Again, I’m Speechless


…. That’s the sound of my jaw dropping to the floor.

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87 Comments

  1. It makes me sad that we can’t see the fauxtog’s facebook link. I really want to see the rest of their work.

  2. Veronica

    W T H is this? This shows no character, doesn’t tell a story. As a matter of fact, it’s just a snapshot of garbage!

  3. this is clearly an art piece of work, so you cant judge it. if the bride was slim, you probably would have liked it, so would i. i’m outta here, this judgmental site depresses me too much…

    • Hey Martin: You’re supposed to put a smiley face or something at the end so we all know you’re joking…

    • Kristian

      It doesn’t matter if she is slim or not. The picture it self is just terrible.

  4. It’s heinous. However, this page would be So.much.better if we could see the full “portfolio” of this “photographer”.

  5. Michelle

    Is that a TOGA?

  6. Oh, so because we don’t see a blurry, badly composed and badly lit photo that would not be flattering to anyone regardless of body type, suddenly that equals fat-phobia? Good luck with that.

    This photo is not art. The photographer is not an artist. I feel sorry for the couple if this was indeed a wedding photo and they actually paid money for this. They found out the hard way that it pays to hire someone who knows what they’re doing.

  7. Obviously the fauxtog is more proud of the ability to use high contrast (borderline scary) sepia than of the ability to describe the moment, tell the story, or capture beauty. I agree though, I’d love to see more images of the wedding to truly determine how much I should be making fun of it.

    • Veronica

      I feel bad for the people who’s in the photos. I hope they didn’t pay for these photos :[

  8. Its the best piece of art work I think I have ever seen, Please Please let me at
    the person who took this so that I can do the world a favor and kill them.

  9. Not art. Plain and simple: shutter speed too slow for hand-held. While intentional blur can be art, not here. The head is so dark that it looks decapitated. The eye is forced to choose between an unfortunate glare on the shoulders, which emphasizes the darks below and then makes the shoulders seem bigger than they actually are, OR the unfortunate glare on the backside, which again emphasizes that area.

    But, hey, it’s “good enough,” and I suspect the bride was thrilled with the $200 wedding photography she purchased.

  10. Sindydoll

    I think half of you have no clue what you are talking about.
    It would be good to see the rest of the shots for context.
    This particular shots depicts movement & mood. You either have the eye & appreciation for it or you do not. Some people are born to take boring “straight” shots that are perfunctory & make people yawn, whilst others throw the rulebook out the window. There IS no rulebook. YOU capture what you see, the way you want to see it & the way you want it to be seen.

    This image has not the best composition, & there could be a little more light to the profiled face, but as one of a sequence, I’m sure there were some good ones in there…

    • PenguinKaty

      Maybe you’re right. Still, that’s no excuse for the travesty of sepia and over-contrast.

    • Derpface

      LOL you’re funny. Regardless what the rest of the sequence is like, this one should be destined for the bin. I wouldn’t even post this as an amateur taking free snapshots, let alone if I were “claiming to be a pro on facebook (LOL)”.

    • High Horsie

      C’mon…
      You should know by now that most of the people that visit this site are rank amateurs at best. They feel better about their own work by ganging up on and collectively shitting on other people’s pictures.

      I agree that some of the material on this site is of poor quality, but when the criticism begins, it’s basically a nit-picking shitstorm.

      You’d think that none of these people have ever taken a picture with even so much as a slightly blown highlight.

  11. One positive thing about this photo, is that it reminds me of the music video for “Lightning Crashes” by Live.

  12. Art? More like Fart… This is what happens when you use your iPhone to photograph your friend’s wedding as a favour, instead of a photographer with a DSLR and a f2.8 lens or faster…

    …although the inherent movement showing through the photo is beginning to grow on me… oh wait, no, it’s just a piece of crap. :/

  13. First of all…I am speechless that people are making such nasty remarks about someone’s FB picture. It was posted on FB for friends and family to see, not entered into a photography contest. Makes me wonder how many of my point & shoot pics are under critique without my permission & how many people are making fun of my lack of “photography skill”. I could care less what they may say about my pics, I’m not looking for awards & glowing praise from others; but the thought of a group of “professional” photographers making rude remarks about pics I’ve posted or anyone has posted “just so”, makes me furious. Even more infuriated that such a web site as “You Are Not a Photographer” exists…it appears to have been created for just the purpose of insulting people. What’s next…a site for making fun of people that dress oddly? Oh yeah, they’ve already created one…The People of Wal-Mart. Same thing…people take pictures the way they wanna take pictures, they dress the way they wanna dress & what they may think is beautiful, may be horrendous to the rest of us…doesn’t give us the right to make fun of them.

    • Sindydoll

      Wholeheartedly agree Sheri!
      I doubt whether any of these people are “professional” photographers.
      One or two of them may have DSLR’s, but doubt whether a handful of them know how to handle a camera or even know what film looks like! Let alone profer their own snaps for critique… god forbid!

      Disregard the BS. When they’re done with this I’m sure there’s even a site to make fun of people with physical disabilities…!
      Losers.

      • Thanks, Sindydoll…had to get it off my chest. I saw the link on my FB newsfeed and was curious. Could not believe what I read! People really need to see the bigger picture (pardon the pun) and have some compassion for others. Life is too short…deal with your insecurities some other way. 😉

      • Photog101

        That’s not what this site is for! If you don’t agree with the comments, unlike the page and don’t look at it!

      • AdrianaVega

        To Sindy and Sherri. I am a professional. I went to school to learn how to handle a camera. The people who built this website did as well to my knowledge. I sadly do not and cannot start up my own photo buisness because people with rather take cheap, over quality. This blur is unprofessional, so is the lighting. Adjust your settings. There is no excuse for this. You can hardly see the brides face, if I were her I wouldn’t pay or id get my money back. Sometimes you only have one wedding day so there is no excuse for unprofessional photos.

        The issue is for me atleast, is that people are paying for trash like this, rather than paying people with actual knowledge of a camera and talent.

        People scrutinize people all the time. I’m sure you two ladies have critized someone for what they wore, or how the looked, etc. If you say no your lying. Its human nature to judge. It happens, get over it.

      • AdrianaVega

        To sum myself up

        Take as many crappy photos as you like

        But if you are making people pay for it, it should be quality.

        That’s like making someone pay for a used cellphone, that has dents ans scratches. From my POV anyways

      • Sindydoll

        Good lord – AdrianaVega – please make sure you READ the SCREEN! Goodness gracious me, the level of apalling comprehension astounds me.
        This woman has not posted this photo as any kind of professional wedding photo.. it is merely a personal snap that seems to have been totally hijacked by a bunch of idiot vultures!!
        Get a grip.
        Good luck with your business. I too am an excellent photographer, and yet I have enough grace to applaud personal expression.
        Look to personal excellence by all means; but I doubt sincerely whether you rock the world with your own images. Good luck to you if you do! & have the grace to respect other people’s expression.

      • BurninBiomass

        “but I doubt sincerely whether you rock the world with your own images.”

        They yell about knocking a picture we have seen, and then puts down another photographer without even seeing their pictures. Sweet! So much for that whole grace thing.

      • AdrianaVega

        Actually if you are familar with this site, which you seem not to be most of the images on here come from peoples “professional” facebook fan pages or from folders claiming they are professional so please don’t talk to me like I don’t know what I’m saying. I pay attention to this site so I know what I do wrong. And if I ever saw any of my images here I would NOT be offended. Id read comments and take notes so I know what to not do.

        I respect her artsical expression but as I said don’t sell it. I would never sell my images I’m not yet comfortable to say my images are good, if I start a buisness my first few ventures would be free or cheap until I was confident to charge, especially if I was doing something as important as a wedding.

        My art work is more than welcome to be open to critque

        Flickr.com/adrianadesiree_vega

      • No offense, but you sat there and said you think it’s childish to judge yet you called everyone who has responded to you “idiot vultures” as well as insulting a woman’s grammar.

        You’re contradicting yourself and making everything you “stand for” go straight down the drain. You should really just stop.

        And there’s no need to respond to me because I’m not wasting my time arguing with you. I’m just telling you that if you’re going to call everyone out, you should be careful not to contradict everything you say.

      • Mathieu Perry

        Adriana, there needs to be a supersized “like” button for your thoughts.

      • Adriana

        if you were serious about that then thanks =]

      • Virginia

        Oh come on! Have a sense of humor and learn to appreciate the good deed this site does: it helps EDUCATE people on what not to do, brides included. It’s a real problem: I can’t tell you how many people have asked ME to photograph their wedding (and they mean it), because I’m a hobbiest and have gotten some good candids in my life. I do not have the equipment required, don’t have the know-how even if I did, and I don’t believe in undercutting real pros who deserve to make a living. That said, I could do better than most of the stuff I see here! I was also the victim on a Faux-tographer at my own wedding. I didn’t know any better and learned the hard way. There are people I know who have just gotten into photography and are charging others to do photoshoots, calling themselves professionals. I’d like to choke them but this site satisfies that urge, so that is another benefit. It makes me feel good to see others address these thieves. This site makes clear the problem and I’m glad to see it thriving.

      • Agreed Virginia! 100%

      • Sindydoll

        Like your honesty Virginia…
        It’s anyone’s game these days – eye of the beholder & everything…
        I work in another business also & there are a bundle of newbies jumping in… most of them don’t offer a good product but less discerning people will buy… because they are cheap & don’t understand quality. Hey ho!

        If someone shows a good portfolio & are hired on that basis, then good luck to them, really.
        But buyer beware ! 🙂

      • Virginia

        Dear Sindy,

        You must not be aware that there are legal ramifications and a lot of risk to posing as a professional and not delivering what was offered. HONESTY matters, believe it or not. Fauxtographers are frequently taken to court and most often LOSE the case for misrepresenting themselves. IF the bride is happy, that’s another story, but it’s seldom the case. A bride should not have to study photography to be able to explain what she usually wants: at least an album’s worth of quality photos. If she pays, she should get at least that. This one isn’t decent – I hope there were others that were better. It’s artless crap.

        As for critiquing others photos – can’t take the heat, don’t post them publicly!

      • Do you have stats to back that claim up or are you just blowing hot air? (the one about fauxtographers being taken to court)

        I’d say that they are taken to court no more or less than any other occupation. In fact the last time I sat in court (Small Claims for a day) 90% of the cases were landlord / tennant. 10% were auto sales gone bad.

        People who don’t know better aren’t going to take a photographer to court. If they are happy with the images – they have no reason to. If they are unhappy – they try to settle or come up with a solution before court.

        If you hire a photographer based on portfolio and they fail to deliver up to or beyond the portfolio quality then you have a claim – maybe – but you have to prove intent and most PPA members have a contract that limits their liability to amounts paid. Even if they aren’t PPA members – there are enough generic contracts on the web to CYA.

      • Anonymous

        Sheri & Sindydoll,
        Both your comments show how ignorant you are. The photos on this site are from photographer who claims to be professional and not just a everday fb profile pic. These critique may seem harsh, but many of them are valid. If someone claims to be a professional photographer, then their work should carry a certain degree of standard. It’s the same with any professional occupation. There is a certain expectation that you have to meet and obviously by all the comments, this photographer fail to meet the expectation of a profession. Many of the comments about this photo isn’t directed at the bride, but rather the lack of ability as a professional. I’m sure the owner of this site wants to educate people and what not to do as a profession and deter others from making the same mistake. I agree with you that you should be able to take photos how you want , but that should be on your own time. However, when you are working as a professional, then you should be taking photos to meet your client’s expectation.

        Recently on the news, there has been a lot of stories about people who pretend to be surgeon. By your logic, should people operate how they want to operate without regard to proper knowledge. Take this story for example, http://bit.ly/zLj0Pg . This example might be extreme, but it is similar in a sense. Just because you have a scalpel doesn’t make you a doctor. It’s the same for photography, just because you have a camera and doesn’t make you a professional photographer. It’s really wether you can implement the proper knowledge for your profession. Obviously, the person taking this photo doesn’t have the proper knowledge nor equipment for the job.

    • Unlike you, the people whose photos are posted here are posting snapshots and trying to pass them off for “professional” photography.

  14. BurninBiomass

    Actually, looks like something a “Ghost Hunter” type tv show would pass off as proof of a ghost. Ghost pictures are always too dark and out of focus.

  15. I never “liked” the page in the first place, I followed a link posted on MY Facebook wall. I haven’t “liked” the page & won’t be “liking” the page, nor will I be following this page. Where does it indicate this was a “professional” photo of the bride? How do we know it wasn’t just a snapshot taken in haste?. As for it educating others…it will only educate those that know they still have a lot to learn; the ones that are being ridiculed probably have no idea their work has been posted on this site & therefore will never be educated. To Adriana, I appreciate your thoughts & that you critiqued the photo without being harsh, unlike so many others. As for criticizing others for how they look or what they wear, I most certainly have, but I didn’t create a web site dedicated to it either. Now all of you may continue to critique me if you wish…I’m stepping down from my soap box. We all have our opinions and I stand by mine. Didn’t mean to offend anyone!

    • Sindydoll

      Here here! No apologies required Miss!

    • AdrianaVega

      Thank you. I try not to be harsh when I critique. But art is art and even when it is unwanted it will be judged

  16. When I was born the first sound heard from me was “Smile”! I know and shoot film. I feed my kids from the work I do with photography. This marvelous piece of work looks like something I capture on the first one or two frames when I am loading film. Sometimes it’s my feet, sometimes a wall and sometimes a person. Never is it art.

    From what I have seen here all the posted photos have been from self proclaimed professionals charging money. The operators black out the company name so you don’t see it. These “pros” put their work out in a competitive market that is highly critiqued . If they can’t handle it then don’t put the work out there. Simple really. It’s no different than someone post music on youtube. If it’s bad they will hear about it. If they don’t want to be judged as a pro, don’t play at being a pro. Make your sites private for friends and family only.

    • Virginia

      Amen!

    • Sindydoll

      Yeah point taken Brian but this lady’s foto was hijacked from her Fb profile to critique..she did not offer it!

      • Virginia

        Was she the sole photographer? Paid? That does make a difference…

        I can submit my duds from weddings and other events and laugh and learn with others since I have never pretended to be something I’m not.

  17. It wouldn’t be so bad if you could see the brides face. I do see the potential for artistic quality with the motion blur, the image is so dark that the potential is there and that’s really it.

  18. I’d prefer to use some constructive criticism rather than bash the photographer. This is a poorly lit shot, in order to get the effect you are looking for in a better way, you should have mounted your camera on something (tripod or other stable surface) and set the shutter speed slower. That way the room around her would be in clear focus (and better lit) and she would be blurry.. Still not a very lovely wedding photo, but.. the shutter speed was way too fast, and your camera wasn’t stabilized.

  19. Au contraire mon amie Sindydoll, by posting a a poser pro on Fb she DID offer it up. It is not hi-jacked. Take a moment and read the facebook agreement we all agree to when signing up .part of which states:
    “When you publish content or information using the Public setting, it means that you are allowing everyone, including people off of Facebook, to access and use that information, and to associate it with you (i.e., your name and profile picture).”

    As I said, don’t make it public if you don’t want it to be critiqued. It is easy to change the settings. Otherwise, it’s going to be commented on .

  20. We know all about surrendering your rights to privacy on FB and that anything and everything is public game if you don’t utilize your privacy settings; what Sindy means, I’m sure, is that while it’s LEGAL for someone to copy her photo & post it on a site for the sole purpose of ridicule, it doesn’t make it RIGHT. The name of this blog includes the phrase “you can’t buy talent”…but you can buy Photoshop. I’d like to know the number of pros that could show me a masterpiece that’s been untouched; show me a photo that takes my breath away that hasn’t been doctored & I’ll call you a pro.

    • Show me a painter that doesn’t doctor what he sees at least a little. Even Ansel Adams, considered to be one of the greatest photographers in history, said “Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made in establishing tonal relationships.”

      • With all respect to you, J-Dawn, Ansel Adam’s mistake was thinking God made mistakes in the first place. If what you see with your naked eye was created by God, then what you are seeing with your naked eye is the way it was created to be seen — not dodged, burned, air brushed or spot healed into what you think it should look like.

      • Virginia

        LOL! I’m sure Ansel Adams was kidding, for goodness’ sakes. If he wasn’t, he was nuts. The limitations are in the technology – film or digital sensors.

      • He wasn’t kidding….dead on serious.

      • Mathieu Perry

        so…it’s really a ghost in the snap shot!

    • Virginia

      J-Dawn You’ve obviously never used Photoshop, or at least not very well – that is a talent in itself, apart from good photography. You can ruin a good photo in Photoshop easier than you can save one. The trick is knowing what good is in the first place. This person does not or they wouldn’t have had it on their FB page…. unless it was as a joke.

      • I’ve used Photoshop plenty of times. I posted that as a counter to Sheri’s comment “show me a photo that takes my breath away that hasn’t been doctored & I’ll call you a pro,” because she’s saying it’s not true art if it’s been fixed a little bit. I was trying to prove that even Ansel Adams, one of the world’s most famous photographers, touched up his photos.

    • Virginia

      Well, no offence to a master photographer but that’s ridiculous. Nature viewed by the naked eye is far more beautiful than any image that even Adams has ever REproduced. I guess his success went to his head..or something. Either way, it has nothing to do with the photo that this thread is about. To compare THAT to Ansel Adams is laughable

      • Virginia, I agree with all of your above comments…lol.

      • Therein lies the problem. The camera does not have the dynamic range of the human eyeball, so therefore the camera cannot capture what the eye sees in one glorious shot. It takes multiple captures of the same scene combined in editing software to form an HDR image to even come close to the dynamic range the eye sees. Your ignorance of the medium is showing.

      • Sorry I meant to reply to the person who said that the naked eye captures more glorious things than what a photographer can produce when editing in photoshop.

      • Wow people don’t know how to follow threads. I posted that comment in response to Sheri’s comment “show me a photo that takes my breath away that hasn’t been doctored & I’ll call you a pro.”

    • Virginia

      Huh? Without getting as technical, that was my point. Reread my post. I never said you *couldn’t* increase tonal range, one way being in Photoshop. I said the naked eye still sees more range. Period. J.Dawn said Ansel Adams called it “God’s error” that caused him to have to dodge and burn his photos (wayyyy before digital HDR). I’m not sure why JDawn said that, though.
      Upon a reread, I’m not sure J.Dawn was defending the photo that ignited this thread, I hope not.

      • I wasn’t defending that photo at all. I find that photo simply awful. I was just saying that pros use Photoshop, and to say they’re not professional because they do edits to their photos is laughable.

        In the same breath I am going to say that I hate HDR, though.

      • I’m the type who tries to get my photos as close to perfect as possible in camera. I’m NOT a professional, so it doesn’t happen that often. I use Photoshop to adjust brightness and contrast, etc. One time I added a moon to a photo just to see if I could.

      • The dynamic range comment was for Sheri, not for Virginia or J-Dawn. I understand your points.

    • AdrianaVega

      I hate photoshop, hardly any of my photos are photoshopped. Like the title of this site says you can’t buy talent. Unless your a graphic designer photoshop isn’t a talent. The picture doesn’t have to be amazing right off the bat but atleast a little good. Heavily photoshop shows nothing but the fact that your good at decieving. Its like an ugly girl wearing tons of make up, or a flat chested girl stuffing her bra, or a guy stuffing his undies.

      Its all a lieeeee

      • and they look like it too…

      • Adriana

        Not sure if this was an attempt at an insult, it sounds like it tho, so I have this to say. Good I don’t want my images to look photoshopped, my images are a direct reflection of my creativity. like them or not, they make money or not, I’m going to let my images reflect me and my thoughts.

  21. I would hope that this photo, being taken 4 years ago, was hopefully one of their first weddings they shot naively and with their point&shoot, and that they’ve now (in 2012) improved ENORMOUSLY and they’re probably one of the wedding photogs that I follow every day..

    Hopefully 😉

  22. to me – I’m more shocked that someone is using a 4 year old photo on their FB page – unless this is a carryover from the old site (when it was on Tumblr)

    I get what they were trying to do – and yes – I would like to see if this is a sequence, because God knows the moderators of this site have never, ever, ever, never taken a photo out of context or tried to make someone look bad… not them…nope…no way.

  23. Big Daddy

    Is this a screen capture from ghost hunters?

  24. Blur and movement can be art. This is just a dark mess, and as people note, the highlight of the image seems to be the bride’s butt. Was that the intent?

    “I’m going to take a really artistic, dark, blurry shot that draws attention to your butt. It’ll look great in the album!”
    “Sounds like a plan!”

  25. As a photographer, & an a very good one BTW, I can’t believe that someone would make the comment that “real photographers wouldn’t be liking this page.” Hello? We are people, we have free time.. The photos posted here, and the one on this thread is HORRIBLE. Lighting, composition, focus, EVERYTHING. There is no hint of art here. I think you guys are just trying to find something nice to say. My 7 yr old has been following me around with her own SLR since she was 3 yrs old & can take really GOOD photos. It’s just like starting them young on sports or dance or anything else. I know one day she will be very successful. With that being said, It’s CRAZY how many people will run out & buy a camera & instantly they are a PRO. You need to know the basics first, & this photo has nONE of the basics. Do not be afraid to go to school! Do not be afraid to take a class or a mentoring session from a well known photog. These can go along way. Facebook, craigslist & the internet in general is full of fauxtogs, and YES they are fun to look at. It’s funny, it keeps me motivated, it brings a smile to my face. But it also makes me sad, sad for the people who paid for those photos, sad that a real photographer can’t get paid what they deserve because of the fauxtog’s out there taking away the business. ;(

    • +100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I swear people think we must work 24/7 or something. i’m not allowed to sit of an evening when i finished working for the day, like any other job, and look at funny things on the internets. no! because i’m a real photographer, i should be shooting!

    • AdrianaVega

      amen. i refuse to market myself (charge for images i should say, i can market myself and do some events for free, not weddings, i will never touch weddings until im comfortable) as a photographer until i like the way my images turn out/until i get decent equipment/etc.

      flickr.com/adrianadesiree_vega

      as i say to everyone feel free to check my stuff out. leave critques so i may better myself please?

  26. I will say this…it’s not the worst image I’ve seen on this site. When you see it side by side with some of the other work, it’s almost even bearable (until I make my way to WPPI at least and pulled back to reality)

    • AdrianaVega

      no nothing is worse than all the pregnant belly images. pregnancy is supposed to be a beautiful thing, or so ive been told. its not suppose to be horrid

  27. I have some like this from my wedding. my FRIENDS took them. completely unacceptable unless its a friend’s snapshot who did an “upload all”

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