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#12947
ebi
Participant

What may be some areas I can improve on, or keep doing what I am doing?

You should most definitely not keep doing what you’re doing. You’re pictures are mediocre at best and you are charging for it. Great that you got people to pay for that. But you should stop doing that and take the money that you’ve (hopefully) saved with this little side hobby and put it towards learning some basic camera and lighting. Or better yet, find a local photographer in your area, that does exceptionally good work and charges exceptional prices and offer to assist for a low rate so that you can get your feet wet.

The good news is, that the first step to dealing with being a fauxtog is admitting that you are a fauxtog. So please, repeat after me “Hi, My name is ______ and I am a fauxtog. It has been 2 days since my last fauxto” One day at a time!

So that I do not come off as a complete asshole which incites a forum riot that draws attention away from you, I’ll comment on a few photos that I think could get you heading in the right direction.

This image has potential. Unfortunately the light is just too flat and frontal. If it had some shape to it, giving it a little mood and drama, it would be gorgeous. Also it’s grainy.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=503564193019425&set=pb.184372984938549.-2207520000.1378998225.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-b-iad.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-ash3%2F486718_503564193019425_1312101562_n.jpg&size=642%2C642

See the dark circles in their eyes? This is the result of overhead ambient light. You don’t want that. And you really don’t want to flash this either. You need to either kill the ambient altogether or take them to a different place.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=462022420506936&set=pb.184372984938549.-2207520000.1378998226.&type=3&src=https%3A%2F%2Fsphotos-a-iad.xx.fbcdn.net%2Fhphotos-frc1%2F602342_462022420506936_1133012693_n.jpg&size=643%2C960

…Honestly, that is all I can bare to look at, at the moment.

A good first exercise is to start looking at other photographers work and start finding images that you think are really good. Pull them as swipes for future reference. If you are uncertain about how to light something, you can post a link to it here and I can probably tell you how it was done.

Good Luck.