Reply To: So, AM I a photographer or fauxtographer?

[IHF]

No attention to light being paid. Check
Bad editing. Check
Lack of good color management. Check
Unflattering poses. Check
Shoddy compositions, and careless snapping as if you are spraying. Check
Crazy props, fonts, and gimmicks. Check
Pricing that doesn’t make a lick of sense. Check
Muddy black and whites. Check
Very little invested yourself, yet you expect others to invest in you (no website, no business license, no insurance, no contracts, etc Check

Spray and pray, cull, edit, and slap um on a cd.

And to top it off you “shared” an article with your audience without linking or proper credit given to the writer. Writers are creatives too, and put a lot of effort into their work, just as photographers do. A true creative would never take work from others and “share” it so irresponsibly, and unethically, for their personal gain.

Yes, I am afraid you ARE a fauxtographer. How to change this? Stop soliciting your services to the public. Study photography by shooting to learn instead of shooting to earn, and with time and effort on your part, you could turn things around successfully. Be honest with yourself and to others. Keep your integrity intact. Maybe try starting a blog about your learning process instead.

The best way to learn how to use a camera is to start off without editing at all, and try for good SOOC shots instead. Have a problem? Try looking for solutions to them that happen before the shutter is snapped. Taking on editing and the basics simultaneously isn’t impossible, but it can be a much longer process and/or the student can fall into the editing trap, and faux business trap and everything needed to learn in camera gets left behind. I think this is exactly what went wrong with your photography. Your trying to polish something that just can’t be polished.
With all this said, you are not the first to fall victim to the whole fauxtography dealo. Its an easy thing to fall into very quickly, especially when well meaning people tell you you are awesome (it happens as soon as anyone with a camera shares). It’s an honest mistake for most and can be corrected. Honestly it can. Build your foundation first, then build the house, and only when you have a good structure, is it time for decorating. Slow down, back up, and start over. You can do this.