Advice or Comments please?

[kmarie]

Hi, my sister just started out in photography about a year ago. We all think she is pretty good, including her husband. I feel that she is pretty modest about her work, her husband thinks she should get into portrait photography to make a little money. She refuses until she gains more skill, she barely likes taking portaits of family members, other than her son. I want to know what you guys think. She checks and shares photos on this site all the time, so I know she would take your comments to heart. Could you please send any advice or constructive critisim? https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.177691812319952.47757.177686938987106&type=3#!/HeatPhotography

[IHF]

She’s right, she needs to learn first.  Her portrature is not strong enough, and she’s clearly still experimenting and developing.  This is not to say she sucks, or doesn’t have any talent.  What you all (as in her family, and non photographers) need to know is… A photographer first shoots for themselves, and not for others.  We experiment, learn, and feel are way through it.  By pushing too hard to go pro and shoot for hire, you could set her up for failure, or at the very least stunt or slow down her learning process.  She’s a photographer, who obviously takes it seriously enough not to sabbotoge herself.  Let her make her own path and take her own journey, this is how she will become the best photographer she can be. Incourage her by appreciating what she does, not what you think she should do.  Fauxtogs on the other hand jump right in without a care usually because they are not photographers and don’t think like photographers do.

By constantly being told she could make money and shoot for hire, you unintentionally are saying what she is currently doing isn’t good enough in your eyes and the only way to validate her photography is to get paid.  Like “what the heck do you do this for?  You can’t be getting anything out of it!  Your waisting time, money and effort on what?” you are saying what she does is a waist of time because she should be doing more.  I know you all mean well, but… Take it from someone in her same boat… Stop pushing and let her discover on her own what she  is capible of.  If she was to jump into business right now, and shoot for others, her photography will suffer for it.  Taking on marketing, customer service, taxes, insurance, websites, etc etc and all that goes into being for hire her photography skills will take a back seat, and she will have turned something she loved into BLAH. This happens to so so so many.  Don’t let it happen to her.  Find a new way to encourage her and support her.

Then, do me a favor and have a talk with my husband and family and friends and convince them of the same lol. What I do is important to me, it means somthing, and just because I am an amateur and am not for hire doesn’t make me not a photographer,  It makes me more of one 🙂  your sister and I are both photographers because we refuse to shoot for others until we are ready, and have the skills necessary to do it successfully.  ( if we ever chose to go pro that is)

[kmarie]

Thanks for your comment! I have a feeling you hit what she’s been trying to tell us for a while right on the head

[IHF]

Sorry I’m back, it’s just I’m excited you are here and I have this opertunity  to talk to you.  This is SO how fauxtography is born, and if I can have some sort of part in stopping it, it will seriously make my day, week, year, decade…..

How to encourage her:  validate what she is doing.  help her finish her work and turn her images into photographs.  By finishing her photos she will learn so very much.  Printing and finishing will change the way she shoots, crops, (both in camera and PP), the way she edits! The way she thinks….Its a HUGE part of learning to photograph, that literally thousands skip right over. Mostly because, it costs, and our families are already thinking we are wasting our time and money by not making money.  Not only will she learn from it, it will inspire and encourage her.  There is nothing in this world like holding your photograph in your hands or displaying a finished work.  Help her work on a physical portfolio.  This is something she can flip though, watch change and improve over time.  Finishing will make her think about every shot more, it will make her think about her photography in a new way.  Finishing can be really expensive to get done correctly.  Calibration and shopping for a printer/finisher can be a long dismal process as well.  Help fund this endevor, instead of telling her she needs to start charging, and she will LOVE you for it.

[IHF]

Lol got so caught up that I forgot the rest of the list

Buy her publications that she is interested in.

Is there a class she wants to take?  Help fund it.

Does she want to experiment with lighting or light manipulation?  Help her do it

This list could go on and on, but I think I’ll shut up for now lol

[Author]

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