[Bill]

@PhotoSlayer – no worries at all. I completely understand, now that you cleared that up, the $800 for that, is way too much. I like the $100 better, meaning that is all she should have charged.

My first wedding went horrible (IMO), but I still was able to provide the wedding couple some very good shots. Not to make excuses, but I had mixed lighting and a no-flash policy, but I learned from my mistakes and built upon it.
From the looks of her output, she needs some work to be able to justify the $800 price tag.
IMO, it looks like she did not take the time to set her camera settings before the ceremony started, but that is just a guess.

[Bill]

With that Stick & Stones, 2 out of 3 of the positive comments are from the owner and the admin of the facebook page. Not very re-assuring there.

[Bill]

I started writing this not realizing that I had to scroll down to see the whole slough of photos that were on her site. I’ll agree with you there PhotoSlayer, I self edit before showing the entire card to the client. I do sometimes show them ones that I deleted just in case there is one that they like that I did not, but only if it is sharp.

My guess is that maybe the church had a “no-flash” policy, because not only was she shooting at ISO 1000 a bunch of times her shutter speeds were really slow, down to 1/30″, that would cause some softness.

I did see a lot of crooked shots, harsh flash or lighting issues and color values all over the place, so I can see why you were calling her out. But think about it, $100 for that many shots un-edited, not a bad price, who knows, maybe that was in the contract.

[Bill]

@Kdub.  Try Meet Up.com, not sure if I had mentioned that one before, disregard if I did.

Model Mayhem, is okay, it’s always a good resource for if you are trying to get some models, HAMU (Hair and Make-up) and/or photographers on the cheap.  There are plenty on there that only work for pay, don’t get me wrong, but just as many that will work for free or next to nothing for the ability to add to their portfolio.  In the case of photographers, it’s not a bad resource to find other photographers near you that maybe need a apprentice or are willing to show you the ropes for “free” labor.  Don’t get discouraged if you don’t hear anything back for the first few times, press on, if you can spare the time.

Youtube is a plethora of information, just search and watch,easy.

Lynda.com is also a good resource for the back-end when learning how to use photoshop, lightroom  or other photo apps.  This is a pay service, but very good information at a reasonable cost.

Obviously there are about 10 billion books about photography, but if your anything like me, I can read a book and get the gist of it, but I pick things up more easily when I see and touch it.

Good LucK!

[Bill]

Thank you CC. I usually pretty decent with hand-coding, by no means am I a web designer or scriptor but I think I do okay.

The funny thing is when I have done this in the past, in the editor I see the picture as I want it to be, when I select the visual tab, but when I submit it, nothing, not even the link.  Probably due to it not having the open tag and closing tag like <a href> and </a> or <img src=> and </a>.

Usually I have been using Imgur to [try] to post images, I’ll try with Flickr.

 

Test Image:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/101608681@N05/11860814046/

 

ah, it worked.  Thank you CC!

I thought the image was fitting, since we were talking about railroad tracks being cliché, lol

 

And Kdub, the local groups are a great resource, but depending on how many are available near you, you may have to find one that fits your personality and style.  I belong to 3 local groups, but one of them, to me, is a bit stuffy and pretentious, so don’t fret if the 1st or 2nd one doesn’t fit your groove.

[Bill]

EyeDoc & CC are dead on!

Many people just toss out the manual for their camera or leave it in the box where it originated.  Mine to, but hear me out.  The reason mine is still in the box is because I carry a pdf version on my phone and I printed a version and keep it in a binder for quick reference.  The manual can be cumbersome and the text can be hard to read, so I enlarged mine to the max size per page and printed it out.

It may sound a little old school, but I know where the info is for my camera at all times.

CC’s info is spot on too.

You should get to know your subjects and try to find what poses are better for their look, even if they are just head shots.  I noticed in some of your poses, the girls face structure looked square.  I look at facial structure as the hairline (forehead), cheek-bones, nose and the chin.  Square looks like a lego, a slight tilt of the head or turn to one side adds perspective and depth.  Lighting can achieve some of this as well but stick to natural lighting for the time being before jumping into the that, you’ll save yourself a lot of grief.  Don’t get me wrong, lighting is good, but one should be able to work with natural and ambient lighting before adding more complexity into the mix.

CC’s comment about the railroad being cliché is true, it’s way overdone.  BTW, on that photo, you probably didn’t even notice that you practically nailed a textbook Fibonacci spiral.  The image is okay, but not bad for a newb. [not sure why I still cannot embed a photo like CC can]???

Another tip, if you are really game, maybe join a local group like meet-up if it’s available in your area.  Groups like that have people of all levels that are usually there to help each other out and go together on outings for photo shoots.  They are usually free or cheap, which is also good.
Good Luck and keep shooting.

[Bill]

When I was maintaining my own site using wordpress, I got lots of SPAM similar to what I see in here.  Mostly gibberish, nonsense ramblings, lots of text and tons of links to who knows where.

The key is to obviously ignore them and never by any means click on any of the links or respond to them directly, that will just make it worse.

I used askimet on my old wordpress site and it helped tremendously, it works similar to that of email filtering and rules.  The main thing is selecting certain keywords or ip addresses as the filtering process, and maybe adding in the policy where only registered and/or approved users can create posts.  Since I am not sure what technology this site is using to drive their forums, I’m not sure if askimet or something similar to it would work here.

It can be a daunting task to filter traffic, you never want to steer people away unless they are up to no good, but it is better to be proactive then reactive.

[Bill]

I’m thinking about changing my bio to Stilson’s style, NOT!

 

I started out on B&W film winding my own rolls of film from bulk stock, then developing them in the darkroom, but I don’t make it sound like my last name is Eastman.  Embellishing a little is fine, your selling yourself, but sounding like a pompous ass doesn’t go so well.  I looked at her FB page, and I firmly believe that have that stuff she is emphasizing that she has done, she hasn’t, but that is just me.  I don’t know for sure but having a music CD and taking a photo of it does not make you the photographer of that artist, just sayin’.

[Bill]

That Stilson page does come off as prude and snobby.

I like how people refer to themselves in the 3rd person narrative when posting info on their websites.  Also like the use of big words when describing simple terms like:   Exposure latitude = proper exposure and Acutance = sharpness (not taking blurry photos).  Someone got good use of their Thesaurus.

I mean we all divulge a bit when describing ourselves, but coming off like you are like the 2nd coming of Jesus of photography is a bit much.

[Bill]

I was just looking at some of the posts that were listed here and this one from Envisioned Imagery stood out to me.  I envision that someone needs to learn out to use masks a little better before posting a photo.

I give them credit for trying, but at least finish the job.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=520205724748233&set=pb.427807643988042.-2207520000.1405489342.&type=3&theater

[Bill]

I would say for the experience, take the gig.

There is an old saying that goes, “A closed mind is like a closed book, just a block of wood.”

Without being too philosophical, once you stop learning things the sooner you become ignorant.  Though Trainwreck pointed out that there really is not much to compare your photography skills to the one who is looking for help.  With the only 2 photos to go by, yes, yours are better overall, from what is given to us.

I have gone on photo shoots with other photographers that seemed to be more experienced then myself, but then after seeing their final results, I was really disappointed.  Most of us are biased to our own photos, but always trying to seek approval and critique from others, but that the nature of the game.  It’s the same in a lot is businesses.

Even if their photography skills are lacking and yours are more superior, you may find out that they are a much better business person then they are photographer.  Running a business of any type does has it advantages and of course just as many disadvantages, if not more.  With that being said, you may learn a thing or 2 about getting yourself out there and getting gigs like that of your own.

I say run with the gig, besides, they are probably going to watermark the photos with their name since you are going to be working under them as contracted help, if anything, it will help boost their moral and reputation if your photos turn out to be better.  If it’s not too late, check the finer details of the use of the photos (rights) just in case they decide to use your photos as advertising to promote themselves.  It’s not unlike any faux to use someone else’s photos for their promotion, just sayin’.

[Bill]

Hello Madison and welcome to the YNAP site.

I completely understand when you say that you don’t mind hearing the compliments.  Are they really complimenting me or are they just being nice?

First things first, don’t rely on friends and family for constructive criticism.  Unless you have that type of family dynamic where everyone is brutally honest with each other or a member is a professional or established photographer or has an unarguable sense of artistic taste.  Your friends and family mean well, but the compliments are not that helpful, they just don’t want to hurt your feelings.

That being said, after looking at your images, I think you have potential, but there isn’t really much to go by.  From what you presented, you have an artistic eye but need to work on the fundamentals a bit.  Given your age and that you probably have not been shooting long at all, this is good.  I encourage you to shoot more and when your done, shoot more.  Use the things around you to get different angles and perspectives.

The fundamentals are basically composing your shot, using your available light or adding light and expressing your thoughts through the image(s).  There are more to learn but that comes in time and experience.  I see that you are experimenting with long exposures and various camera tricks, this is good, but you need to know what is going on to get the full benefit from these tricks.

The one thing I see with the images that you provided are:

The Cat Roar – Cute, off-center(composure), but good to work with the things around you.  The focus is a little off, they should be on the eyes, especially with a shallow DOF.

The foot Bridge – Good use of leading lines.  Don’t particularly care  for the sepia tone, but that’s me.  I may have used a lower perspective to fill the frame with the bridge, but then again, that’s me.

Just a Kid – Good thing to remember, in most cases when shooting kids, is to shoot from their perspective.  Basically looking down on them or looking up at them gives it a whole new meaning, unless it is for a certain look.  You shot it at the right height and it looks good in B&W.  Color may have been too distracting for this image, so not bad.

The Baby Photo –  Good thing to remember is to prep your subjects before shooting.  I see tons of dog or cat hair all over this baby and the sheet looks dirty.  You have to have a keen eye for detail and if you can’t remove it before shooting you have to be able to see and work with it in post.

The Dark – Not sure what you were going with on this.  Maybe a little more exposure on the bottom right corner would help the viewer (like me) understand the image and what you were trying to do.  If this were in a series of photos with the same theme, I may have gotten it.  Remember, if your photos or portfolio looks scattered, then you will lose your audience, try using a progressive theme to convey your message.  It doesn’t have to be elaborate or a ton of photos, but you have to lead your viewer to where you want them to go.

Time Stands Still –  Not sure, I think I see what you were trying to do but it just was not executed like you planned, or so it seems.  Here me out.  You labeled it “Time Stands Still”  The emphasis is on Time, so I would have zoomed or cropped in to the subject to bring Time into the forefront.  As I see it, the focus is taken away by the vast background, too may things to see except the subject.

Also try using a polarizer filter for the glare on the clock face, there are really no tools in post that can do this, so the filter is the best way.  The Polarizing filter or some call it a Circular Polarizer removes reflects from water and glass, darkens skies and can even help to bring out some details in clouds and other things.

Don’t get discouraged and don’t take criticism the wrong way, build upon it.  If someone says that your photos are bad, ask them what is bad about them and use that as fuel for your next one.  You will always meet some people that will will tell you that all your stuff is awesome, beautiful photos, you have an eye for photography, but unless it helps you to progress at your craft, it’s all just fluff.

Don’t get me wrong, it is wonderful to hear compliments, just don’t get hung up on them, that’s when you stop getting better.

Good Luck and hope to see more from you.

[Bill]

I sure hope not WCS, I really hope that she doesn’t.

fstopper –  I think it’s fun and rewarding to give that helping hand to that person who looks like they need it, now what they do with that little bit of knowledge is purely up to them, but maybe they will use their new powers for Good!

[Bill]

I think I agree with CC, even though the excuses are probably BS by the fauxtographer, as per your statement BEG.

The only thing they can do to have any chance of any refund would be to present any kind of documentation between the faux and the couple.  There are so many wedding agreement templates online that you can download for free, it seems silly not to use one.

I could relate to the sister bowing out, understandable, but maybe she should have used that opportunity to hone her skills.  Too late now, but just a suggestion.

Sad thing is that the faux probably still has the photos on their drive and their cards.  Formatting does not erase the images, it sets the attributes to allow for overwriting, unless you are using software to over-write while formatting (most people do not, since it takes so long).  And BEG, yes data can be retrieved from a so called corrupted drive, be it hard drive or solid state.  If the hard drive is not solid state and the disks are still operational, software recovery apps can probably recover most of the data, given that it actually corrupted.

I love the “My drives are corrupted, I can’t give you any of the photos” excuse, just shows that they are not a well-managed faux.

 

Good Luck to them!

[Bill]

There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to pricing, CC summed the basics of pricing but there are many variables to consider.

In the end, if you are happy and made a decent profit and your client is happy, then you did okay.  $25 for a digital file may seem cheap, or not to some.  What some can sell for that price may be unheard of in other areas, it all depends on your localized market.

I am just curious, not that you have to answer, in what format were the digital files?  I was wondering if they are re-sized digital files for full resolution?  JPEG or RAW?

The reason I ask on the format of the digital files, is you may have inadvertently sold yourself out of future print sales if you offered her full-resolution digital files.  I know full well, that some of my clients take the digital files and print them up locally, so I make sure that my sitting fee at least covers my time for  the shoot which for me ranges from $250 – $600.  (i know it’s a broad range, but it depends on the circumstance and time).  The digital files I offer my clients are re-sized and are at 72 dpi from the typical 300 dpi.  The lower dpi allows them to share the photo (un-watermarked) on social media and email but is good for small prints but starts to degrade when enlarged too much.  Instead of photo protection, it is enlargement protection.

I have had some clients come back and tell me that when they tried to print a 8 x 10 from the digital files, that it doesn’t look that great, but when they bought the ones from me in the same size they were very noticeably much higher quality then what they had printed.  So in essence , it can be a self-marketing tool to showcase high quality prints over run-of-the-mill prints from places like Costco or Walmart.

Usually when I sell or provide files for magazines or print media they are very specific in the way they want the files.  First off, I never sell my PSD files.  I have sold the RAW files (pre-photoshopped) but for much more then the photoshopped files.  From my experience, magazines want their files to be 300dpi and with a cmyk profile (if they are for print) and they will typically state the size required let’s say 300 x 300 pixels, but that all depends on the pic they want and the format of the article.

 

 

 

[Author]

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