Reply To: Needing reassurance!

[MBChamberlain]

Let me see if I understand the timeline correctly… You decided you wanted to start a photography business, studies for 3 months and went pro?

I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but it is completely impossible to learn enough in 2 years to go pro. Most people who take a 4 year degree program and spend all of their waking time doing photography for 4 years with directed instruction barely know enough to go pro at graduation.

You’re off to a good start, and you are doing pretty good for someone who has only been shooting a year, but you have only been shooting a year. You are producing the kind of work I expect from first-year students, not a pro. My advice is to stop charging people immediately and get back to studying. Shoot your kids, shoot your friends, shoot your relatives, and give yourself time to really learn what you’re doing. Judging by the progress you’ve made in your first year, expect it to be 4 or 5 more years before you are ready to go pro.

Don’t get down on other photographers because of things you don’t think they know when the list of things you don’t know you don’t know is longer than my arm. In this case, “prime” is a term that is only used by about 60% of the photographers I know. The rest refer to them as fixed (focal length) lenses. Depending on where he or she learned their stuff, they may have only come across one of the two terms.

As to critique of your work in a specific way, there isn’t time in a forum post to evaluate an entire body of work. If you would, pick out the three best photos (in your opinion) and post direct links to them, I will be happy to offer a detailed critique of all three and let you know where  you’re doing well, and what you need to work on to start moving forward.

I know you didn’t want to hear that you are a fauxtog, but if you really want to do this, stop charging people and get ready to put in some serious work. Becoming a real photographer is completely attainable for you, so don’t give up.