Tracy Hebden

Portrait | Last Updated: February 23, 2021

Hello, I’m Tracy from Tracy Lee Photography. I live in Canberra Australia and shoot portraits, weddings and personal photography projects.

I love visual storytelling and my family and portrait images all contain a story component to them. My portrait sessions tend to take an organic approach to capture my subjects. I go in with a rough plan but always deviate from it as I see light changing and different elements in the environment that catch my eye.

I grew up having my own childhood documented on camera and super 8 film by my Dad so my love for family storytelling grew from there. The best thing about delivering photos to clients is seeing their reactions (and often tears) at the love and connection they see in them. There’s always lots of laughter and fun at my sessions.

Camera

Canon 5D Mark IV x2 – It fits well in my hands and I can easily change settings on the go. I have tried other models but they just didn’t feel right. I generally use one camera body for a couple’s sessions but two for families. I find it easier to have the two for capturing incidental moments with high energy kids or pets playing. You don’t have to interrupt the natural flow to change lenses.

Lenses

Canon 50mm f/1.2 – My all-time favourite lens for portraits. It performs beautifully, works well in low light and shoots fast. It is also more lightweight than the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L. Plus I love to work close to my clients as I am constantly chatting and interacting with them. It really helps in connecting with young children where you can be right in the fun with them.

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L – A good all-rounder lens for a variety of environments. Great wide coverage when shooting in cramped spaces. I use this lens when I am travelling or capturing festivals and events.

Canon EF 135mm f/2L – The latest addition to my kit. I ADORE it for portraits. It shoots at F2 to create beautiful dreamy portraits and gives backgrounds that dreamy soft quality.

Bags/Straps

Think Tank – Airport TakeOff Rolling / Backpack Camera Bag – Fabulous for weddings where I tend to take so much gear for all those ‘just in case moments’.

Backpack – A generic one I picked up off e-bay for $80 for on the go portrait shoots where I often find myself traipsing all over the countryside. Or when I am second shooting for wedding photography.

HoldFast MoneyMaker Dual Strap – I feel like a real cowgirl in my MoneyMaker. I find it helps remind me to keep a good posture when shooting and not hunch my shoulders. It’s fantastic for girls with boobs too as it doesn’t clip up over your chest! I also wear it back to front as it feels more comfortable that way.

Misc.

Extreme Pro SanDisk Compact Flash Cards – I always carry a heap of them. Along with at least two batteries for portraits and six batteries for weddings.

Wet wipes – For snotty noses and wiping dog poop off your shoes.

Hunting whistle – Many of my clients bring their dogs along and a hunting whistle is great for getting that cute doggy head tilt.

Bubbles – To bribe younger children who start to get a bit restless. I tell them I have a secret that they can’t share with their parents and give them a few fun tasks so I can grab some more photos before bringing them out at the end of the shoot. Blowing bubbles is a great way to end a session and get some fun last shots. Always bring an extra tube though as it is inevitable that one of the kids will accidentally tip one out so backup bubbles are crucial.

Hardware and Software

Adobe Lightroom CC and Adobe Photoshop 2020. I have created a set of my own go-to presets that I start within Adobe Lightroom CC and tweak. If I need to do more detailed touch ups, I work in Adobe Photoshop 2020. I also batch process my blog images through Adobe Photoshop 2020 using Code and Hustle’s ‘storyboard’ software. It has really sped up my workflow.

I edit on a PC custom built by my nerdy partner. I back up to a 16 TB raid system and all of my edited jpgs are backed up in dropbox.

To run my business I use 17Hats as a client CRM system, Photo Mechanic to cull sessions, Pixellu for client slideshows and album design and Dropbox as a cloud backup.

I found after eight years of shooting professionally, I needed to get back to personal work and explore new ideas and ways of shooting. It’s made a big difference in how I approach weddings and portraits and I am more willing to challenge myself and try new things with clients.

www.tracyleephotography.net | @tracy_lee_photography