Hey everyone! Here are answers to last Friday’s Q&A on Facebook.

1.  Pamela X.:  What do you typically wear to weddings? I will be a guest at one but also shadowing a photographer at the same wedding!

When I am working I wear black dress pants with a black or white blouse and a blazer. For shoes, black closed-toe flats or boots.

2.  Lalaine S.: Do you shoot the wedding all by yourself?  Because there was a time that I was asked to shoot a wedding, and I answered ‘no’ to them because I’m afraid I can’t do the wedding because I’m alone.

I have at least one assistant with me. Here is a blog post about why you should have a second shooter.

3.  Sophia L.:  What gear did you take to Peru?

I only brought one Canon 5D camera body with one lens – the 24-70mmf/2.8. This was going to be an active trip so I didn’t want to carry a ton of gear, plus I didn’t have a wedding to shoot. When I travel somewhere for a wedding, that is a whole ‘nother story! Here is a more detailed blog post about what camera gear to pack when traveling (for recreation).

4.  Jamie G.:  What was your favorite food in Peru?

The FRUIT! Granadilla and Chirimoya were my favorites.

5.  Luna D.:  I’m going on vacation in 3 weeks to Italy.  What is a good small camera to take with me, but can take high quality pictures?

I don’t have a ton of experience with point-and-shoot cameras but I really like the Lumix series. Sony also makes fantastic point and shoots.

6. Pamela X.:  I have a Nikon d300 and I want to get a better lens that has a better depth of field (if that makes sense…) – basically so the background is more out of focus and the item I want to focus on is more crisp and clear.  What lens do you suggest?  I know you’re a canon user but is there any advice you can give on moving up to the next level for lens?

If you want better depth of field, get any lens with an aperture of 2.8 or larger (larger = smaller f number). The lens I recommend for beginners is the 50mm f/1.8. It’s only around $100 and with give you fantastic depth of field. If you are more serious about photography, consider investing in the 50mm f/1.4 (around $350). For Nikon, I believe the equivalent to the 50mm is the 35mm.

7.  Michael D.:  What phone do you think has the best camera and do you think a high end camera phone can compete with an actual high end camera?

I love the iPhone. I think that someday the camera phones will be able to produce quality that is close to SLRs, but the SLRs will always be able to do more in terms of photography.

8.  Sandra M.:  When traveling how do you take care of your health and make sure you don’t get sick? When traveling abroad, do you get any shots/vaccines?

I use general precaution like making sure food is cooked in front of me if I’m eating street food. I never take vaccines unless it is required by the country I’m visiting. When I went to Sierra Leone we were required to get Yellow Fever vaccines and take malaria medication. It gave me crazy nightmares. I hated it.

9.  Courtney E.:  If you are the lone person shooting a wedding, where do you stand/move for ceremony pics without being invasive?

On the sidelines, or I crouch in the aisle. Here is a how-to video I made about this exact subject.

10. Juanita L.:  How do you carry all your camera gear to a wedding? And do you bring everything around with you at all times?

I carry everything in my Think Tank rollie bag. While I am shooting I leave the bag in a corner and have 2 camera bodies hanging on me (one with a 70-200mmf/2.8 lens and one with a 50mm f/1.2 lens). I also wear a fanny pack with spare batteries, memory cards, chapstick, and mints.