I am not a photographer, but …

[zuzanas]

… an amateur who would like to get feedbacks and opinions.
That said, I am not selling any photographic services but instead only chasing friends to pose for me to help me in my learning process.
ohh, and I suck at postproduction (if I can call it that way) … but working on that one too. 🙂

Thanks for your useful tips !!! … and here link with few pics

http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/ZuzanasPhotography.html

 

[IHF]

ooops!  Switch the two first links around.  Not sure how that happened, but I love the caterpillar shot.  It’s perfect as is

[Worst Case Scenario]

Looks like you might have some good shots there, but your website displays then so small that it’s hard to tell. You’d be much better off with a flickr account.

Not sure I saw any caterpillars!

[IHF]

ok now I see my post never even showed up!  limbo.  Well… it could be because of all the linking I did and it needs to be considered NOT spam before it goes up?  I hope it shows eventually.  Darn it!  I took a lot of time with it.

[IHF]

(going to try this again with the links fixed)

http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/Pages/COLORED_WORLD.html#10

I really like the idea of this one.  I wish it was more BAM!  In your face level/straight.  I’m thinking just a little straightening might do the trick.  If not, re shoot this if you can and get more dead on.  I really like the yellow and red, and the whole “What the hell is a bitten banana doing here?”

 

I really like these.  The simplicity, and use of negative space ROCKS

http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/Pages/COLORED_WORLD.html#13

 

http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/Pages/COLORED_WORLD.html#15

 

http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/Pages/MONOCHROME_PEOPLE.html#1

 

http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/Pages/MONOCHROME_PEOPLE.html#13

 

Can I make a suggestion?  Instead of colored people, maybe “people in color”

 

http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/Pages/COLORED_PEOPLE.html#26

This cracked me up.  I don’t know if humor was your intention (if not I’m sorry) but, his size compared to the dock makes everything but him look miniature, and his pose just makes it for me.  I could see this one being sold as stock or something.  I really like it.

 

http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/Pages/COLORED_PEOPLE.html#29

this screams more hat, more body.  I don’t know if maybe you lost some of the repetition of the fence if you pulled back some, but UGH!  I’d love to see it cropped differently and showing more of him.

 

http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/Pages/COLORED_PEOPLE.html#37

I like the baby getting into mischief and that “oh crap!  I’m busted!” look on his face.

 

You have some that have a more snap shot type feel, and aren’t as strong as others, but hey! don’t we all?!  Just remember to edit your images down as you go, and replace older shots that aren’t as strong with stronger newer images.  At least that’s what I do, and I find it really helps with my learning process.  All and all, I like your eye, and your humor.  Yes, even if the picture I spoke of above wasn’t supposed to be funny, you have a good sense, and an eye for finding interesting content.  Go go GO! girl.  Us Amateurs rock!  We get to shoot what we want, when we want and how we want.  Can’t beat that when you are trying to improve, and take the craft more seriously.  I love your experimenting, and wide array of different styles and comps.  It shows you are really working hard at this, and trying to find your groove.  You’re good.  I can’t help with PP, that’s also my downfall as well.  But I don’t see any blaring painful PP going on in your port, you’re getting it.  It just takes time and  lot’s of mistakes/experimenting to learn how to truly nail it and develop. You ARE a photographer even if you don’t receive money.  I think not being pro and taking it out of the equation makes you more of a photographer than all the beginners who are in business.

 

I’ll leave the critical stuff to others, unless you’d like me to pick a few out that don’t seem to work as well, and give you some more input.  I’ll have time later today to do that if you would like.  Just say the word.

I agree with CC, your port it difficult to navigate through, and your images are pretty small

[IHF]

ok I’ve tried several times to post and it just won’t go through.  Would it be ok for me to E-Mail you using the e-mail on your site Zuzanas?

[zuzanas]

Thanks “Worst Case Scenario”.
Sorry – I know they are small. I have flicker but do not post many pics there… http://www.flickr.com/photos/105337944@N02/with/1076026465
(let’s say shy in-between all those great photographers)

 

“I hate Fauxtography” – of course you can use my zuzanas email. Thanks for your time!!!

[ebi]

Zuzanas,

You are absolutely wrong. You are not only a photographer, but you are incredibly talented. Unfortunately, the presentation greatly diminishes your work. You need to reorganize your work into more meaningful stories and show far bigger images than you currently have. I’d also like to see your work on a lighter background. Your drill down navigation is quite cumbersome and needs revamping. You could be making some good money as a photographer…

[nesgran]

I’ll have to agree with ebi. Your shots look pro level as it is and it is the kind of pictures I expect to see walking into a clothes shop. You do have a couple of pictures which should go, like the weird coloured baby and coloured people may be a bit offensive to the politically correct crowd. You need to organise it better and display it better than you are doing at the moment and things will look so much better.

[IHF]

Zuzanas,  SEE?!  I told ya 😉  (we’ve been having a behind the scenes conversation over here, and you all are helping my case lol)

[zuzanas]

Hello to all and thank you for your comments Ebi/Nesgran.

I really wanted to get an opinion on whether I am heading the Faux-way or the Photo-way. As I told to “I have fauxtography” I am spending to much time focusing on what I am doing wrong rather then focusing on what I might be doing right and getting a little bit all negative. I just do not find the pics clean enough, nice compared to other photographers…etc etc.

I learned one thing from all your comments, I might be better at photography than web-designing 😀
I have taken your comments into account (which are basically all very similar) and will review my webpage. It is about a time anyway….

Ebi, thank you but there is no way I will charge someone at this stage. Too much pressure , I need to be sure with myself first.
Plus I know my pictures have so many mistakes in them I need to master.

Nesgran, what colored baby picture should go?
For the colored people album name. I understand that some people may consider it politically incorrect and I will change it because what counts is first impression and again everyone has similar one. My logic behind that was much simpler than some racial incorrectness, in fact I have made my mind that everything can have double sense and only person with twisted mind see twisted ideas in simple things. In fact I have one colored person in that album – lady colored in gold, the other people are just people on colored photograph.

I got a bit more positive  from your all your comments .. 🙂 .. Have a great weekend!

[Bill]

I would agree with most of the comments above, but honestly, I have not read them fully.

Zuzanas, your shots look good from what I can see, but your website is just plain horrible for what you are doing. I gave up after trying to view just 2 images. That is not the way you want to present your art/photos. The thumbnails or what I think were thumbnails look very very nice. I think both ebi and WCS hit the nail on the head about the navigation, layout and presentation portion, so no need to re-hash.

I just posted a link to an Philadelphia based photographer that talks about critiques as he is giving some to a 1st year art student. The link is HERE if you don’t feel like searching for it. I get nothing from it, but I think it is something all photographers need to grasp, the handling of criticism.
Though others will critique, you have to filter out some of the noise and be able to disseminate the good from the useless. If 100 people critique your work, you’re going to get about 100 different versions of what works and what doesn’t. The trick is to find the common elements within those and build upon that.
It is the same method I use when searching through comments when buying products. This item sucks. Well if you don’t provide a reason why it sucks, the your argument is invalid, well there really is no argument at all.

Keep up the good work and keep on shooting!!

[nesgran]

This one and anything looking vaguely like it http://www.zuzanas.eu.pn/zuzanas/ZuzanasPhotography/Pages/COLORED_PEOPLE.html#7 . The shot itself isn’t bad and I like the expression and angle but the weird colour you’ve given the kid in post is what breaks it.

[cameraclicker]

Except for the kid’s skin colour, that’s an awesome shot!

[zuzanas]

Thanks Bill.
Yep, I got the point that the website is not “picture presentable”… but it should be also considered it was not build to be photo-portfolio of a photographer, rather my little web that includes my hobby and the size of the pics reflect  a bit my confidence in my work.
I very well understand that everyone has a different taste and some pics loved by some are critiqued by others. I am looking for general feel and what direction I am heading + scream/pointing out what are my main mistakes. Family and friends are not the best reviewers and even though I am quite critical to myself, I have no background to critique in pro way (only by own feelings)
PS: I don’t think that the video critique was harsh. PPS: I am way far from high-school years and thats what makes me insecure (late self-start and no relation in my pro life to any creative work)   PPS: It may sound negative, but I am actually very positive person… 🙂

Nesgran/Cameraclicker – I will look at it again and see if I can do some miracles 😉 …
What upsets me more about the pic are the hands. My first impression was that the baby doesnt have hands…but I just love the expression so much I can’t give it up!

[Author]

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