Home Forums Am I a Fauxtog? Am I a Fauxtog?!

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  • #5384
    bellagrace
    Participant

    Hello! Looking for some helpful advice…just started taking pictures a few months ago and in order to show my family and friends their pictures I started a fb page. I do not charge for the pictures that I take…any pictures that are taken are edited and then given to them in a cd. This is starting out as a hobby BUT I wanted to know if any of you see any potential for an actual business. Brutal honesty is encouraged! (I know some things are terrible…creases in the background on the baby photo…out of focus pictures…so I am not totally oblivious to my mistakes)…OK…here we go!

    https://www.facebook.com/bgracephoto?ref=ts&fref=ts#!/bgracephoto?fref=ts

    #5393
    Nightrose
    Participant

    Good on you for giving it a go and taking the photos for your family and friends! At this stage I would advise against trying to go into business, BUT this does not mean you can’t ever do so, you just need a bit more time and practise.  Also, starting a photography business is really difficult and takes a lot of time, dedication and start-up money. I know because I have been going through it for a while now!

    Now for your photos. I like the ones of the Andrade Maternity session in that you have focussed on taking natural shots rather than a lot of gimmickery that one often sees with maternity shoots. If nitpicking I could say that some of the backgrounds are overexposed and a few photos have funny colours (calibrating your monitor will fix this!).  I do like the photo of the baby boots with the couple in soft focus. A lot of this sort of thing looks really lame, but I think your photo works quite well.

    The ones of the baby in the santa suit are pretty darn cute! What an adorable bubba!  Watch the backgrounds, and as you pointed out, the creases don’t work too well. As an alternative, a seamless paper backdrop always looks good, and maybe you could lay the baby on a rug or posing beanbag.  A few of the photos in this series look a little blurry or maybe you’ve over-edited them. Just try to keep things simple, and be ruthless when culling the duds. Anything that is only half-decent should be left out of your main portfolio.

    The quinceanera photos:  As a group of shots they are just ok, in that they feel more like everyday snapshots rather than those a professional would take. Event photography is actually really difficult, as there will almost always be at least ten other people with camera phones and P&S cameras all jostling to get the same photo. Also, things happen very quickly and there is usually very little to no time to plan and set up your next photo, so it is pretty hard to always be in the right place at the right time, shooting at the right exposure and ISO! I personally hate photographing events like birthday parties and engagements because I get frustrated with other people getting in the way and the lack of control when it comes to organising large groups of drunk guests.  Ironically, I don’t mind weddings as much, although they are an entirely different bundle of stress, lol!

    A quick tip: in one photo, you have the girl in the pink dress posing for you with the reception tables in the background, and what looks to be a column right behind her head.  Try to keep in mind what is in the background, and avoid placing objects directly behind your subject, like poles or trees or signs. Do this by moving around a little to a different angle. It isn’t a huge thing but it makes quite a difference.

    And no, I don’t think you are a fauxtog, just a beginner who is making the same mistakes that most of us make when we are first starting out. Why don’t you spend a bit more time taking photos for family and friends, and see how you improve. Finding a niche is also a nice thing to do, such as being a baby or event photographer. At this stage your baby photos are better so maybe you could try to do more in this area.

    Best of luck to you, and remember to have fun and enjoy photography!

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