on everything all at once, you know, so, to be able to just focus on that one thing, I would consider that a win as well, even if, your other settings weren't technically perfect. progress is progress in my book, so, I applaud you for that for sure. now, when you are cropping in though, are you doing things like, trying to remove elements that maybe you didn't pay attention to while shooting, or is it just those simple leveling the horizon and, just making it, a little bit, cleaner of an image, both

Sheila Bragg:

currently, currently I'm doing both, but, in my yard, I grow flowers so that I can attract bugs so that I can take their picture. I put so many flowers in my yards because I love. I love all the bubs. I love taking their picture. And so, but sometimes I'll have like the house next door, right? Or, today there was the azaleas are blooming now here. the bush with the little fuzzy bumblebee was in front of a building. And I'm like, okay, well, I don't want the building in my picture. So how do I take a picture of this very quick moving little stinging bumblebee without getting the building? So I like got down on the ground. And like, I don't know, angled it up

Raymond Hatfield:

and I

Sheila Bragg:

was able to get him like kind of from the side and then I didn't have the building so I wouldn't need to craft it out because I like switched my angle.

Raymond Hatfield:

switched your angle so that. You just didn't see the building or switch your angle to better capture the bug

Sheila Bragg:

switch the angle so that you didn't see the building

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay, I see I see so but you

Sheila Bragg:

can still see the bumblebee too, you know Like you had to take both in consideration, right? So I'm trying to get the bumblebee but also I don't want to see the building. How do I you

Raymond Hatfield:

know? Achieve both of those goals. Yeah so then let me ask for that photo Do you feel like you're going to crop into that photo just because bugs are you know? are very small. You want them larger in the frame?

Sheila Bragg:

It depends on what it looks like. Or.

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay. Okay. Okay. So, so that photo that you took, I guess what I'm trying to get at here is, are you cropping in to get closer to the bugs? Or are you cropping in because, maybe you don't have a macro lens that can get close enough and focus on the bug.

Sheila Bragg:

So today I use my 50 millimeter lens. and I can get pretty close with that. I don't think that I would need to crop like, because I couldn't get close enough. And I'm not really scared of the bumblebees either. So I don't need a zoom lens because I'll get, I'll get pretty close. Wasps, bees, like it doesn't matter. mostly just cropping to get rid of the things that I wouldn't want to be there.

Raymond Hatfield:

Okay. So

Sheila Bragg:

the building in the background, or, but I think today the picture of the bee that I would have gotten. Would be close enough to where I wouldn't need to craft to get closer because the B would be In the middle of the frame taking up the whole middle square like you divide it into thirds He would take up the whole middle square

Raymond Hatfield:

with

Sheila Bragg:

the flower taking up majority of the rest of the photo

Raymond Hatfield:

Would would you be able to share that photo? I mean not right now at this moment, but I mean like would you be able to share it so that I can post it in The uh in the show notes. Yeah. Yeah. Okay, cool. Cool.

Sheila Bragg:

I haven't looked at it yet So I don't know how good it is,

Raymond Hatfield:

but that was the goal Yeah, exactly. I mean that's the whole fun of photography, right? So, I know that, that in the group you had, talked, several times, you know, things about lenses, things about lighting, these pieces of kit and gear that, can be overwhelming sometimes. so let's talk about that for a moment, because I remember, I'm looking at it right now, back in February, you had posted questions about, lenses, which ones to get. You, you know, there was still kind of some confusion there. Can you walk me through what the main confusion was and, if you made a decision?

Sheila Bragg:

So there's a lot, there's a lot of lenses, um, you know, so I have a Canon, a Rebel T7. Mine's actually a 2000D, but it's the Rebel T7. but if you just go on Amazon, right. And you're like lenses for the Canon, you know, T7. Good luck. good luck. Right. And then Google, it's kind of the same thing. You know, you get a lot of. Get a lot of lenses that aren't Canon, they're not brand specific. So maybe they work for a lot of other cameras to, off brand names that you've never heard of, And then if you try to go somewhere like Reddit, because I like going to Reddit for real people, right? A big collection of real people's comments about things. It's very easy. so many different opinions about which lenses to get for what. So when I first, when I very first started, right, I was like, okay, what lens do I use for what? Like, how do I, my camera came with the 18 to 55, but then it came with like two lens adapters. I didn't even know they were lens adapters until I, I think I posted in the group, but somebody was like, Oh, those aren't even lenses. They're just, you know, they're like additions. I'm like, Oh wow, I didn't even know that.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, are these the, um, like they screw on, they screw on to the front of the lens. Is that it?

Sheila Bragg:

They screw on to the 18 to 55.

Raymond Hatfield:

I see. I see. So there's a

Sheila Bragg:

macro and then a wide angle. So I'm like trying to figure out like what I use each one for because there's three, right? My camera was a kit camera and I came with three and I'm like, what do I use these for? So you try to Google like what lenses to use for what? Good luck. Everybody has such a different opinion on what, you know, some people will tell you that a 50 millimeter lens is great for portraits, but then other people are like, Oh, 85 is essential. And then you have someone that's like, Oh, you know, what is it? A 23 wide angle lens. They're like, Oh, that's my go to. Like, that's what I use. There's so. Just vast opinions on it. and I was like, Oh my gosh, like if I was going to buy a lens, what would I buy? Because everybody's saying the kit lenses aren't great. Like invest in new lenses. And I'm like, Oh no, like if my kit lenses aren't great, like where do I start? Everybody says I need something different. I ended up buying the 50 and today I took just that out. I left everything else in the bag in the car because I did not want to switch lenses. I only wanted to play with that. So I guess I did have a purpose going out. Right. I didn't know it till I got there, but my purpose was only to use that 50 millimeter lens in, every shot that I took today was only with that. but yeah, so it's just the overwhelming amount of information, like what lens to use for what, but now I realized you can use any lens for anything, just to kind of what you're going for. So. But since I got the 50, it's, kind of stayed on my camera.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah. the 50 is a wonderful, first lens for sure to, uh, and it can just help you, you know, learn so much. I remember though, like I straight up remember, still know exactly where I was and the feeling of confusion that I had in my head. and this was after I had went through film school trying to figure out, because I, I also had the, kit lens for my first digital camera and trying to figure out like, why do people buy a 50 millimeter? prime lens when the kit lens goes to 50 millimeter and more like it's versatile. Like why would people buy that? you know, it's just a whole world of confusing things I know in the beginning. So, uh, but it is, it is. That's it though. Right. Yeah.

Sheila Bragg:

Like why buy a 50 millimeter? Mine's 18 to 55. And then I have, you know, why buy like a 23 or whatever when 18 to 55, right? Like I can get the focal length I want in there. Yeah. But it's not the same, is it? It's not the same

Raymond Hatfield:

at

Sheila Bragg:

all, no.

Raymond Hatfield:

So where are you at now with lenses? Because, you know, now you got the 50. is there still confusion? Is there anything that I can help you with? That maybe is burning inside of you?

Sheila Bragg:

So there was a little bit of an adjustment, right? I have to be a lot farther away with the 50 than I did with my 18 55.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yep.

Sheila Bragg:

I didn't know what I was going to get when I got my 50. I'm like, okay, everybody says this lens is a good lens. Let's order that. So I did and I got it the first time I went to take pictures with it. I was so excited. I was, I was like, I got my new lens. I'm going to go take pictures. I put it on my camera and I was lost. I was like, I couldn't get it to focus, manually to save my life. I just couldn't, I don't know. I don't know what was happening. And, um, The end of the day, I felt so darn defeated. I was like, man, I'm not even cut out for this. Like, why should I even bother picking up my camera anymore? I was having like one of those moments, you know, and then, uh, two days later, I picked it up again and I was like, okay, I'm going to own this thing today. Like today's the day this lens and me, we're going to become acquainted and I'm going to get good pictures. And I did. And I took it out and I took lots of pictures. and it was just, you know, being far away enough to get the picture I wanted. Because I didn't really have that. I would just zoom in and out with my 18 and 55.

Raymond Hatfield:

and now you got to zoom out with your feet and you got to get real far back.

Sheila Bragg:

Yes.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah. That is real. Especially if you're

Sheila Bragg:

taking pictures of people, you have to be a lot farther than actually, I just got a backdrop and, a backdrop stand. And so I set it up in the living room and I was like, I'm going to take pictures of my little one, right? So I hung up the backdrop that I had. Tried to take pictures of her in my living room, but my living room isn't wide enough for me to use the 50 millimeter lens. So I had to switch to the 1855, which was kind of disappointing because I knew, I knew the aperture that I wanted. I was not going to be able to get from my kit lens. so, you know, that was fun and it was dark, so I needed a tripod, but. even with the tripod,

Raymond Hatfield:

it's not very small, but yeah.

Sheila Bragg:

Kids move.

Raymond Hatfield:

It was dark. So, well, okay. So, you would switch to the standard lens for that. And, at the end of the day, like, are you happy that you did it? Or are you upset at the quality of the photos,

Sheila Bragg:

the ones that I took

Raymond Hatfield:

in front of the other night?

Sheila Bragg:

I was not happy at all. Uh, it was very dark. So. but I still just could not get the pictures that I wanted. So

Raymond Hatfield:

yeah,

Sheila Bragg:

I gotta get a flash.

Raymond Hatfield:

It's a, that's my next,

Sheila Bragg:

that's the

Raymond Hatfield:

next purchase. Yeah, it's tough because, even though there are tools that we can use, like raising up our ISO or, slowing down our shutter speed or, trying to open up our, aperture as much as we can, it still doesn't, Unfortunately, change the quality of light. Like it may increase the quantity of light that is able to come in, but it doesn't increase the quality of light. And that is a, that was very difficult for me to, uh, to understand for a long time, until I got a flash. So I think that that being your next purchase is really going to help. but Canon also makes, which actually, you are seeing me on this lens right is a 24 millimeter F. 2. 8 lens and it's a prime lens. That's what

Sheila Bragg:

it is. They're not 23.

Raymond Hatfield:

Uh, it's on Fuji. It's 23. So I understand. But, yeah, they have the 24 millimeter F 2. 8 lens. And I think that it's about the same price as the 50, 1. 8. And, I think it's wonderful. I think it's great. Like it works and it has like auto, actually I turn on manual. Oh no, it is still on autofocus and stuff. And, just an old camera. but it's wonderful and it would definitely help you out in situations like that and still allow in more light than the standard kit lens, so. if you're confused, I would recommend that one and say, add that one to the wishlist, and maybe pick that up after the flash. Yeah, exactly. And yeah, because then it becomes like, well, how many things do I need to have? Like, how much stuff do I have to have to be able to take a photograph that I'm happy with and, trying to keep that All right. amount of gear low is only going to help make you a better photographer in the long run. Cause if you just buy all the gear up front, and you have access to everything I found, cause like an idiot, that's exactly what I did. Had the 16 to 35, 24 to 70, 70 to 200. I felt so, bored in photography just cause it was like, just cause there were so many options, whereas if you only have, two, three lenses, And you know how to work them well, then I find that my creativity, goes through the roof, specifically with, with prime lenses that don't zoom. So, I don't know, but we all got to figure that out on our own, you know what I mean? but I do want to ask because, photography is very much, creative pursuit, which means that we are creating something, right? Something is in our head, we have this idea, we use this tool in our hands and we are able to create something. But sometimes We need help. We need to help. We need help figuring out what it is that we want to shoot, in the form of inspiration. So, where do you find inspiration for the photos that you take?

Sheila Bragg:

I don't. I'm not sure. I don't really. You know, today, I was like, I have about an hour and a half to spare.

Raymond Hatfield:

I

Sheila Bragg:

need to go out and take pictures because I don't have that much time. Usually I just don't. maybe limited time is my inspiration because I only have so much that I can actually go out and practice and I never know what it's going to be. So today, when I, after I dropped her off at school, I was like, okay, I have about an hour and a half to play with, like, where can I go? I was like, okay, I'll go downtown. What am I going to take pictures of? I have no idea. So I just walked around and everything that I've That looked interesting. I took a picture of, and then, I figured I'll sort through them later. and that's kind of, you know, my kids, if I'm taking pictures of them, they're like, Hey guys, want to do a photo shoot? You know, they're like, yeah. Usually they're like, no, mom, please don't make me do this again. every once in a while though, they say yes. And they're excited. And then we go out and we get really good shots. Usually they say no. The other night when I was taking pictures of my little one, she did not want anything to do with that. She was like, well, she said yes enthusiastically, but then when it came down to actually doing it, she was like, Oh no, kids. So I don't really have my inspiration is just wanting to be better. I guess I want to be better. I want to take better pictures. I want to take pictures that I'm happy with. You know, not that they need to be compared to anybody's, but to me, in my head, I have an idea of what I'm trying to achieve. And, though I'd like to take portraits, for financial gain at some point when I feel like I, feel comfortable charging people, my ultimate goal is to travel and do landscapes and macro photography on little bugs, and flowers. And I like getting in as close as possible. I'm getting like every little detail that you can't usually see with your eyes, either because you don't want to get that close, like little bumblebee, you know, they're a little fuzzy, or wasps, or, you know, you wouldn't want to get that close, most people anyways. Yeah, me, not me. But I don't mind getting that close. And I like how, when the picture's finished, I can see all of those things. And I have bad eyes, so I'm wearing glasses, but even with my glasses on, I still can't see great. I also find when I'm trying to look through the little square, I usually take my glasses off, which isn't helpful focus wise, but, I can see better. How do you manage that? How do you manage taking pictures with glasses?

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah, that's a solid question. so, I hope that it helps you to know that, when, the T7 is considered an entry level camera and therefore the viewfinder is, a fair bit smaller than it would be on something like a full frame camera, or more of a professional grade camera. It's like twice the size. It's, it's much larger on a larger camera. So that helped, right, because I had to upgrade to, more of a professional body once I started shooting weddings. but then, Fuji, uses approximately, it's close, I think it's point, point seven, eight, percent magnification, whereas a full frame camera is probably going to have a one to one magnification. So it's like, imagine the the viewfinder being the size of a piece of film, right? That's, like, that's huge. That's large that you can look at. So, it becomes less of an issue as you get more of, professional grade camera, I guess, you know, so just look out for that. That's good to know. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're not going to be lost forever because, I thought the same thing. And especially because, in, entry level cameras, I think that the, mirror that you're looking through or the glass that you're looking through just also isn't as clear. I believe that there's a lot more light restriction when you look through it than there is with more professional grade cameras. So just know that it will get better when it is time for you to to upgrade it's going to be like a yeah Huge difference shooting with glasses. So you can look out for that. But otherwise, you just gotta you just gotta ride it out for the time being and just just hope for the best really unfortunately, or you know, unless you wanted to I don't know use the I've seen some people hook up the like the Canon app and then just mount it to the hot shoe of their camera so that they can always see what's going on. But, that's not my style of photography. And I'm, uh, I'm, yeah, assuming after our conversation, that's not yours either. Not yours. I want to know though, in, let's say a hundred years from now, right. 10 years from now, you become the photographer that you are. That you were envisioning yourself to be right now, a hundred years from now, people find your photos, right? they're just looking through your photos. How do you want those people to feel when looking at your, at your images?

Sheila Bragg:

Free. Like I, on my little sandbar, I have felt very trapped. And so in nature, I feel free. Right. And so that's probably why I like taking pictures of nature the most. I feel free. happy. I feel happy. When I see bumblebees and flowers and water, that's not my beach or sound, rivers and streams and lakes, they're naturally beautiful. I hope to share that with the world. No, I hope that I can share the natural beauties of the world.

Raymond Hatfield:

So how do you get there? I

Sheila Bragg:

have to go to the places I have to go there, but I'm going to practice around first because I'm kind of stuck here

Raymond Hatfield:

practice practice practice. Yes, that is the theme for sure that 10,

Sheila Bragg:

000 shots, right?

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, man. It's so many more than that. I promise you it is. I wish that it was just 10, 000 at least for me. It was closer to like, probably 100, 000 shots before. I don't know how you would

Sheila Bragg:

calculate that. Yeah.

Raymond Hatfield:

Oh, well, the camera tracks, yeah. Like the shutter count of the camera. So, you know, you could just add it up over time, but, I guess that hundred thousand shots, I guess that's more of just a, an internal feeling. It's probably more 100, 000, but, for many others, that's closer to 10, 000. I'm also very indecisive sometimes when it comes to shooting. so I'll think that I like something while I shoot it and then I get it back on my computer and I'm like, no, I actually hate all of this. and it's not necessarily the quality of the, of the image or anything like that, it's just, I don't know. I just, I just changed my mind. Like, why did I even shoot this? Like, this doesn't even make sense. And then I just don't like it anymore. So, again, hopefully that, will be much shorter for you and 10, 000 will be, more of appropriate number. I want to transition a little bit and know more about, you and how you found the group because, we are the, the group continues to grow and, people say that it is, one of their favorite communities for photographers. But, I want to hear your opinion because you're very active in the group. so you must, you must feel a certain way about it.

Sheila Bragg:

So I listen to podcasts when I'm watering flowers, unless like the birds are chirping. It's a beautiful day. Then I'll listen to them instead. But, um, most part, I listen to something, podcast here lately, it's just exclusively podcast. And that's how I found yours. I was like, well, I. I'm spending all my time learning about photography, YouTube videos, websites. Like if I have five minutes, that's what I'm doing. but I'm also on the road a lot. So, like I said, I go to a lot of sports. I'm back and forth. I have, you know, I'm at work. there's an hour between each sport. Usually I'm, maybe I'm stuck in the car or, um, just, I'm always on the go. And podcasts for learning really worked for me for that reason. So. I just typed into Spotify, photography podcasts, and I ended up on yours and I listened to the first two episodes and I was like, okay, like his voice doesn't annoy me, you know, podcasts, cause it, no, you know, right? Like some podcasts get on them and you're like, man, I cannot listen to these people talk for an hour. so I was like, okay, his voice is nice. Like I could listen to this. I'm going to keep listening. Like he's interesting. He's funny. Then I just kept listening. And then all of a sudden I'm 10 episodes in and I'm like, okay, I like this. Then I found some of your YouTube videos and I started watching those and I just kept listening. I just finished the one on, um, ethical photography the other day, actually,

Raymond Hatfield:

which I really

Sheila Bragg:

enjoyed. Yeah. I loved that. I had never thought about that before. So it was really interesting to think, kind of like how you were asking. It came to mind when you asked about what you would want people to see in a hundred years. and I. That podcast came to mind, like ethical photography, what you want people to see in your pictures, you know, being intentional and, um, you know, just taking pictures with a purpose, like not, not putting. Negative juju into the world, I guess. So how did you, how did you find the group? Through the podcast?

Raymond Hatfield:

Well, yeah, at the end of the podcast, I guess. I mean, you know, you heard about it on the podcast, but then, you came in, I guess I meant, how did you find the group to be, like, how, how did you like the group? I, I really phrased that pretty poorly. Yeah., sorry about that.

Sheila Bragg:

So I joined the group and I just kind of lurched for a little while, you know, reading what everybody, what everybody else is saying. Till I felt comfortable enough to post my own question and everybody was supportive and helpful, which is nice. You don't always get that in a group on the internet. especially,

Raymond Hatfield:

especially in a brutal

Sheila Bragg:

world out there. And, I liked it. So I was like, okay, I'm going to be active, you know, and I like, I know things now, so I feel like I'm able to help people, so it's nice to be able to help people when they have a question that I I can answer. I like that people ask questions. I like that people post their work. I like that you can post your work and ask for criticism. And it's all very technical. of course it's subjective, right? Because maybe I meant for the picture to be underexposed. You know, but it's nice that you can post your own pictures to be criticized so that you can grow, right? Cause that's the goal growing.

Raymond Hatfield:

Have you found that the, constructive criticism has been the most beneficial part of the group for you, or is it, or is it something else?

Sheila Bragg:

I don't think I've posted that many things to be criticized, but I learn a lot from other people's criticisms. you know, people post their pictures. And then I just look at them and, read all the comments and I'm like, Oh, okay. Like I see what they're saying here with the lighting or, you know, maybe they should have got lower down on the ground or left this part out. So yeah, just learning through other people's criticisms too, is really helpful because, often we look at pictures, even there's a lot of people that put out pictures and maybe the pictures are something good for them, but maybe they're not great pictures overall. Yes. but you wouldn't go on Technically, Like in a technical way, criticize their picture that they posted because it would be unkind if they didn't ask for it. So you see a lot of pictures. It just makes you be able to view other people's work differently too. Right. And my own. So I can look at my own and be like, Oh, that, you know, that lighting wasn't great. Or I didn't frame up that shot good because I have, you know, I'm able to lurk through everybody else's post and see all these criticisms. And, I'm able to take that advice. Is

Raymond Hatfield:

there anything that you learned in the group that you wish that maybe you learned earlier in your photography journey?

Sheila Bragg:

All of it, really. Using live view.

Raymond Hatfield:

Ah.

Sheila Bragg:

Using live view. If I would have known that when I first picked up my camera for the very first time, if I would have known that I could have understood aperture, easily by just turning on live view, right. And turning them up like, boy, would that have made me understand better? Like, of course, everybody talks about, the exposure triangle for some reason that was always really confusing for me. They're like exposure, triangle, exposure, triangle. And even after I learned it. I understand why it's called the exposure triangle, but for whatever reason, the terminology is just confusing to me.

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah. there's no exposure triangle button on your camera or, or setting. Yeah, it's

Sheila Bragg:

just, it's just the three settings working together and all of the charts that they put out for that. They're like, Oh, here's a chart for the exposure triangle. I'm looking at that and I'm like, what? Like, this doesn't make any sense to me. It looks, it looks foreign. Like I'm not, and I get it. I get it. I understand what each one does. I understand when I look at the chart, like, okay, you know, when it shows shutter speed and it shows the little guy running, right? Like I get that it's freezing the action, but somehow they're all supposed to work together on this chart. And that chart doesn't make sense to me at all. So every time I would see it, people were like, oh, you need to learn this exposure triangle. And I'm thinking like, they must be referring to this, Chart that I don't understand because you know, I know how to work shutter speed. I know how, well, like, why are they telling me to learn this chart? It doesn't make any sense to me. So, that exposure triangle, like it's just the three terms together, working together in harmony to get a crisp shot that you're going for. Yeah, maybe it's just me. Sometimes I feel like it takes me a little while to understand things. So maybe a little longer than other people. Like I need the information to click a certain way. So your podcast was probably the 37th podcast I'd listened to. Other people explained it in lots of other ways. And for whatever reason, yours was the one that clicks. Like I understood it. And then once I got it, everything else made sense. Like all the information that I had learned. so yeah, just using live view, like, Oh, Hey, I need to learn how to use Aperture and shutter speed and all of these things, but mainly just Aperture and, ISO, I guess it wouldn't help much for shutter speed, but, you know, Hey, I need to learn how to use Aperture and ISO. Like, okay, use live view. Like that's the easiest way to truly understand right away what your settings are doing. So easy,

Raymond Hatfield:

you know, I was going to ask, now that you have some experience in photography, what advice would you give somebody who's like brand new to photography today, but, that sounded like a pretty solid recommendation. Yeah. Is there anything else?

Sheila Bragg:

take pictures of things. You don't want to take pictures of, like, don't always just take pictures of the things that you want to take pictures of. Right. Because now, if I only took pictures of flowers and bumblebees, You know, I have 40, 000 pictures on my iPhone, 10, 000 of those are probably bumblebees and flowers. I have lots of pictures of those things and though they aren't the quality that my camera produces. if I didn't put myself in two different situations in photography, I wouldn't learn anything new. So I can't grow by only taking pictures of bumblebees and flowers, right. I had to go out and take pictures. Today I took pictures of a bridge. you know, I took it from three different angles, which angle was the best angle. the light was hitting it in different ways and it was, you know, there's probably about a 45 minute different time and it was kind of early. So the sun hadn't all the way risen yet. And the way light works, right? Like if you're not natural light, I don't really like artificial light. Who knows if I'll ever get in a studio and take pictures that way, because I'm not sure that's for me. I really like natural lighting. But how the light works, right? How does it affect your pictures when you're taking it? I took a picture through the trees today. there was a flower, it was on a bush, it was through the trees, like the flower was here, the sun was up here. Well, I could see it through the viewfinder, but when I took the picture at one angle, it completely blew out the picture. so then I got down a little more, then it made really pretty sunspots on the picture. So, figuring out how the light works. for you and not against you. if you never took pictures other than what you wanted to take pictures of You wouldn't be able to figure that out. I don't think you'd be able to get that experience,

Raymond Hatfield:

Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. And that is a uh, it's a lifelong practice, that is something that that you're going to work with forever. I mean I hope to always find a situation in which I am surprised by my camera or see something new and interesting because I feel like once I see lose that. Like once it just all becomes like, I know exactly what I'm about to achieve here. it can lose its, fun and it can lose its, I don't know, magic, I guess. So, I love that. Sheila, I know that we are, at the end of our time here. So before I let you go, listeners know that they can find you in the group. Where else can we see, find out more about you and maybe some of your work?

Sheila Bragg:

so far only on Facebook, I castle color photography is my Facebook page and that's it for now. I will have an online album, a gallery where you could buy prints, but it's not live yet. So just castle color photography on Facebook.

Raymond Hatfield:

Perfect. Sheila, again, thank you so much for coming on, being vulnerable, sharing, your journey, with listeners. And I honestly look forward to keeping up with you and your, photography here in the future.

Sheila Bragg:

I'll definitely be on the group.

Raymond Hatfield:

Remember, this community spotlight series is all about you and the supportive beginner photography podcast community. Now, if you would like to be a part of this supportive community, we would love to have you, you can find a direct link to the group in the show notes, or just by simply heading over to beginner photo pod. com forward slash group. That's beginner photo pod. com forward slash group. Thank you again so much for listening to this episode of the podcast. And remember, the more that you shoot today, the better. The better of a photographer you will be tomorrow.

Outro:

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