Crit Welcome

[Bismuth]

https://www.facebook.com/UlyatePhoto

I am not selling yet, but would like to.  I would also like to not end up on the Main Page of YANAP.

B

[fstopper89]

Your photos are not “fauxtographer” style, but they don’t really have that “wow factor.” Well the animal photos are pretty cool, and for someone in the US they are unusual subject matter, they are not extremely artistic. The pictures are in focus, color is pretty good, maybe a little too orange but not terribly. There is only one portrait though and it’s straight-on, kind of from an upward angle, and just not very interesting. For a business headshot, it’s not bad. But if you want to get to the point of charging as a portrait photographer, you need to do a lot more practice on portraits, and several types tat that. Headshots are only one kind. You’ll need several consistent albums of portraits in your portfolio so that you can show people that you are able to produce quality work, and try to do some creative or interesting portraits as well.

[Bismuth]

Thanks for the comments.

Yes, I think I overdid it a bit in PP with WB.  I am still new at the digital darkroom, so maybe will bring that back a bit.

I agree, I need practice on portrait photography, not really the nice I want, and that shot was taken with a Takumar Bayonet 28 2.8 Manual lens, and adjusted in PP.  Wasn’t really a planned portrait shot, but I was satisfied enough with it to put it online.  TBH, I don’t want to do portraits as my main genre, but rather get into nature/wildlife, landscaping and maybe even some commercial stuff, I must still find my niche here.  But, if I can produce decent portraits, might look into as well.  I will not do weddings, in my experience that takes a certain dedication and style which is not my thing.

Yeah, I am glad I am not the only one looking for that “wow factor”, you should see the ones that didn’t make it, think my ratio is currently about 1:500

 

B

[Brownie]

I agree with browneyedgirl above me, except I think the subject matter is very fauxtogish. It’s basically just photographing what you see, how you see it. Flowers, statues, zoo animals, etc etc. But keep working at it. We all start somewhere, and I remember similar images that I took when I was just starting out, it’ll come with time, commitment and knowledge.

[kbee]

Your gallery reminds me of my personal Facebook photo gallery. A little bit of everything and anything you can get your hands on. That’s not a bad thing, but it says to me, that like me, you’re practicing on what is available. There’s no real focus happening to show you’re interested in one particular subject eg. portraits, nature, maternity. To me, you just appear to be an enthusiast with a camera on hand to capture a lot of things you come across. It could be anybody’s gallery.

Don’t let it discourage you, though. Definitely keep working on it. Work on your skills, think about what type of photography you want to focus on, and then work on that to hone your skills.

[stef]

Your compositions are pretty good, although your shots feel uninspired.

You can shoot in focus, your white balance isn’t horrible (although some stuff looked a little warm), you don’t do horrible edits, and you can crop well. On that basis alone, you’re not a fauxtographer and won’t end up on the front page here.

 

But I’m not convinced you will be successful until you train yourself to see the shots better than you do. Most of those shots looked like really good snapshots, with very few shots that were deliberately composed and shot with any purpose. A day or two ago I told someone she was a fauxtog because of her editing, poor focus, and bad exposures, but I like her pictures better than yours due to impact and creativity.

[Gerbles]

Hate to say it, but if you plan on wanting to sell landscape and wildlife photos, you are going to need years of experience and actually traveling to awe inspiring locations. These are OK for practice (anyone can buy a ticket to the zoo and get the same photos at the same time of day- ie. harsh midday light), but in order to sell prints like you want to sell,  there will by lots of money, skill, time, and travel involved. Just look at the Nat Geo photos. Compare and contrast- what sort of things are they doing that you aren’t? Looking at photos that are leaps and bounds beyond yours is one of the best ways to improve.

[fstopper89]

I love seeing the photos in Nat Geo. Awhile back when I first started doing photography, I thought I could make a bunch of money selling prints. Quickly realized NO ONE was going to buy a print of anything I had because while it was interesting to me, it probably was not at all to anyone else. Since then I’ve gotten a handful of shots I believe I could sell, but to break into that market you have to really pursue it. And find the right venues to sell them at including online. Getty Images has a few images of mine but so far no one has purchased any.

Check out Laura Ruth Photography. I stumbled upon her work on Flickr awhile back. She has some shots of everyday things that she was able to get the “wow” factor into, and she sells prints and other products like iPhone cases with her photos on them through some site called Society6. She broke into the market, but I doubt it was easy! Though her images are really strong.

[Egglington]

The first thing you might want to check is your white balance on some of your pictures. You could correct this in camera using one of the white balance presets when you shoot to match the lighting conditions, or better still you could set a custom white balance using your camera and a grey card depending on the camera model.

White balance can also be corrected in post editing, although is better to get it correct in camera. If you shoot RAW, programs like Lightroom will allow you to correct it after the fact.

[IHF]

Bismuth,

I think you can answer this question on wether to sell or not yourself.  You share your photos online.  Do you have any serious inquiries about them?  This is how most artists get started selling.  With landscape and nature and/or fine art photography, it’s different.  It all starts with sharing and receiving interest, even without a price tag attached, people know what they want, and will outright ask the artist how much they would have to spend to copy one of your photographs finished for their home.  No inquiries?  Then you still have some work ahead of you.  If you are receiving inquiries and orders regularly, then it’s time to start working more on your marketing.  Until then, let that idea take a back seat while you learn and experiment. Do you have a printer/finisher that you like to use?  If not, get to shopping and find a printer that suits you.  Printing and finishing is also a wonderful learning process in of itself.  Maybe start a physical portfolio for yourself.  By regularly finishing your photographs it can change completely how you shoot and think of things and view them through your camera.  Don’t leave the job half done by only making digital files.

[Bismuth]

Thanks for all the comments, I have indeed found them most informative, and will take note of every single one, and adapt accordingly.

FWIW, my ultimate goal is get onto the cover of Nat Geo, I know I’ve got a way to go, but I need to start somewhere.  Also just received the book “The Complete Guide to Nature Photography” by  Sean Arabi, so far it’s very informative.  This is not the only source I am using, but one that has been on my wishlist for awhile now.

B

 

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