Am I??

[carmengstrongphotography]

Since these forums are here. I am curious. Would you guys consider me a fauxtog?  I feel I have come a LONG way in less than a year but I want opinions.  This is an album on my facebook page with some of my favorite images. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=414098148627098&set=a.409500839086829.80478.320930467943867&type=3&theater       Please be kind.

[fautogapocalypse]

You’re not guilty of any major atrocities that I noticed. I would tell you to watch that horizon, you had some crookedness in there, and be weary of over using depth of field. Remember what the subject is and keep it in focus. My opinion.

[carmengstrongphotography]

Thanks! I didn’t think I was guilty of it but I am always learning. 🙂 There is definitely someone in my area who should be on here but I’ll be nice and not submit her.

[jetpix]

For the photo linked (and several others on the maternity page) A little washed out for me.  I would drop the exposure comp -.03 to -.05 and/or saturate the colors a bit more . . . . .  With that big sky, you are backlit – the sky is washed out, but so is everything else.  It’s almost as though you overcomensated for the backlighting.

 

[joe]

You have some fabulous images.  We all from time to time have crooked horizons.  I didnt see any depth of field violations here … oh the ever green in focus shoot…  that is a strange one.  But i love the way you aged some of these photos.  If you are interested in sharing do tell or PM me.

[joe]

Everyone has a style.  I think these are beautifully aged.  Just my opinion.

[Brownie]

I wouldn’t put you into that category, I will say that some of the images look kind of flat (lacking contrast) and some look like they have pretty intense blown out highlights. It also looks like you’ve done some photoshopping of skies in there, which look obviously added in.

 

The actual content seems boring, seems like things I’ve seen a thousand times. Which in commercial photography, people enjoy and they like the poses but for me, not knowing these people, it doesn’t ring for me. The composition isn’t strong enough for someone who doesn’t know them, to be drawn in…if that makes sense.

[lolz]

A couple of things. I agree with Carmen, there’s some little things you can improve on, but as a whole, it’s not horrible so, no, not really a faux.

1) Fix attire. Wrinkles in shirts, posture, etc., all contribute to the appeal of a portrait. See things in frame before you shoot.

2) Edit. I know some photographers want to charge extra for editing, but I don’t believe in it, and I will tell you why; it makes you look better when your clients look better. Don’t over-edit the hell of of a photo, but smooth skin tones, check your white balances, whiten teeth, smooth lines, etc. It just gives potential clients all the more reason to call you, and quite honestly, that’s why you post pics, to draw new clients.

3) I try not to let my backgrounds play too big of a part in my portrait photography. Why? Because it distracts from your focal point, your client. There’s nothing particularly appealing about a gravel road, or the timber in the background. Frame your shot with some background, but not so much as to be distracting.

 

Basically, try to see your shot as you are taking it. Make a mental checklist before you take every single shot, and before you know it, you do it every time automatically. I do a rundown like this, clothing, posture (head tilt, hip sling, arms, feet), background, white areas, and then go. After your first shot, check in-camera, make sure it looks like you imagined, if it doesn’t fix it, if it does, then go to different positions.

 

I will say though, I don’t particularly pose, I observe interactions and personalities, then ask them to do things, and take photographs of that.

[carmengstrongphotography]

Thank you Joe. Feel free to message me on my business page and I will share or send me an email carmengstrongphotography@gmail.com

I don’t shoot with a tripod so from time to time I do get a crooked horizon. The evergreen in focus one was just something new I was playing with.

Thanks Jetpix I will try that. 🙂

[carmengstrongphotography]

Here is something completely different and not portrait . I started out in nature photography not portraits. https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=356422657727981&set=a.320956427941271.65680.320930467943867&type=3&theater

[dicksforeyes]

I’d rate you Person with DSLR. Meaning that most people with a DSLR and little practice could manage creating photos of this quality.

[eanur0]

I think, IMO, what’s makes you (not you, but most of the time people) much more fauxtog’ is the signature. I’m not into having a HUGE text onto my pictures, actually, I hate it. I think, if you don’t to look like a fauxtog, pratice. Don’t try to be someone else, shot, shot shot, shot for free, no signature, look at your pictures, try to get feed back (the much that you can). EXPERIMENT the much that you can.

The only thing is, be humble, don’t over-estimated what you do’. There’s always place for improvement.
Never trust people that tell you how beautiful your things are. It’s never perfect or great enough.
That’s it I think.. 😛

[Nightrose]

Carmen, I’d say not a fauxtog, you just need to keep practising and honing your skills. I can see a number of errors in your nature photos which I myself have made in the past, such as having the wrong bit of the flower in and out of focus when using a narrow macro focal plane, and things like wonky horizons, and too much washed out sky.  With your pregnancy portraits, you haven’t done anything too gimmiky which is a good thing, although I’d agree with a couple of comments above that they would look better if there was more contrast and stronger colour. A smaller, less instrusive watermark would be better too.

[stef]

Carmen, I will say “no” but you scare me. Many of the red flags go up, but then when I look, the telltale signs aren’t there.

 

The bulk of your shots have something gimmicky. Concentrate on strong photography, composition, and solid processing first. You have a reasonable control of the camera, but I do see some OOF shots.

 

Edit: I’ll add you have some interesting compositions. That shows some forethought and initiative.

[lovethissite]

Love the editing style. Keep it up!

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