Sarah Mahen Photographers

Photographer F.A.Q.’s

Photographers send us lots of emails asking questions about how we do what we do, so we created this frequently asked questions page for photographers. Information is definitely power, and we hope these answers empower you to keep capturing stunning images.

What kind of computer do you use?

Because Dustin is a computer genius, we use PC’s that he builds from scratch. And we use luscious Samsung screens.

How do you get your pictures to look like that?

The short answer is hard work.

The long answer is inspiration. We’re inspired by so many people and by so much visually—and we morph that inspiration into our own style. Sarah has a degree in art history, which means she has spent a fair amount of her adult life looking at various kinds of art. She’s often inspired by colors and textures in paintings and sculptures, and she uses that inspiration in post-processing as well. We’ve also been blessed to have some great post-processing products at our disposal, including those listed below.

  • Lightroom 2 – 3
  • Photoshop CS2 – 5
  • Totally Rad Actions (1 & 2)
  • Jesh de Rox Fine Art Textures
  • Jesh de Rox Colorshift Actions
  • Dustin Stellar Lightroom Presets

We try very hard not to run an action “as is.” It’s important to use them as a starting point for bringing your own distinct look and feel to your images.

What slideshow program do you use on your website?

Showit Web

Do you offer mentoring sessions?

Because we recently had our second child, we are not offering mentoring sessions in 2011.

What’s in your bag?

We are a Nikon family… And brace yourself: the names after the lenses are what we call them. Yes, we name our lenses—they’re good to us so we’re compelled to be good to them.

  • Nikon D700 x2
  • Nikon D300
  • Nikkor 14-24 2.8 (aka, Sloane)
  • Nikkor 24-70 2.8 (aka, Lisa)
  • Nikkor 70-200 2.8 VR (aka, Darnell)
  • Nikkor 24mm 1.4 (aka, Keifer)
  • Nikkor 35mm 2.0 (aka, Grace)
  • Nikkor 50mm 1.4 (aka, Skinny Elvis)
  • Nikkor 50mm 1.4 AF-S G (aka, Fat Elvis)
  • Nikkor 60mm 2.8 Macro (aka, Mack the Knife)
  • Nikkor 85mm 1.4 AF-S G (aka, Carl)
  • Nikkor 10.5mm 2.8 Fisheye (aka, Dory)
  • Speedlight SB600
  • Speedlight SB800 (x 2)
  • Speedlight SB900 (x 2)
  • Digital Pro-E Rotating Camera/Flash Bracket (x 2)
  • AlienBee 1600 with beauty dish, umbrellas, soft boxes, and stands (x 4)
  • Pocket Wizards (x 6)
  • Lots of lens cloths, rechargeable batteries, and memory cards (we use 8-gig cards)
  • While shooting, Sarah uses a Crumpler 6 Million Dollar Home bag, and Dustin uses a Lowepro Off Road belt bag.
  • When traveling, we stow our gear in Pelican 1510 travel cases.

I want to second shoot for you? Can I do that?

Unfortunately, no. We are a tag-team, and when Dustin can’t join Sarah, one of her professional photog friends joins her. We have experimented with random second shooters, but the final product has never been consistent. Keeping that in mind—and because our biggest priority is our clients—we don’t bring along seconds we don’t know well.