Competing

[reactiveload]

I have a friend at work who is looking for someone to do photos for them.  They asked me, after seeing my albums:

http://s1166.photobucket.com/albums/q613/AGloverPhotos/

while his wife wants to use:

https://www.facebook.com/PicturePeacefulMomentsPhotography

Other than I’m cheaper (I know I’m an amateur and accept payment in the form of liquor), he’s trying to explain to his wife why I’m a better choice, so he’s convinced her that if people on this site say she’s worse, then they’ll use me.  Thoughts on the two of us?

[IHF]

Eh, it’s a toss up,  I think she’ll be happy either way.  She just needs to decide between completely boring mediocer blah, or over saturated, over edited mediocre blah.  In their shoes I’d go with whoever is cheapest because quality photography just isn’t in the equation at all.

[IHF]

Or they could just buy a camera and DIY

[IHF]

Just went back through the links you gave and I’m changing my mind about something … Replace the word “mediocre” with “bad”

[Notaphotographer]

I have to agree with IHF.. Neither of you need to be doing photos for people who want good photos. I do not meant to be harsh but it is the reality.

[stef]

You’re not a fauxtographer but not a particularly gifted photographer, but the other is a fauxtographer to the core.

 

I literally had trouble looking at the images in that other link you posted. I had to force myself to go back to look, just to be sure.

[IHF]

I have to disagree with stef (for the first time ever). I think you are both equally horrible.  The bad editing of your competition to a lay person at least, gives the illusion of photographs that she (the potential client) cannot produce herself.  To photogs, or to anyone who has ever played around with photography it makes her work more hideous.  But if you were able to to somehow see through the wreckage she calls editing, and put your photos and her untouched photos in one album….no one would be able to see a difference and could easily come to the conclusion that they all came from the same tog.

Neither of you should be shooting for people wether money is exchanged or not.  You both need to learn the fundamentals of photography first before shooting for others.

[Pelham]

I side with IHF.  The fauxtog oversaturates like crazy, but otherwise there is precious little separating you.  I saw the larger gallery of images you have up and the pic of the mom against a concrete wall, doing her best to keep her eye open (the sun was hitting her at a really bad angle) and wearing a huge forced smile…painful.  Lots of missing limbs and shots that most photogs would immediately delete.  Shooting on a sunny day between the hours of 11 am and 3 pm?  Very bad call.  And if you don’t know why, then you must definitely NOT charge.  Not for a long, long time.

You need to learn about lighting, composition, exposure, cropping, keeping your horizons level (or learning how to fix it in post without screwing up the pic) etc etc.  You should be offering to shoot for free in order to gain experience working with real clients.

You should be shooting in Manual mode, and be able to adjust your settings without stopping to look down at the camera.  When you have a free moment you should go through some of what you’ve just shot and chimp.  And if you don’t know what chimping is…there is NFW you should be charging anything.  And you should learn to pp with a light hand – poor pp will ruin even a good photo, and make a crappy photo look even worse.

And yes all of what I’ve just told you definitely applies to the fauxtog, too.  But then, if these people expect great images in return for some likker  or $20 a session, then they can’t have very high expectations.

[Click It And Stick It]

@IHF  I would love to see your pictures.  You always have so much to say, I’d like to see what you can produce.

@reactiveload, practice more but you are better than the other person for sure.  I cant stand over editing

[Click It And Stick It]

@reactiveload   ohh, but I wouldn’t pay for your pictures.  You shouldnt be charging people yet.

[IHF]

Pelham, (no negative tone, I swear)

What will she gain by shooting for people for free?  I find that shooting for others hurts my learning process.  I’m still learning my camera, and equipment, and when I shoot for friends I gain very little from the experience ( I completely stopped way back) When there is a lesson or set up I want to try, I have sought out a model occasionally, but mostly I use objects, my children or a willing family member.  I know eventually it will be more about working with people, in a more real life way.  But clearly this poster is still struggling with photography basics.  Do you think a novice/new photographer  that aspires to shoot for hire, would be better off taking on both fundamentals and experience simultaneously?  Is this something I would benefit from as well?  I always thought that if I continued to shoot for others for free when they request it like I did in the beginning, that in the future when I wanted to open up shop, I would already be labeled cheap/free photog and potential clients that I would need to build a professional portfolio (aka friends and family friends) wouldn’t value what I do.  “oh so now she’s charging for what used to be free.  Whatever!”.  Am I wrong?  Your thoughts everyone?

 

Click it,

LOL. I have WAY too much time on my hands lately.  I have even rolled my eyes at myself lol Getting ready for a big move, and I completely don’t have a life right now.  Things should be settled by this time next month, and you’ll see a lot less of me then.  Until then, I’m afraid you will have to put up with me and my incessant blabber.

Here’s a link to my “art”

http://www.redbubble.com/people/onegoodeye/portfolio

[Nightrose]

IHF: Maybe you should take the photos because your work is infinitely better, lol.  Love your orbs, what a cool idea!

Choosing between the two links offered, I’d pick AGloverphotos over Peaceful Moments Photography. I’ll agree with other posters that it isn’t much of a choice, but the first one at least contains photos that haven’t been tampered with too much, to create insane saturation and badly-executed selective colour.

As with many things in this world, when it comes to photography, you usually get what you pay for.

 

 

 

 

[IHF]

LOL  nightrose, if only people were ladybugs, orbs, or dandelion fluff, then I’d have it made 😉 thank you for taking your time to look and for the compliments.

 

[Pelham]

Hey IHF,

 

No, no offense taken, and you’re right, I should have edited the comment about shooting clients for free.  But what I mean is, basically, get out there and shoot.  There is no other way to learn photography.

I see no harm done by shooting clients (or potential) *clients* for free, both to gain experience AND learn your camera and setup.  I can and have done it, and usually share the best of that particular session with the people involved; however I was careful to explain that I am doing it for fun or experience with a certain lighting situation, trying out a new lens or technique, whatever the case may be.  So I didn’t give them any idea whatsoever that I was planning to go pro.

But then, if they were to contact me now, as my skills have improved considerably, and expect a freebie or cheap session I would say no, this is my rate now.  And I could show them my current work as proof that I can get much better shots of them than I did 2-3 years ago, when I was still shooting random strangers.  Sometimes I’ll use strangers for a challenge, and send them the link to the page with the entry so they can see how I did.  And if they want prints of it, they pay the going rate.

If I can pimp DPC once again…everyone here could learn a ton about photography just from reading the forums there and entering challenges.  Hell I entered a lot of crappy pics my first couple of years there, but at least I requested critiques and learned how to fix my weak areas.  I still have some weak areas, but at least now I know enough about photography to be writing critiques on that site.

 

[IHF]

Thank you for coming back and explaining.  This is exactly what I do, if a model is needed. I clearly let them know it’s for me.  Not for them and not for promoting myself.  But i turn down requests, unless it suits my needs.  I’ve shot strangers before and learned a lot from it. It also made me  very uncomfortable, and I liked it. I never shared with them though. I’m not sure why, but it just never occurred to me to share the photos out in public. But I highly recommend shooting strangers and public events. Especaily if you are shy or uncomfortable with people like I am. It helped me so very much.

 

I don’t think I have ever heard you talk about DPC  will you link?

 

[Author]

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