Viewing 9 posts - 1 through 9 (of 9 total)
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  • #2569
    James
    Participant

    Hi All,

    I stumbled across this site a few days ago and I’m pleased that someone has started to showcase all the appalling button pushers out there. I think it’s about time that people are named and shamed though. I’ve been a pro photographer for 20 years – newspapers, magazines, agencies etc. and I’m fed up with twats that announce themselves as ‘Photographers’ after buying a shit camera from Walmart and doing a hatchet job on a friends wedding.

    The other thing that chaps my ass is: people who try and operate as freelancers in their spare time (when they are not at their full time job) and charge super low rates purely to get the work and then screw up the commission because they have no experience. Here’s some advice: If you want to be a proper pro photographer – ditch your day job and start at the bottom and work your way up. I started in a darkroom on £4,500 PA. YES A DARKROOM, with proper running water, nasty chemicals and real film. Ooooh it was real voodoo printing pictures by hand. Just because you have a digital camera and a printer, you are not a photographer. Get an eye, get some creativity and leave photoshop alone.

     

    **Stepping down from soap-box.

     

    James.

    #2623
    catz’more
    Participant

    I have great respect for pro’s out there. Too many mom’s with camera’s. I am not a pro myself and I won’t go charging people for photos. I enjoy taking photos as a hobby and that is where it ends. I post some of my images on line and I have sold a few but it isn’t my line of business. I will never go and advertise myself as a photographer as I am not. I am a hobi-trographer.  But when I see  the work here, even I can do much better.   I am glad they are being exposed. I really hope that more MWC (mom’s with Camera’s) find this site and learn from this.

    #2628
    jetpix
    Participant

    James –

    Those were the days, weren’t they?  My first gig was doing B&W for a daily newspaper – as low man I got to run all the film . . . . .  Pan-X and Tri-X mostly.  Could never quite get the smell of the chemicals out the clothes . . . .

     

    #2629
    Kel
    Participant

    Well said, James! I am glad that they’re being exposed too!

    catz’more –  I am a MWC, but I had the camera  and passion for photography long before I had kids. Lol I didn’t have any interest in taking photos of people until after my oldest kiddo was born though…before that I only took photos of nature and landscapes. I love photographing families, babies/kids, and couples. Eventually I’d love to shoot weddings, but I am no where near good enough for that yet, so right now I am going to stick with building my portfolio, getting more experience, honing my skills, and continue learning. 🙂

    #2643
    James
    Participant

    Jetpix- Haha, I quite miss the smell of the chemicals. I daydream of mixing ID11 by hand, powders of part A and part B. Sigh. I look back and think of how many hotel room bathrooms I’ve ruined with c41 chemistry ;o)

    Kel – stick with it and build your experience. It’s a sensible decision to only start shooting weddings etc when your skill levels are top notch. Having a good eye for a picture is something that you cannot teach, but without excellent camera skills and the understanding of how light works to back it up sometimes leaves people lacking massively in the quality stakes.

    Experience will give you the confidence and knowledge of what to do when the shoot changes unexpectedly due to rain or unforeseeable circumstances.

    #2656
    stef
    Participant

    Ugh, I have some undeveloped 120 I need to process. Oddly, I’ve been shooting a bit of medium format film lately. I really love the DOF you can get.

     

    I absolutely do not miss the smell of the chemicals. I develop it in my bathroom. I’m waiting until I shoot another roll to develop both in one batch.

    #2666
    catz’more
    Participant

    @Kel – That is the way to do it.

    #2667
    James
    Participant

    Stef – I used to hate dev’ing 120. Well, I suppose I hated drying it more. Even in a super clean darkroom, I still managed to find fluff and dust to stick to the tacky emulsion :o(

    #4492
    lovethissite
    Participant

    I know someone who still has a dark room how does the cost compare to printing at a printer? What are the benefits?

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