Reply To: Fauxtogs who should end up on the main page…

[FauxFighters]

Ok, so normally I wouldn’t do this, but I had a personal experience with a fauxtog earlier this month.  I spent the 4th with some family on the coast of NC.  While I was there, I caught the fireworks at Edenton.  Its a pretty neat historic town with a nice bay that they shoot the fireworks over, so it makes for some nice shots.  I had gotten setup early and had my gear up on my tripod, and was waiting to go, occasionally shooting if my kids or something else in the crowd.  I saw this lady down the street who was snapping photographs with a small dSLR and a kit lens, and kinda thought it might be like a small town newspaper reporter getting some shots.  This person walked down to me and immediately asked “So, what does one of those setups cost?”  I was a little surprised, and also reluctant to admit how much my stuff cost in a crowd of people, but I said something like “Oh, a couple grand.  Its an expensive profession.”  She proceeded to tell me, “I know, I’m a photographer myself” and whips out a card.  I said, I was not from the area, but she said “Well, let me know if you ever need some help or something, I will definitely travel.”  Ok, I said thanks, she left, and I get back to focusing on my work and pocket the card without a glance.

After the trip is over and I sit down to sort through my shots, I was reminded of this lady and her card, so I go in my wallet and find it.  Her company name is “Genuine Imaging” and her motto is “Keepin’ It REAL with Genuine Prices!” Ugh.  The front of the card has a sunset shot that is zoomed way out so that the sun is the size of a period.  Oh yea, and the horizon is crooked.  The back has a sample of her editing work, with a somewhat washed out shot of a flower on the left and the same flower super saturated.  Wow.  And for the part you have all been waiting for, her website.  Well, its just a FB page.  Here ya go:

http://www.facebook.com/Genuine.Imaging

So as you can see, Rebecca only has 21 likes and began this new career .  Normally I would not bother to point out somebody this new/inexperienced, but I felt like if she’s approaching other photographers, handing out cards, and actively marketing and representing herself as a photographer, then she deserves to be mentioned.

Here is the shot from the front of the card:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/1045031_417750775007452_1795940843_n.jpg

And the back:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/993016_417748101674386_455564198_n.jpg

Now for the rest.  Here is her portraiture folder, where you can see the difference.  Yuck.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.417748675007662.1073741827.374665179316012&type=3

Some of the most overexposed, poorly composed, horrible work.  Pretty much cameraphone material.

Her seascape images:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.417750755007454.1073741829.374665179316012&type=3

Also something that could be taken by a cameraphone out the window of the car.

Nature Images:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.417750755007454.1073741829.374665179316012&type=3

Basically just stand in your backyard with a P&S and take a couple of picture of things.  Don’t bother to find anything interesting at all.  Oh and if its boring, just pump up the saturation to a ridiculous amount.  That is sure to make it more interesting.

Here is her “edinting” (her spelling, not mine) process:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.417747918341071.1073741826.374665179316012&type=3

Ugh.  Its all just atrocious.  I can’t imagine handing out a business card to anybody with a “portfolio” like that.  Most certainly not to another photographer who has a professional setup and expect them not to laugh at it.  After reading the rest of her page, I found it interesting that she said she does all of her work in CS6, yet all of her edit photos use Lightroom 4.  I also love that she decided to make this “career move” in April, and has posted about 50 awful photos that most people could get with a camera phone or iPod, and that has been the totality of her career work for several months.  Oh yea, and getting cards printed.  Talk about putting the cart before the horse.  Not that she can’t learn to do photography and maybe make a career out of it.  We all have to start somewhere.  But I don’t think she needs to be marketing her services to anybody else yet.  Get some books, take a class or two, and join a local photography club.  Don’t take some blown out picture of your friends against a wall and at the carwash, post them online, print some card, and expect the cash to start rolling in.  It ain’t gonna happen.