So, AM I a photographer or fauxtographer?

[Bek2987]

This is my facebook business page. Critique as you see fit. Compliment if it suits you. http://www.facebook.com/lastingimpressionsphotographybyrebekah

[BCLC]

Your link doesn’t work for me.

[Bek2987]

Try copying and pasting into your search bar. I have no idea how to fix the link…

http://www.facebook.com/lastingimpressionsphotographybyrebekah

 

[cassie]

A lot of it looks like just snap shots to me. There isn’t much thought put into the lighting for nearly every single portrait, and many of them the light is distracting and unflattering to the person. Many of the pictures are too soft (which COULD be facebook but some are definitely not focused on the person’s eye). For example this one the background looks sharper than the family: https://scontent-b-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc3/t1/1395825_601258973267079_654883671_n.jpg There is also a lot of spot coloring and general over processing. Some of them the color is off and the skin tones look bad. There are some pics that are OK in there but I wouldn’t consider them anything past snap shots, they almost seem more like the coincidental success from a string of spray and pray.

If anything, I think you should try ditching your photo editing software completely and work on nailing down the basics. Learn how to find the light, learn how to use your camera better, and practice practice practice. Looking at what you have up, I’d definitely say you aren’t ready to be shooting professionally. There are a lot of problems with your photos, but lighting I think is one of the biggest. Here is a video that I found REALLY incredibly useful. But it isn’t enough to just watch it- watch it and then grab an egg and photograph it like he says: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM7CcUrUD2g

Also just a heads up- you may want to consider changing your hours on your facebook site. We don’t like to think that someone would call at 10pm and wake up the kiddos, but it happens (I’ve had it happen quite a few times actually, even though I think I’ve pretty much made it clear that I have kids in bed by 8pm). Some people get upset when you don’t answer the phone right away either, so I’d change it to hours that someone could expect to reach a live person on the phone. True you might not schedule their appointments during that time frame necessarily, but it’ll save you some grief when someone tries calling you every hour until they reach you personally rather than just leaving voicemails and waiting until the next day or when you’re back from lunch (I’ve had this happen several times too). It’ll happen regardless, but at least it sets a policy in place for your business and lets people know you aren’t ignoring them or have crappy customer service.

[Rpg Valentine]

plain and simple . You are a fauxtographer. It seems you are trying to be “artsy ” , when you should really be learning the basics of photography . Please stop  with the color splash , hand hearts and people in frames. That really screams FAUXTOGRAPHER !

Just like I told this odlclicks guy

1. Study lighting

2. posing

3. How to use your equipment

Maybe then you might evolve into a photographer.

[IHF]

No attention to light being paid. Check
Bad editing. Check
Lack of good color management. Check
Unflattering poses. Check
Shoddy compositions, and careless snapping as if you are spraying. Check
Crazy props, fonts, and gimmicks. Check
Pricing that doesn’t make a lick of sense. Check
Muddy black and whites. Check
Very little invested yourself, yet you expect others to invest in you (no website, no business license, no insurance, no contracts, etc Check

Spray and pray, cull, edit, and slap um on a cd.

And to top it off you “shared” an article with your audience without linking or proper credit given to the writer. Writers are creatives too, and put a lot of effort into their work, just as photographers do. A true creative would never take work from others and “share” it so irresponsibly, and unethically, for their personal gain.

Yes, I am afraid you ARE a fauxtographer. How to change this? Stop soliciting your services to the public. Study photography by shooting to learn instead of shooting to earn, and with time and effort on your part, you could turn things around successfully. Be honest with yourself and to others. Keep your integrity intact. Maybe try starting a blog about your learning process instead.

The best way to learn how to use a camera is to start off without editing at all, and try for good SOOC shots instead. Have a problem? Try looking for solutions to them that happen before the shutter is snapped. Taking on editing and the basics simultaneously isn’t impossible, but it can be a much longer process and/or the student can fall into the editing trap, and faux business trap and everything needed to learn in camera gets left behind. I think this is exactly what went wrong with your photography. Your trying to polish something that just can’t be polished.
With all this said, you are not the first to fall victim to the whole fauxtography dealo. Its an easy thing to fall into very quickly, especially when well meaning people tell you you are awesome (it happens as soon as anyone with a camera shares). It’s an honest mistake for most and can be corrected. Honestly it can. Build your foundation first, then build the house, and only when you have a good structure, is it time for decorating. Slow down, back up, and start over. You can do this.

[IHF]

Btw Cassie,  I love the egg lesson!  I think I may just be photographing an egg tomorrow 🙂

[EyeDocPhotog]

are your clients paying you, miss? If so, it’s completely irrelevant what anyone else thinks.

[cameraclicker]

I can’t see the page.  I found another Lasting Impressions Photography.  Their work looked pretty good.  That brings up an interesting question, however, are you a real business, i.e. registered name, tax licence, insurance, etc.?  If I saw the other Lasting Impressions Photos, then on that basis contracted with you for a session, law suits might abound if your quality is not up to theirs.  Who owns that name?

[IHF]

That’s all fine and good eyedoc, but what if she wants to actually try her hand at making a living from her photography, instead of just under the table hobby income?  What if she’s questioning her skills and work because she wants to better her photography, and continue to get better and better?  What if she actually wants to be successful at this, and support her family?

Your way of thinking will end her up out of business before she even gets started.  She’ll burn out, start to realize she needs to raise her prices to compensate for all the work she does, and to help her business grow to the point where she can quit her day job so to speak.  But, it won’t work.  Why? because she is unable to offer anything more than what the new girl down the street can that charges much less.  I’ve seen this play out thousands of times.  It’s so very sad to watch.

It’s the classic path of a faux.  Jump in too quickly, sell on the cheap, try to raise prices to get to the point where they are making enough to stay afloat, only to burn out and quit.  NO I don’t want that for her.  I don’t want that for anyone who wants to succeed in photography wether amateur or for money.  The fact that she came here to ask THE question means she actually cares about this eyedoc.  What you said will make her feel better momentarily about what she is doing, and I understand your point of view and way of thinking, but in the long run, it’s detrimental to her photography and possible future business to think this way.

Your way of thinking is GREAT for people who push to sell to aspiring photographers (they make fat cash selling this way), it’s great for Aunt Sally to say because she loves her niece/nephew and wants to encourage and doesn’t know better, but it’s not good for fauxtographers to hear, unless you are selling, or wishing them to fail.  I know that this is not your intentions.  Your not selling, and you don’t seem the type to wish failure on someone, so I can only assume you are taking Aunt Sally’s stance.  Not only are well meaning words like this what start faux businesses to began with, but they are what keeps them going long after the tog realizes they put more in than what they get out financially and physically and emotionally.  It’s this way of thinking that perpetuates the problems that fauxtography causes.   I know you meant it to be “nice” but, it just isn’t.

[IHF]

Try this link CC

https://www.facebook.com/LastingImpressionsPhotographybyRebekah/photos_stream

[cameraclicker]

Thanks, IHF, that link also takes me to my own page.  It must have something to do with where I live.

[nairbynairb]

The link won’t work for me, either.

 

[Bill]

CC & nairy, try this link>  you may need to use a proxy to see some of the sites since you guys are in the Great North Maple Leaf, lol

[CoastalTog]

Classic cliche Faux.  Based on her pricing she is not the sole bread winner nor is she paying all the applicable taxes. This is a classic case of girl gets Canon Rebel/ Nikon D5100 for Christmas and hangs up a shingle 2 months later.  I’m more blunt than others on here so best to take advice from the others above. This isn’t a sustainable business for you. Once all the cheapskates pay for a shoot you’re going to run out of clients.

P.s. Heavy vignetting is a classic sign of being a faux.

[Author]

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