Could I be an amateur low budget Fauxtog?

[trojanllama]

I don’t ever charge or offer services.  I’ve turned down requests to photograph weddings.  I don’t have a FaceBook ‘Photography’ Fan Page, I don’t use Craigslist.

However, I don’t have a full frame Canikon DSLR, I don’t have any training.  I probably have some awful bad habits.  To be honest, when I encountered this site, I wondered if any of my images were featured.

As someone NOT trying to be a professional (amateur = for the love of), do I qualify for a critique, and do I qualify as a Faux- amateur tog?

If I qualify for a critique, then please go ahead, click here on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/trojanllama/sets/72157626299601784/

and I’ll brace myself from some constructives

[IHF]

There’s no such thing as a faux amateur.  I mean, how can someone pretend to be an amatuer or be a fake amateur? Since ONLY professional (as in IN business) photographers are ever featured here, you are safe 🙂

I have a difficult time critiquing when photography is purely for the artist.  No plans on selling, and no plans on wanting to go pro, or even offer people services for free… I don’t get my “art” critiqued very much, if at all these days.  I only seek it when I need help with something, or I’m trying something new and uncomfortable.  Are you sure you want to go there? (not that I see anything majorly wrong or even slightly wrong with your photography after glancing)

I want to be able to give your photography a lot of time and thought (if you still want critique ), so I may have to come back tomorrow so I can give it my undivided attention.

You are NOT a fauxtographer  and I’m so glad you realize that being an amateur is not a bad thing (it’s even better actually) hopefully as time goes on there will be more and more of us out there, like it’s supposed to be.  and less and less “pros”

[Nightrose]

I suspect you’re fishing for compliments because you have some nice work there!

Having a Facebook Fan Page doesn’t make someone a fauxtographer, it’s what they choose to display there that does!

I have a Facebook Fan Page…..

……*waits for accusations of fauxtoggery*…….

 

[Open Focus]

I own a FB page for marketing purposes but the majority of my artwork I remains on my main website. to me, it’s those who make their FB page their SOLE portfolio page that bother me immensely.

i only looked at a few images but you obviously know what you are doing so there is no need to tell you how good your photos are.  Hell, I used a little Sony cyber shot point and shoot for years before I got my first full framed DSLR. And then it was years after that when I got my newest camera.

The secret to good photography is that buying the biggest and the best doesn’t make you great.. Your eye does.

 

 

 

[cameraclicker]

I agree with Nightrose.  I like your photography.  I think if you were entering contests you would have a reasonable chance, so my advice to you is try out some contests.  There are lots of friendly contests on the web.

[trojanllama]

Hands up, I probably was semi-consciously fishing for compliments.  Guilty.  Thanks anyway.  I just discovered this site and LOVE it!  From an amateur perspective, I often complain that I don’t understand why so many beginners even want to be ‘professionals’, or judge photography by it’s ‘professionalism’.  I’ve also noticed how newcomers often launch FB sites with ‘professional’ photography titles, even watermarking their images.

This site is an insight, brilliant stuff.

[IHF]

I really like this one.  Erie yet beautiful.  Wonderful comp.  This one is my very favorite I think

 

I absolutely love this guy!  What a pose!

 

another wonderful character

 

This is really cute.  Wonderfully done

 

Love this.  I came up with at least a handful of stories, by only looking at it for a few minutes.  The light is superb

 

Oh my goodness! lol  look at him! 🙂  perfect timing.

 

Really like this shot too.  Normally, I would say “Hey!  Couldn’t you have shot this differently without that person behind him?”  Cluttered background…but in this case I think it adds interest.  All I know is it kept me looking

 

lol fantastic!

 

I like that I learned a little about your world going through your port, and saw things I never saw before.  Like this snap

eeeewwww but interesting as heck.  I never heard of that before

 

There are a lot of “just snaps” like these

but I like the way you document, and I feel you know the difference as well, so it doesn’t bother me at all that they are there along side your photographs.

 

Stay away from frames and odd editing like this.  Your photography doesn’t need it, and it just makes them look cheap.  STOP IT!!!!

 

 

I honestly can’t see you being a family portrait tog, and I hope you don’t start going in that direction.  (This is meant to be a compliment by the way)  I CAN see you maybe covering events for hire, with a little research, and study behind you.  I think you could handle documenting for people very well.  One thing I noticed, is even when the light is less than ideal, you are able to trump it by capturing an expression or moment, that makes it interesting, and makes it work.  Portraits are not like that in anyway.  It’s all about the light, focus, posing, attention to detail, etc.  I think it would kill you, and kill what I see in your photography.  AND it could turn you into a serious fauxtographer

[IHF]

Then again that umbrella shot was completely set up, and it was done very well.  There were other posed shots that worked as well, that I enjoyed, so I could be completely wrong with my assumption

[fstopper89]

You have some very creative work here. Though not all of it is “technically perfect” like others have said, you make the images good nonetheless by the emotion and feeling portrayed. Your photography is definitely artistic and not like the paid portraiture I typically see. I too started my artistic side of photography with a point-and-shoot but of course never advertised myself as a professional portrait photographer when I used a camera such as that.

[trojanllama]

Thanks for the replies, all has been noted.  Especially thanks to I Hate..  I can see now that the framing is a dangerous road to Faux hell, thank you for steering me away!

I’ve been a snapping away since my first Kodak Instamatic, forty years ago, documenting stuff, but photography only became a more serious hobby around six years ago or so.  I’ve always separated my hobbies from my work – always seen my past-times as just that, and not for monetary gain.  Amateur means “for the love of”.  I feel that all of these faux wanna be professionals are a sign of our present day social values – that you need to make money from anything for it to have value.  Sad for an old rebel like me.

Never mind, I’ll carry on doing my thing, trying to improve, trying to make attractive and interesting images, or to document ‘stuff’, using my low budget gear.  Thanks again, love the website and will contribute to the forums from an amateur perspective.

[Loke]

I think you are pulling our legs. 😉

[IHF]

“I feel that all of these faux wanna be professionals are a sign of our present day social values – that you need to make money from anything for it to have value”.

you’ve hit the nail on the head, with that one.  So many people missing out on what photography really is.  What really urks me is when I show people what I do (lots of finished pieces on my walls) and the conversation ends up about being in business, and how much money I could make if I did family portraiture.  For one, just because I can make a rain drop or a stupid bug look interesting and beautiful, it does NOT mean I can do the same for people.  I’m still learning how to shoot people, for my own satisfaction because I find it to be a challenge, and one day hope to make a portrait series or two.  Then I teach them how much I would have to charge per session to make a profit equal to that of working part time at a fast food joint, because I can’t afford to only charge what everyone else they know does (We have enough debt, thank you).  I’m not knowledgable or skilled enough for people to spend that much with me, and how would I be able to have a thriving business just charging the bare minimum like that?  Then awkward silence… Then it becomes how I should sell my photos at art fairs and flea markets and summit them to magazines, etc.  “Thats a lot of investment, just to take a chance at making a few bucks”.  Really folks, I’m more than happy with my occasional sell (which surprises the heck out of me that it happens at all, because I’m not selling pictures of people to the people that love them) and compliment.  Nope not getting rich, but that isn’t quite the point to what I do.  Then all I get are whys and how I’m wasting my potential, and what a shame it is.  I just think “If they only knew”.  I should get a shirt that says ” my photography has value, even though I don’t get paid money to do it”. That’s a little too wordy though… Maybe just “bite me” would be a better choice lol

oh no, I rambled… I apologize :). Glad you’re here Trojanllama.  I like the way you think

[IHF]

Loke

pulling our legs about what exactly?

[Loke]

Oh nothing….I just think he’s being facetious..he knows he’s got talent.

[IHF]

So all photographers who know they aren’t all that and a bag of chips, and have a constant drive to do better, are just being facetious?  Secretly they think they are bad ass and know everything there is to know

i don’t know I just don’t get that vibe at all from the OP

[Author]

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