Can Take Critique

[JanJan]

@BrownEyedGirl…my website was not free, but I because I am a web designer by profession, I set it up myself. I purchased my domain name (www.photosbyanjanette.com) and the hosting through GoDaddy. My domain name is about $12-$15 a year and the hosting is $9 a month, but my hosting plan is higher than the basic plan because I am hosting 5 sites. A regular hosting plan is about $4-$6 a month.

I downloaded the entire WordPress platform through wordpress.org, and I uploaded it into my hosting server and did all the configurations. There are many WordPress themes to choose from, especially for photography portfolios. You just have to Google “WordPress Themes”.

GoDaddy can also assist you with setting up a WordPress site. I don’t know if this is an extra cost, but their customer service help you out.

 

[ncrachick]

I was reading this site on my iPad. I was unable to view your website because it is flash based so I had to move to my iMac to view it. Loose the flash. Anyone using an iPad or iPhone will not be able to view your site.

Suggestions:

Loose the music or, if you feel you absolutely have to have it, at least provide the visitor with a way to stop the music.
Free sites tend to not look professional since they require you to include their name on the site. It’s distracting to visitors and doesn’t look good. Go the extra to have a professional looking site and pay for it.
Do you have a business logo? If not, you should and it should be used in the header on the home page. Don’t just use text. Doesn’t look professional.
Your visitors should not have to be told how to navigate your site. If they can’t easily view your portfolio they will move on to another site. You need to have a cleaner looking image gallery that requires no instructions to view it.
On the “Contact Me” I suggest keeping it simple and just name the page “Contact”. The word “Me” is really not needed.
Also on the Contact page, loose the black background in the text field. It should be the same background color as all the other pages on your site. There is no reason for this one page to have the text on a black background and it is more difficult to read.
Your email address needs to be clickable so the user is taken to their email client when they click on it instead of having to copy/paste the address. It’s simple code: <a href”mailto:someone@example.com>Send Email</a>     Note: the text between > and < is what will actually appear on the webpage.

 

[qtube]

I can’t comment on your photos b/c I’m a videographer and my still images are fauxtography at its’ finest… butI know everyone’s suggesting ditching wix because it’s a flash site  – If you don’t want to change EVERYTHING, you can also use wix to do HTML5 instead of flash – that will give you more versatility on mobile devices, etc.   I actually just got an email from a photographer I’ve worked with on weddings who said it performed the best on his iphone of any site he’s seen and he wanted to know who my designer was.  Just keep in mind that you want it to reflect your personal style, so play around with it and don’t rely on the boilerplates.

[OctoberMoon]

Looks like everybody expressed what I was going to! All right, I’m all done here. 😛

But let me echo what others have said–you have THE attitude it takes to become a great photographer. 🙂

[Egglington]

No music on a website please. It is not necessary and detracts from your work. I feel the same way about the animation at the top, also not necessary. Keep the site simple. Good design is about only adding what needs to be there. Your photos should do the bulk of the talking, not the website itself. By using animations and music you are taking the viewer away from the prime purpose of your website. Hope this brief comment helps. 🙂

[stef]

Okay, I read your first response and barely glanced over some of the other responses…. but I went to the site and the first thing I did was turn off the music. No, the first thing I did was hit my MUTE ALL SOUND key.

 

It looks like you’re catering to brides, and for the most part, they do not like autostart music. My initial thoughts are that your site is a trainwreck, but I’m not positive yet. I’m going to give you a play-by-play of what I did, so maybe you can consider “Is that what I want my prospective clients to have to do?”

 

– I turned on javascript, knowing it was a wix.com site that would require flash. I don’t like wix because of this. It is also not mobile-friendly.
– I hit mute the moment music started. I then had to dig around to figure out where the mute button on the website was, hit that, then turned my system sound back on.
– I noticed the picture of the cute freckled girl has a cold sore above her lip that wasn’t cloned out. Or it looks like one, anyway. Should’ve turned her head a bit more to get that shaft of sunlight off her nose, too, or used a scrim to block the sunlight off her. However, you didn’t blow out the skin badly, which is difficult with such light skin. My hope was rising, after that music debacle.
– Ohhhh… the bouncy header. Urge to kill… RISING. It’s like I’m still hearing music. >:\
– I clicked the “about” page, to be met with a skewed, out of focus image of you. Is that really your best pic? While you look lovely, your photographer was not good. Get a friend photog to take a real picture of you. That image is an embarrassment, and even though you didn’t take it, it reflects on your skill as a photographer for using it.
– I started this post, just to give you an idea of what I’m going through. At this point, all intelligent prospective brides will have been run off, except for those possibly looking for a $300 wedding deal.
– I’m clicking through your galleries.
– I get that eclectic thing. It works for me.
– I like some of your ideas. You have some great, dynamic shots… but …
– You cannot consistently focus an image. Seriously… this is an important, basic skill. Your shots are largely out of focus.
– Tons of great ideas, a few mediocre ideas, but many, many poor shots.

After looking through several images, I’m really torn. Your composition ideas are good. I was yelling at the screen asking “WHY didn’t you get that in focus” and “WHY did you squish the colors on that silhouette?!” “WHY didn’t you white balance?!” “WHY did you blow out that dress?!”

You wield your camera like an amateur carpenter who only uses a sledgehammer … there is no subtlety or competent skill in your shooting or post processing. Poor exposures galore, bad white balance, blown out whites, constipated blacks. I want to cry. Really.

 

You need to learn to use your camera much, much better. Only then will your great ideas materialize into great images. You have a great attitude and the capability to do this, but it will require STUDY and PRACTICE. This is rote stuff that you’re missing, not creative. It’s back to school for you to learn how to expose properly, how to deal with backlit subjects, how to use manual mode, and how to properly use the automatic modes. Once you figure that out, then you can start using your flash and start the learning process all over again. Your camera handling is not getting you good shots, and it’s up to you to figure it out. You have great potential, but simply don’t know how to use your camera.

 

You are definitely a fauxtographer.

 

[Alicja]

Honestly the #1 thing I notice in your photos is you’re shooting at the wrong time of day.  Early morning or just before sunset…that will solve most of your problems.  Your website is too loud and too cluttered.

[My Heart]

Okay, I get it.  Thank you to all for the critique.  I’d like to take all of your site advice and create a cleaner, more streamlined, user-friendly site.  THEN, I’ll come back to show you all I did listen and I do care about your opinions – I truly do.  I thank you all for your time, even those that your comments made me cringe.  I agree, my flaws are:

– Lighting

– Basic composition and use of my cam

– Bad website

– I promise to take the music off! 🙂  What I meant by saying the song had meaning to me was just that I like the song. It’s not super important to my daily life, lol.  It goes, the song stays on my playlist on Spotify.

– Def no flash site, I get it. I’ve been looking into others, and I actually used Smugmug when they were still in beta. I’ll have to go back and give them a 2nd try; maybe.

Editing is sometimes bad / sometimes good, but my main contentions I wanted to know is: Do you see any improvements?  The pictures on the site were taken over a 7 year period.  I know some were obvious, such as the cup dated in 2009.  However, I thought that maybe you would all be able to sort of “date” them re: style of clothing, wedding gowns, hair styles, etc.  I am wrong.  😉  Just for the sake of argument, I should have just used a simple photo gallery to start my images from the beginning of my work to most recent work.  That’s what I really wanted to be critiqued.  Like I said, I’ll streamline it and bring it back.  Your comments – both good and bad – have just made me want to work harder.  The site isn’t even a site I share.  I have been photographing for profit for 7 years.  However, I have put it on the back burner and am doing it as a hobby / release for myself / weekend type thing for friends & family.  I would love to just rely on that for financial gain, but I need health insurance, lol.  And really, I’m at a point where I need to focus on a lot of other things, but again – it is my release.  (Ex: I’m starting a new job – a “real” job, I have a family, I am actually going through infertility and am about to start IVF, etc….)  I’m sure someone can relate to all that, to some degree.

That being said, I have to defend a few things that I truly believe are ridiculous.  Sure, I may wield my camera like a sledgehammer. But, I truly believe I do have an “eye” for certain things.  Sometimes my best shots are not even ones I recognized while taking, but were spur of the moment shots that I see when I get home and look at the memory card(s).  I’m taking my learning photography back to 101.  I’m learning a lot at this time in my life; something I just didn’t do when I first started.  Actually, when I first started – I had a great paying job, I was starting my journey with infertility and was newly married with a young stepson.  Similar to where I am now.  But, I have seen enough, done enough to know that the best place to be is right here, right now – at square one.  Learning about my cam is my #1 priority with my photography right now.  (Not in my life, but in my photography)  And, then editing, using the tools I have, learning about overlays / presets / etc.  So, it’s kinda great that I have this time to learn and grow, unlike the knee-jerk reaction I had when I first bought a cam and the full Adobe suite.  Now I know I need to learn how to make them all fit together, not that they’re just going to fit themselves together – like I originally and stupidly thought.   I’m still a newbie.  Maybe I always will be, but maybe not.

BUT – OctoberMoon – you have been the most helpful.  In both your critiques and in your subtle, yet convincing way of telling me to not give up.  And for that, I truly thank you. 🙂  Let’s get coffee sometime.

@Alicja – yes, I can see your point about the lighting and times of day.  I will work on that.

@ Stef – not seeing what you see, but ok.  Maybe if you elaborated on the images you were screaming at, I may be able to understand and learn from it, but you didn’t so I can’t.  Thank you for some of your thoughts, but some of your rambling is ridiculous.  Sorry, but even I know that.  There is absolutely no “cold sore” on the pic on my home page.  The girl has a birthmark, freckles, and fair skin.  She is also the most beautiful creature I have ever had the pleasure of photographing.  I disagree w/ all comments about that image.  Yes, she’s my niece.  But I’m not totally biased – you can see she is beautiful.  That’s all about her I want to get into. I appreciate you saying you like the eclectic feel of the site – that’s how I feel, and that’s a representation of me.  I’d really like it if I could see some of your work, Stef – Throw your site out there, please.

For now, I thank you all again for your time and comments.  I will be back, and better than ever b/c of you.  Thanks so much – you don’t know how much I appreciate you all.

Lastly, again @ Stef – I AM NOT A FAUXTOGRAPHER.  I don’t accept that statement.  I am a real photographer, and I am good.

Thanks, all – and again – I’ll prove Stef wrong and display a much better representation of my work and tools I’m learning and will still continue to learn;  I’ll be back.  🙂  Thank you, everyone!!!

 

[stef]

But, I truly believe I do have an “eye” for certain things.

I believe that, too. You have a strong talent for seeing the shot, but a poor talent of executing it. I want you to prove me wrong on what I said, above. And I’m completely sincere. You will be a wonderful photographer once you learn to use and understand your camera better.

I don’t think I can easily link the shots to show you what I’m talking about, since your site runs in flash. I’d have to take screenshots and post them, and that’s just a pain.

Seeing my own shots will prove nothing about what I said, above. If what I said is false, then ignore me. In my intro (in the intro forum), I said I would give my best evaluation of posts in the “am I a fauxtog” forum (often drunk), and always conclude if I think they are or are not a fauxtographer. While I didn’t like telling you that, I didn’t pad or avoid it either… you posted here, and I answered. I’m not trying to be mean or bully you. I have nothing to prove or gain, and if you don’t like my advice, it’s a free country to freely ignore me.

 

Edit: here are some specifics of how *I THINK* you made mistakes. You have filenames displaying, so I can use those.

All of your ring shots, except the one with the golden shoes, are out of focus. The one in the glass, and the one on the white shoes are not focused on the rings. The flower one doesn’t have them all in focus.

DSC_0197 of the ring exchange has horrid white balance. The crop includes some random dude’s ear just for good measure.

DSC_00632 of the wedding party jumping is incredibly blown out. There’s no tonality in the lights. There’s no tonality in the darks. It’s almost like you converted it to a bitmap. Black and White does not mean each pixel should be either black or white.

DSC_0011copy3 of the couple hugging is a good shot, but not in focus. (There are many good shots in the “Do You” section, btw, although the railroad tracks are kind of cliche.)

258090_10100219390102545_3465125_o Out Of Focus.

DSC_0154 copy – OOF

372682034_dsc_1075.jpg of the silhouette kissing in front of a window is basically a black and white, but the chromatic aberrations (fringes) and white balance cause colored fringing all over which is just bizarre. There’s no tonality in any of the darks which makes me think you added way too much contrast.

DSC_0365 – not a good pose for this lady, and not a good conversion for her skin color. I would reconvert to b/w, and add a red filter (digitally).

DSC_0071 copy – beautiful pose with a blown out dress. Is that intentional? Artsy? She paid $1500 for that dress to not be able to see the detail.

DSC_0054copy – I don’t like the excessive fake selective focus, but the idea is a good one and so is the pose. Watch your backgrounds – she has a tissue box resting on her head, and the candle should be lit. If the candle IS lit, then the light should be off.

P.jpg – I think you overdo “tilty”, but it works for this one because it’s a strong shot otherwise. Your other 45-degree tilts are sketchy. If you must tilt, try between 20-30 degrees. If it’s too subtle, it looks accidental. If it’s too severe, it’s like a capsizing ship. I’m a fan of film noir and dutch angles, but this is a bridal shoot.

[My Heart]

“I don’t think I can easily link the shots to show you what I’m talking about, since your site runs in flash. I’d have to take screenshots and post them, and that’s just a pain.”

Um… you could just give a brief description.

 

I’ll give you a pass on the insult of calling me a fauxtogpraher, since you’re drunk.  And if you don’t like me calling you out for being drunk, which I’m not trying to bully you or be mean, it’s a free country to freely ignore me for calling you an alcoholic.

[My Heart]

And I was actually complimenting you, not trying to get you to “prove” anything by displaying your work.  I just hoped to gain some insight into your visual creations, as it seems you and I have a similar view and appreciation for what you called, “eclectic” and what I call, “controlled chaos,” – the same idea, same principle, different words.  We both like things that are somewhat different, following the rules,  but still displaying a style.  Like the quote on Steele Magnolias, “Accessories are the only thing that seperates us from the animals.”  Or something – you get it.  We like to make our own stamp, our own “mind” on our projects and if it’s eclectic, then ok – we both like eclectic.  Maybe I like to get drunk, too – I’ll let you know in about 16 months.  🙂

Again, I just wanted to see your pictures, Stef.  I think I would appreciate them, and I like how you think.  I hoped to gain some insight into your version of “eclectic” and your overall artistic eye.  That’s all.  I was basically giving you a compliment – without ever seeing your work.  Please, feel free to share, only for me to have as a learning tool.  No, I’m not a copy-cat.  But I love to look at other photography in hopes of understanding what the other photographer saw and how it was taken, etc… in order to put that thought process into my own way of photography.  That’s all.  If you want to, you can send it to an email, fb, whatever.  It’s no big deal, though.

Thank you, Stef.  I appreciate your feedback.  I really do, and I do agree with some things, others I’d like more elaboration so I can correct, some I think you’re just dead wrong, and finally – I’d like the honor (not being sarcastic, being serious) of seeing your work.  I actually did a whole gallery just on “Time Flies When You’re Drinking Wine… or Having Fun.  Tomato, tomato.”  I love wine, but I don’t drink as much as I did in my 20s.  🙂

[stef]

Added examples to the above post.

And no, I have nothing to prove.

[My Heart]

Thank you, Stef. 🙂

[My Heart]

And you know what?

I give in.

 

I am a Fauxtographer.

[CoastalTog]

I wouldn’t say you’re a fauxtographer but rather someone who is putting the cart before the horse.  You need more practice.  That’s all.

[Author]

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