Hannah

Amazing! I will check it out. Thanks for blazing this path for so many of us.

Thank you! Do you think entering a mentorship would be a good place to start? When it comes to conservation storytelling I feel like there's a lot to learn in terms of effective communication on the topic you're passionate about.

These days, in order to break into conservation photography and storytelling are individuals required to have formal education in conservation/biology/wildlife management etc. or is this sort of changing?

Thank you so much to everyone that joined and those who submitted questions elsewhere. Grateful for the opportunity and for Sony amplifying female creatives. You can follow along on the rest of my journey via Instagram and YouTube 🙂 I also host women's adventure group trips -- one spot is open for my May group trip to Peru and I'm launching my Iceland group trip for this November soon. You can find all of the links below. Thanks again everyone! Instagram YouTube Peru Trip Iceland My website

Of course! I'm happy it's helpful :) It can be intimidating with sooooo many options. But when you narrow it down to what, precisely, it is you're looking for it makes things a little easier.

My favorite place to photograph is also my favorite place I've been - India. There's something so special about it, it's unlike anywhere else I've been. The vibrancy of life there is unmatched. The colors, sights, smells, sounds; it's all amplified. Trying to capture the essence of it is something I could spend an entire lifetime doing.

I think one thing I will say, maybe a hot take, is that I don’t agree with the saying “just use your iPhone.” If photography IS a hobby you enjoy and spend time doing, and you have the means to invest a little in a camera, then there's nothing like a camera with all the buttons and dials to tinker with. That said, there are sooo many beginner friendly cameras. So ask yourself these questions: 1. How much do you want to spend and what is your budget? 2. Do you want a point and shoot or a camera that allows interchangeable lenses? 3. Research camera brands and the ecosystem that you’ll be investing in 4. Do you want a full frame or APS-C (crop sensor) camera? 5. Consider where the photos are going and how many pixels you want (lower pixels=less resolution and less versatility in how it can be used/ more pixels = more versatility and resolution). 6. What are you photographing? 7. Before purchasing - rent your desired camera to see if you like it. My recommendations are: Full frame: Sony Alpha 7C ll // APS-C: Sony Alpha 6700 // Point and shoot: Sony ZV 1-ll // Splurge: Sony Alpha 7 IV // Budget friendly full frame: Sony Alpha 7 ll ALSO! The used camera market is also an option. Just make sure you do your research and get the shutter count before you buy to ensure the camera still has lots of life in it 🙂

Simply: trial and error. And lots of it! I didn’t really find my style until about my 6th year of photography - it will be different for everyone. I started to lean into the films and shows I liked, pinpointed what exactly it was that I liked about it and morphed it into my own editing style. I messed around a lot in Lightroom which helped me fully understand the tools and how they all work together.

I don’t have presets available yet but they're coming! In the meantime, I made a Lightroom tutorial on my editing process:

I love my Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 GM ll lens! I started photography using a different 24-70mm but fell in love with the versatility of this focal length. This lens supports almost every situation I find myself in – portraits, landscapes, cityscapes, street photography etc. So when I switched to Sony, it was the first lens I purchased and it continues to be the lens that’s on my camera 90% of the time. This year, I hope try more Prime lenses!

I use Adobe Lightroom to edit my photos! Only photo editing tool I've used so I feel like I know it pretty well.

I have the Sony Alpha 7R V 🙂 This camera is perfect for me right now, where I am with photography and video. It's such an incredible tool to work with - truly feels like an extension of me.

I’ve never experienced loving what I do quite like I have with photography and video. If I could take photos every single day I probably would. I think where I most lack balance is the amount I work rather than enjoyment of it. I love it so I never want to stop. I’m up with the sun, usually before it, and either behind my computer editing, storyboarding or out in the field. I’m constantly growing and learning new things and I have this hunger for it unlike anything else. While I do lack work/life balance I genuinely enjoy everything about it!

Video, like photography, is pretty personal when it comes to editing, coloring and creating the overall mood you want to convey. I use LUTs to color my videos in Premiere Pro. Where I can get a bit more technical is my settings as there are a few “rules” to shooting video in a camera: Best practice is having your shutter speed double your frame rate because this best represents what the human eye sees. So if you’re shooting at 24fps your shutter needs to be 1/50. This is typically what’s used in cinema and TV. You can change the shutter speed but it will affect the crispness and jitters in your video. Tip 2: Every camera has a base ISO - for best performance keep your ISO at your camera’s base ISO when filming for optimal results (ie. reduced noise and artifacts). Tip 3: Your aperture is really the only setting you’re able to change. While you can lean on this to change the exposure in your video, I recommend using this to change the image creatively (ie. deep vs shallow focus). Tip 4: Variable NDs help significantly when your shutter is double your frame rate (1/50), especially in broad daylight and they allow you to maintain your base ISO as mentioned above and use your aperture creatively.

Hi! Thanks for being here. I think the thing with algorithms is that we've (as creators) put a lot of importance on it. We worry so much about performance, when we post, trending audio, SEO -- sometimes to the point where it starts dictating our art. And we're not longer posting what we truly want to. Of course, there are some trends that make sense to join in on and I'll do the trends when that's the case. But I would rather a video or photo not perform well and be super stoked on it than to post a bunch of high performing videos that didn’t really feel “true” to who I am. Do I want as many people as possible to see my work because I'm proud of it and think it would resonate? Of course. As an artist that’s one of our greatest hopes - that it resonates with others. But do I need it to? Absolutely not. Making this mindset shift was the best thing I ever did for myself.

Hi! Thanks for being here. For photos, it will always be Instagram. I just wish the aspect ratio would change so that it could be the full image. It's been fun to post the uncropped versions of my photos on Threads, too. For video, YouTube. I love long form video and started posting regularly over there too! Don't get me wrong, Reels are fun but there's something so satisfying about a 16x9 video. Feels more lifelike to me.

I started by creating the content in the industry I wanted to be in. So for me, that was travel. I went around Maine, where I'm from and lived at the time, and with any free time I had I would create content centered around travel. It wasn't the most exciting thing ever but I was able to see a lot of Maine and see it through a new lens. I knew I needed to create a portfolio before I could pitch any brands and that's what I was doing through traveling in my own state. Putting a travelers spin on a place I knew so well. Try and find exactly what it is that excites you in the world of content creation and create a portfolio with the means you have now! And once you have this sort of proof of concept -- you can build a pitch deck and media kit to share with brands you want to work with.

Aside from YouTube University 😂 I am fully self taught. I didn’t go to film or photography school and learned everything from just throwing myself into taking photos. I forced myself to shoot manual pretty early on. From which, came a lot of terrible photos. But I learned a lot from all of those mistakes and never made them again. But I am very grateful for all of the free resources out there that helped shepherd me into the photographer I am today. Sometimes you just have to pave your own way and forgo the traditional one.

I use Adobe Premiere Pro to edit and color all of my videos - whether it's an Instagram Reel, client video or YouTube video.

Just get out and take photos. Practice as much as you can with the gear you have. Play with compositions, light and depth of field. And challenge yourself - go out in bad weather, when the lighting isn’t ideal and when you don’t feel like it. Seek inspiration from a bunch of different places. For me, I love cinema, magazines, music, museums, documentaries and sometimes just the place I am actually in. Oh and – you’ve got this!

Hi!! Thanks for joining 🙂 I think one of my favorite things about photography is just that: going to a place that's so popular and putting my own spin on it. I rely heavily on the place I'm in and really take it in. I try to find different vantage points and compositions, I take a few shots, switch up where I am and take a few more. And I'll do this almost everywhere, when I have the time. The unique thing about photography is that no one will ever have your exact perspective because we all view the world differently. We come from different backgrounds, lived experiences & have different interests -- all of our art, all of our photos, will be different. And that's what I lean into.

I have always considered myself "creative" but it took a while to find what it was that satiated that creativity. It wasn't until after college that I realized that "thing" was photography. I had the unique opportunity to come up when Instagram was still photo focused. Being on the app gave me access to photographers and publications like National Geographic, Conde Nast Traveler and Travel & Leisure in a paywall free structure. So seeing others work on the app really gave me the courage to share my own. Through the wild west of Instagram I won a contest. And I traveled to Hong Kong and Thailand with a complete stranger - this trip changed everything. I'd never experienced anything quite like it as it was my first time out of the country. It was my first chance at travel photography and I was hooked from day one. I'd say those earlier years were definitely fueled and inspired by those online publications and access to a bunch of different photographers. And while I do cringe, ha, at those older photos I know without them and without those experiences I wouldn't be where I am today.

I’ve been a full-time content creator for nearly a decade and over that time I’ve honed my photography skills, worked with countless brands, and learned many lessons on navigating this career field. You’re welcome to check out some of my work on my instagram (@hannahrheaume). I will be typing these answers in real time, I’m excited to answer your questions!

Hi! My name is Hannah Rheaume – I am a photographer and filmmaker with a focus on travel and outdoors content. I also host a podcast and an online community, “Women and the Wilderness,” focused on sharing inspiring stories of nature and women.