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Tagged: photography
- This topic has 6 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 12 years, 3 months ago by
IHF.
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August 16, 2012 at 2:14 pm #3043
Grinning
ParticipantHey guys, i’m just looking for a quick opinion of my photos. I have been having alot of people ask me to do shoots for them so I take that as a compliment that the community is liking my photos. I’m just looking for an outside opinion. Please don’t be too harsh on me, but be honest. Thanks!!
http://www.facebook.com/grinzphotography
http://www.grinzphotos.wix.com/gpphotos
Thanks a bunch!!
August 16, 2012 at 3:49 pm #3045camera.shy
ParticipantHi
Some of the images are a little too warm in tone for my taste, making the skin look yellowish.
Your composition and creativity are good. I don’t see a problem there at all.
Camera.shy
August 16, 2012 at 4:43 pm #3049IHF
Participantnot liking the processing at all. Ruins shots that could work really well, and makes the ones that don’t look quite right (aka exposed improperly, bad light and shadows, bad focus, bad posing) , look even worse.
I like your studio/indoor shots better. I dont know if it’s because you don’t process them the same way you do your outdoor shots, or if they are just better because you are paying better attention to light because it is controlled.
Hate to be redundant, but very odd processing, and the colors are really wonky. Some almost look green and zombish, some blue, most look yellow. and some sort of weird contrasty thing is happening.
Are you calibrated? Have you finished/printed a lot of your photographs? If not I think you should do it. You can learn a lot from finishing your work, it may even change the way you shoot and/or process your images.
If you are using presets or actions like I suspect you do, please STOP! (don’t defend this as YOUR style, because guess what? it’s not. It’s someone else’s money maker and it’s not working for you at all)
All in all though, I DO see a lot of potential. I can see a little graduation from processed snap shots to more thought out shots going through your albums, and I can see that you care about what you are doing. I dont think you are ready to be selling your services and products and this makes me have to put in my Fauxtog vote. But if you were to slow down, and work on your photography, the technical aspects, and take time to learn proper editing techniques, instead of tweaking someone else’s preset/action, I could see you possibly going legit.
When your ready to go into business, I’d seriously consider investing in a real website, and not one that advertises all over it how easy and free it is. Maybe hire someone to come up with a logo for you as well. Just like you don’t want your photography to look like anyone at all can do it, you don’t want a website that just anyone can have either. It makes it all look cheap and easy and brings down the value of what you are doing.
August 16, 2012 at 5:15 pm #3051ParticipantThank you so much for your honest feedback I really appreciate it and will take all of it into consideration. I’m mostly just doing this as a hobby on the side, I do work a regular job at a medical office 3 days a week and I’m just trying to make a little extra money on the side to help put food on the table.
And yes I have printed alot of my work and it has come out fine from what I can tell, maybe everyone has a different eye for colors. I’ve looked at my monitor calibration and everything seems to be fine. I have been guilty of trying out actions just to see what they were like but I guess I should stop.
Would you mind telling me which of my pictures you think are good vs. ones that look like zombies? Just so I know where to better myself.
Thank you again for your time and advice!!
August 16, 2012 at 6:04 pm #3058Participantweird blue/Green zombie thing
yellow jaundice
Yellow/green but I really like the photo
Good examples of the weird contrasty thing
Bad spotty lighting
wonderful (but a tad too yellow)
Lovely, but again the processing isn’t quite getting it. It’s not green or blue, yellow, but it’s definitely some sort of filter or action that just didn’t do it justice. MAkes it look over exposed or something
I really like this one
and the processing is nice and subtle as well
August 16, 2012 at 6:14 pm #3060ParticipantThank you so much for your opinions! I appreciate it!!
August 16, 2012 at 7:33 pm #3062ParticipantGrinning,
Just something to think about. I only say this because I’ve been there, flirting with the idea of shooting for money as only a hobby or while I learn. Then I thought about it a little more deeply and decided it wasn’t for me, and I’d much rather learn first, and then go all out (if I even chose to do so). Currently I’m just happy knowing that by shooting just for myself, I’m improving quickly with my portraiture, much more quickly than if I was shooting for others and under the pressure that being for hire brings. I’m fulfilled creatively, and I don’t feel taken advantage of, or funny charging for what I know isn’t professional. I don’t feel over worked and away from my family either.
Ask yourself this:
How much time do you spend per week…
preparing for a shoot
Traveling for sessions
Shooting a sessesion
Talking to clients
Marketing
Processing images
preparing images for your clients
updating your website/blog/facebook
networking
how much do you spend on products, equipment, software, etc
how much do you get paid per session?
how many sessions do you do a week?
and if after you calculate your expenses vs pay, and how much time you put into being for hire and you’re happy with your hourly wage you are receiving for all your work, then by all means just keep keepin on. It didn’t pan out for me, even as just a hobby. I’m worth more than .60 an hour and so is my time
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