[Bill]

@nesgran  – I probably should have elaborated on that part.  True , the impression people get when you have your own studio is that you are more legit then a Guy With a Camera.

I usually test “models” out with a natural or urban setting before making the move to a studio environment.  I have plenty of nice scenery around town to provide good backdrops.  Now if they were doing implied nudes or nude shoots, I would suggest a studio for the privacy.  In the past I rented out luxury hotel suites, this way I don’t have to bring furniture or props, they are already there.

I guess what I was trying to say, is that the “models” I would get had a different expectation of what a studio shoot was.

@ ebi – funny thing is, one of the first model shoots I did wound up in the girls bedroom.  I was big time green for model shoots then, but I wanted the experience.  It started out as a beach sunset shoot with some strobes and a softbox and wound up doing a girl on girl half-naked lesbian shoot.  Totally was not expecting that.  Trust me when I say nothing happened, it wasn’t as glamorous as it might seem.

@ WCS – true the model shoot on the beach I did where it ended up in her bedroom.  I was amazed how quick they were to take what ever I asked to take off.  Truly their taste in clothing was very distracting and had too many things that just dangles in the wrong places, lol.

BTW , I’m not one for adding borders unless it adds something to the photo, but in my opinion, it usually doesn’t, but that’s just me.  I have seen some photogs adding those grungy borders and I am not too sure they work, but then again, thats just me.

 

 

[Bill]

@ ebi  damn you must be watching me or something.  I’m not gay and really have no drive to shoot fashion, but not to sound too jumpy, if it paid well, then I would do it.  Photography is photography, but my heart would not really be in the right place for that type of shooting.

The good thing is that I am married already, and not looking to “bang” young models.  Don’t get me wrong, having attractive women to shoot is great, a bonus if she is taking some clothing off or has none at all.  As a guy, I am full lesbian and damn proud of it, but not looking to loose my house and all my cool camera gear for a piece of ass.  Sad thing is I am that good intended broke straight guy in the suburbs struggling, lol.

Never really thought of looking at the agency side for fresh talent, will have to give that a try.  Thanks ebi, thank you a lot.

I live just a short drive outside San Diego, California and go between here and Philadelphia from time to time.

The only thing that really sucks is the property costs are extremely high here, so I do not have a studio of my own as of yet, but I do have one I typically rent when the need arises.  Many of the girls I talk to often request a studio setting, not sure why, but they do.  I think they seem to think that every photographer comes with a studio, or they give them away with the cameras.  I like shooting in the studio, but not every shoot calls for it, and trying to convince some of these girls that I know what I am talking about is sometimes a bit tricky.

[Bill]

@ Sarah…I complement you on trying something new and trying to go for some effect that wasn’t produced by some plug-in or action is PS.

Besides the technical issues with the image, the one thing I saw that would steer me clear of using it for a wedding photo was that the person wearing the bluish shirt.  When shooting through the stained glass it imposed their shirt over the brides gown, to me it makes it look like she is a some sort of medical person wearing hospital scrubs.  That and the double face on the bride, just looks kind of creepy and weird.  Best to keep that image for your photoshop test bin.

You tried something and it just didn’t work the way you thought it would.

Like ebi said

You are iffy about AN image. And it’s not a good image

I love when people try something unconventional and take risks, it keeps you actively thinking, creative.  Some work, some don’t, but the good thing is you tried.

[Bill]

Ebi – I think you are showing your cards.

I thought this post was very insightful into why you critique the way you do.  I think it is fine to tell it like it is, but for some that is too much.  Like I said before, I would rather someone tell me what they don’t like about my photography instead of just getting that gratuitous “great job” or “nice pic.”  When I hear this, I just cringe.  Real world criticism is hard to take for some, but it’s REAL!

Some of this can be chocked up to taste.  Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors.  So like ice-cream, not every person is going to like your photo, but if you get 31 reviews and they all say the same thing, then it’s not taste, it’s you!

I knew this one photographer, met her at a book store and we started talking.  We exchanged info, I like to network with people and I checked out her work on her facebook page.  Cringe!  [Wish I still had the link to her page]

She had an eye for making good photos, but failed miserably in the execution.  Flowers with dead leaves, subjects out of focus or focused on wrong part, color and skin tone variances and even something simple like a level photo.  I made one tactful comment about her photo, boom de-friended.  Oh well, her loss.

She obviously could not take the criticism.  All her friends all had great comments of her work.  I was like, what are they freaking high?  Freaking Helen Keller could have taken a better photo, and she was blind.

 

Okay, I’ll stop before I rant and spare you all.  🙂

 

[Bill]

Ebi – I share your thoughts, I respect anyone who has the balls to say it like it is.  But I think what gets lost is the context through text.  Just like it is hard to text sarcasm in any post.

I have seen some of your comments that are pretty much on the money,  a direct analysis, helpful insight and maybe a little banter.  But then some that sound as if someone pissed on your corn flakes.  :-{

 

[Bill]

Worst Case Scenario  –  I wouldn’t call you ugly, probably since I have no clue what you actually look like, LOL.

But if you were ugly, sure I would call you ugly, but in a tactful and defined way with no malice intended.  🙂

[Bill]

Sorry you see things like that Thomas.

While it may be true that some criticism falls more in the realm of bullying then actual helpful criticism, I have seen good bad and ugly on this site.  I think you may be just focusing more on the bad then anything.

At first, I was a little intimidated to post anything on here, but I fell that I am comfortable with what I say.  I’m not the best photographer, anyone who says that is an ass, getting high off their own farts.

I call things as I see it.  Not to try to bully people, mock them or to prove if my skills are any better then anyone else’s.

Truth is, we all start from zero, it’s what we do after zero that defines us as photographers.  we, and I mean all that comment on this site, point out the short-comings of those that think they have the game all figured out, just because they don’t.  When you fail to realize that your skills are not at a particular level but fail to improve on them, you have just ventured into the Fauxtog area.

What separates true “professionals” from the “Fauxtogs” is the willingness to learn and know the basic fundamentals of photography and improve upon those fundamentals.  Going into a photo session not knowing how to compose a shot and shooting in full auto does not make a professional.  Having a lighting kit or OCF and burning retinas of your subjects does not make you a professional.  Not going to seminars or workshops to learn new and better techniques because your better then that does not make you a professional.

I have no problem with beginners charging for their services and making some cash on the side, but this is a hobby, not a profession.  I have no problem people using just a facebook  page to sell images, if anything, it keeps the overhead low and manageable when starting out.  What I have a problem with is people doing bad work and passing themselves off as “professionals.”  This gets exaggerated by people who “like” bad photography and don’t want to hurt the Photographers feelings by telling them that their photography is bad to begin with.

What defines me as a photographer?  The fact that I pay taxes as a photographer, I have a Tax ID number, a business license, I have a web-site and I am always trying to improve my skills by continually learning new techniques and processes.  When I said that I was first intimidated, I was.  I have a web site by use a G-mail account, my business name is really long and easily misspelled, so I shorten it to make it easy for people; I bought my serious DSLR after 2008, I could not afford a “real” camera until fairly recently.  Does this make me a Fauxtog, well maybe in the very beginning, but I hope that I am well beyond that, I think I am, but my journey os not over just yet.

I learned to shoot photography 25 years ago, winding B&W film from bulk stock into cartridges and developing the negatives.  From there I  was spending all my time in the darkroom, making my own prints, skills that have burned into my brain.  The camera I learned on does not have ISO, it has ASA speeds to give you an idea.

Am I the best photographer?  Not by a long shot.  Photography is like a golf player, you can play all your life and not get any better, but with time and practice you can become a pro.

 

Feel free to add any comments, I welcome them.

 

 

 

 

[Bill]

True that!

I agree with you 100% on the crop cameras being used on higher end work.  Though the images may look fine, but like you said, it may be noticeably different when enlarged to far.

Like you, I try not to push my ISO too high unless I am going for that grainy look.  I think the highest I have ever taken a shot for someone was @ 2500.  It looked okay, but not something I was super proud of, but the client loved it, go figure.  As long as they are happy, I’m happy.

I swear I am like a special needs kid when it comes to using cameras other then my own.  It’s like the buttons and controls are all foreign to me.  I was using a friends Nikon D800 and the menus and buttons might as well have been in Chinese.  I figured it out but man, did it take a while.

I have a T3i and a 7D as a back up, I would probably never use the T3i for a wedding or similar event, unless I threw a nice lens on the front of it.  I rarely ever use it, but it’s there just in case.  The 7D, even though it has the same sensor, is much faster and looks to be more sharp, in my opinion.  I would go with this before the T3i.

It’s true, gear can make or break a photographer.  I had a lucky set or circumstances which I was able to buy my main camera, otherwise, I would have never bought it, too much $$.  Since I had the chance, I took it and well, do not regret doing it, so far.  I could have probably got 2 5DMKIII’s for the price but too late now, I guess.  In hindsight, I hope that by getting that camera, it has allowed me to explore areas of photography that I am not 100% comfortable with.  I like taking chances and working outside the norm and trying new things, diversifying in a way.

 

[Bill]

Well that kind of sucks.

I am wondering if that may be the issue with my sister-in-laws cameras as well.  Her focus issues are inconsistent as well so she has been double shooting just to make sure. The only good thing for her cameras is that they are both older models but she really can’t afford to replace one or both of them at the time.

I had problems with 2 cameras lately, both involving the AF systems.  My 7D decided to try to commit suicide by jumping off the table and landing onto the concrete floor.  Of course it landed in the most vulnerable spot, on the corner by the pop-up flash.  Destroyed the AF drive mechanism and focus screen.  Good thing it was under warranty :-).  The other was my 1DX, it had a service bulletin involving a “potential” problem and my serial number fell within that “potential” group, so I sent it in to Canon.

I live about 75 miles south of a service center, so the turn-around was very quick.  When I got it back, I thought something was wrong, so I looked into more.  The focus worked fine and was no noticeable difference then before until you used a range selectable lens like the 70-200 2.8 IS.  It would not focus to save its life.  Tried all my other lenses and other camera bodies, only happened on the 1D.  I was pissed.

Back to Canon it went, and 2 days later, it came back all fixed.

Wish I could tell you what they actually did, their repair form leaves much to the imagination of what they fixed, repaired or replaced.

So I think I am in the same boat as you, both my back up cameras are crops, so I don’t know what I would do if my main went down for a bit.  I’m sure you can probably dig up a few smaller jobs to pick up a new 5D MK III or maybe a 60D for the meantime.  I know its now 5DMKIII but at least it is full frame.

Good Luck!

[Bill]

I’m a little late to this party but I saw and I HAVE to say something.

ebi is right, It’s fine to be nice but sometimes you just got to tell people like it is.  I saw her photos and it looks like she is getting slightly better, but only slightly.

She still has a problem with focus points over editing, especially saturating the eyes and blowing our details with an overpowering flash.  Is she using the old-time phosphorous  flash powder?

I felt bad for the young senior model she had, such a beautiful girl and horribly edited.  In some photos she had 2 different colored eyes.

Overpowered by an explosion

What’s up with her eyes?

Again with the eyes

If she would have set her camera to the right setting and got a shallow DOF, this photo would have been fine.  Forcing a bokeh does more harm then good, I know I have done that and realized afterwards, saying WTF was I thinking?

Sometimes just pointing out what you don’t like about the photos will maybe, just maybe bring her short-comings to light.  By not telling her, you are doing nothing to help her realize what she is doing wrong, if anything you are feeding the gremlin after midnight.

If she is a friend, maybe point out some edits that she could make.  Some of her photos are not bad, there not great, but not bad.  For her experience level the poses are pretty generic and to be expected, but the main issue is focus and editing.

In cases of family portraits, there should be no reason for a high number of non-keepers unless it is the fault of the photographer, the equipment or both.  In weddings, it is a slightly different story, there will always be some that are not keepers, even from the most experienced.  In portraits, you can re-compose and retake the shot, in weddings you don’t really have that luxury.

In short, keep her away from weddings…

[Bill]

I guess I should have mentioned it in the post earlier but I think the thing that is most bothersome to me is how predatory these ads on Craigslist are or at least they seem that way.  I don’t know these people and hopefully never will.  I get asked a lot when I am out shooting or by clients during a shoot about “these Guys” or what some call GWC’s “Guy with a Camera.”

I explain to most what my take is on it and to women especially I say to always be extremely careful when and if dealing with GWC’s.  I’m a guy and I have a camera but I don’t want to be a GWC, if you catch my drift.  I just get the impression that most of these ads on Craigslist are from GWC’s and I get this mental image in my head of this girl thinking big dreams of getting great shots for nothing, only to realize that the guy sucks at photography and just wants to get laid or see a girl do what ever to get ahead.  Maybe I have seen way too many Lifetime movies or something, not sure.

@ ebi, that sucks what happened to you and I can relate.  I have been burned so many times I can’t even begin to count the times.  I usually go into a situation now anticipating the worst and hoping for the best, this way I don’t feel down on myself if things don’t work out.  It’s a shitty way to look at things but way better then beating yourself up afterwards.

By the way, I am totally with you on the dealing with people in person.  I am kind of old school in that fashion, where I mean what I say and my word still holds value.  I don’t mind using e-mail and texting to set up a meeting, but I still like meeting people before working with them.

I used Craigslist for a time to get some models when I first bought my lighting gear and wanted to try it out and get a variety of looks.  I got 1 offer and 10 SPAM emails.  I turned to Model Mayhem for a bit, no better.

[Bill]

@ Browneyedgirl89  My sister-in-law has an older 5D and had the same issue about random focusing.  One would be tack sharp and the next not so much.

I looked at her camera and everything seemed to be fine, well in working order anyway, so I re-installed her firmware and the problem was fixed.  Not sure if this would be the same result as yours, but definitely worth the effort, especially if you haven’t updated the firmware in a while.

Did the same for her 1D Mk III and it seemed to “fix” some issues that she said she was having.

We also tried swapping my lenses on her camera body in a process of elimination, trying to find the common element in what was causing the issue.  If you have a Canon buddy who has some lenses to try,or a nice camera shop that will let you try out their lenses, this might help out.

The 5D MkIII is nice, I like it, wish I had one as well.  I have the Version 1 of the 24-70 but haven’t tried out the Version 2, would like to see the improvements they have made to it.

The wedding photos look nice, I like the perspective and the overall feel of them.

Hope your camera comes back better then it was.  Good Luck!

 

 

[Bill]

It should be a sign to run when a photographer has a “closed” facebook  page.

[Bill]

Hello Nobadphotos.  I’ll try to be gentle but direct.  Of all the links you posted, I could only get to a couple of them, so those are the ones I am basing my critique on.

The first one was of Michaela Senior Pics.  I found several of the photos where the focus was wrongly placed, needed to be on the eyes or where you want to draw your subjects attention.  For that I would select the focus points on your camera on the eyes or focus and re-adjust to correct that.  If your not sure what I mean, you can youtube that and get a better understanding.  If not the focus points, try a larger f/stop to extend your DOF.  You’ll have to adjust your shutter and ISO and maybe use a flash or lighting for fill, but the results will amaze you.

The color balance was off and varied too much on the same subject, causes distraction.  With different scenes, you’ll have to adjust so that the subjects skin tone looks more consistent.

Some of the composure was not great, the scenes need some scouting and /or prep.  For instance a baseball field with weeds in the infield are not too pleasant to look at, just sayin’.

With one of her photos what looks like an alley, with brick walls.  I would tighten up the shot and re-compose the angle, the background is not appealing for the shot, it takes too much away from her.  From the looks of it, it looks small, so I can imagine that you are limited.

Also there was 2 shots of horses in her album?  Not sure if they were misplaced or what, they look like random photos inserted into her album.

The other album I was able to see was simply called February 18, 2013.  Only 4 photos, but again focus and color balance.  One looks too cold and the other too warm making his skin look blotchy.

These are minor adjustments and considering that you are young, more then enough time to correct and improve.

 

[Bill]

I take criticism very well because I know it makes me a better photographer. I got a lot of compliments for this picture, but it was coming from just regular people.

I am glad that you are open to criticism and take it well.  We all make mistakes and in cases like this where we don’t have complete control over the flow of the session, you sometimes have to “spray and pray”.  It’s not pretty but you have to do what you have to do to get the job done.  It sucks when you have to try to get  a concept in your mind but don’t have the time or equipment to execute it the way you want.  The permit issue can be tricky sometimes, depending on your venue, trust me, I know where you’re coming from.

I am by no means a a stellar photographer, I do okay and am always trying to improve.  I also do the proverbial :::face-palm:::, but that’s how we learn and progress.   The ones that don’t listen or critique back at wanted criticism are the ones who should probably re-evaluate their profession, you by far are not in that category.

I always hate having photos critiqued because you never know what your going to get.  I welcome open and fair criticism but hate getting that “great shot”  or “Lovely” as a critique from other photogs.  Why you may ask?  Because it sounds like a generic gesture at not hurting your feelings while not offering any true advice.  On the other hand, you may sometimes get that cruel and somewhat hurtful critique that points out all your flaws but at the same time bashing you down on a personal level.

My approach, observe, critique and advise.  Simple as that.

Good Luck Anjanette, you do good work.

 

 

[Author]

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