Some frequently asked questions

 

 

Question: 

What is Nilas? Is your name Nilas?

 

Answer: 

When I was a teen, I came across the word and it was described as thin flat ice that surrounds sea borders and could bend with the waves without breaking. To me, it represents resilience and I took the name as an artists pseudonym. I've since named my first son Nilas, so that he is named after his father, but not directly. My name is Michael. 

 

 

 

Question: 

What is your shooting style?

 

Answer: 

Extremely laid back and down to Earth. I love to get to know my clients and I want you to feel comfortable. I don't try to over control a shoot. I usually try to set clients in position and then set a mood. I'll grab a few posed shots and then focus on grabbing those perfect, organic candids. 

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Question: 

(Anything involving production)

 

Answer: 

We have a huge community of creatives and can call upon them to tackle projects and productions of any size. Send a challenge and I will accept it.

 

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Question: 

Do you do mentorships, internships, or educate?

 

Answer: 

Yes, but we have a ton of requests since taking over our studio. We also host workshops, so i recommend 1) subscribing and/or following on social to join workshops or community networking events and 2) setting up a consultation to be considered for further opportunities. We LOVE building upon our wonderful community of creatives.

 

 

Question: 

Why do you put all your different styles of work on your site? 

 

Answer: 

I invite my clients to get to know me. I want them to be comfortable with me, so I choose not to fear to lose potential clients because they've seen my other styles. I am a versatile photographer and believe in contrast. Whether I'm shooting weddings, general sessions, landscapes or dark works, photography is my passion and a part of me so I choose to share it all. Shooting everything makes me a better educator and photographer in all fileds. 

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Question: 

Are you LGBT friendly?

 

Answer: 

Definitely.

 

 

 

Question: 

What equipment do you use?

 

Answer: 

I love this question.

 

If you're unfamiliar with cameras, the best way to describe my equipment would be various lenses on full frame Canon cameras. I am able to shoot in full sun or low light, without excessive use of flash. Actually, I usually try to avoid flash altogether, using natural light to create organic images. I use reliable memory card brands to avoid any loss of images.

 

If you're a photographer or person who enjoys cameras, here is the list of the equipment I most commonly use.

 

Body:

• Canon R5

• Canon 5D MII, III, IV

• Zenmuse X5

• GoPro Hero 7 Black

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Lighting and studio:

• Profoto and all the works/papers/cyclorama/props/product table... I keep a more updated list on our studio website, but we have just about anything since we operate one of Portland's primary professional photo studios www.cobaltstudiospdx.com

 

Lenses:

• Canon 85mm f1.2 L

• Canon 24-105mm f4 L (x2)

• Canon 50mm f1.4 & f1.8

• Canon Macro 100mm f2.8 L

• Canon 70-200mm f2.8 L

• Sigma 35mm f1.4

• Rokinon 14mm f2.8

• DJI 15mm f1.7

• Olympus 25mm f1.8

• Olympus 45mm f1.8

• Occasional film lenses when doing artsy stuff

 

Cards:

• Lexar & San Disk

 

Drone:

• DJI Inspire 1

 

Post Production:

• Adobe Lightroom 

• Adobe Photoshop

• Adobe Premiere Pro

 

And then some... If you have any further questions about equipment, feel free to reach out!

 

 

 

Question: 

Are you insured?

 

Answer: 

Absolutely. I have million dollar coverage, which means I'm good to shoot on national parks and then some. 

 

 

 

Question: 

What are past clients saying about you? Can you supply references?

 

Answer: 

I am very happy to have 5-star ratings across multiple platforms.  Check around the web or ask for references, but we are humbled to have tons of great ratings.

 

​​​Question: 

Do you shoot alone or do you have a second shooter? 

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Answer: When the situation calls for it, I have a huge community of second shooters, videographers, make-up and hair, you name it. I'll be happy to give you all the recommendations or call in the crew.

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Question: 

Do you offer albums and prints? 

 

Answer: I do. Although, you are not required to print through me. I can design and deliver an album for you, or I can recommend a third party or online company. So many photographers include albums in their packages, bringing the base price up significantly. I leave everything in your control.

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Question: 

Do you shoot in RAW or Jpeg? Will you deliver all the RAW Images? 

 

Answer: RAW all the way. I then cull and edit RAW files, delivering high-resolution Jpegs. I do not provide clients with RAW files. If you have any questions about the difference between RAW and Jpeg, feel free to contact me.    

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Question: 

What is the turnaround time for images? 

 

Answer: I do my best to have images out in a couple weeks. Ask me about rush options as well.

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Question: 

How do you deliver images? 

 

Answer: Online gallery, private or shareable.​​

  

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Question: 

Do you shoot destination? 

 

Answer: I'll shoot anywhere in the world. 

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Have a wedding specific question?

 

 

Note: I have a whole site dedicated to weddings and couples.

www.weddingphotographerguy.com