[christinamphoto]

Of course I want to get to the level where I feel comfortable and can charge over 1K. But what about the brides that simply cannot afford to pay more than $500? I feel like I am giving them some decent pictures if they cannot find anyone to do it for free, or comparable for under $500. But I don’t want to be offering up terrible quality work while I’m learning. $ was just to cover fees, hiring a second photographer, and gas $, plus a little to cover the time, but less than I’d make on a regular shoot.

[christinamphoto]

No, I’ve shot all weddings with a 6D, with the t2i as my second camera. And I’m more comfortable with couples and individuals, but the family pictures were much more difficult, because it was a LARGE family (about 4 families for both the bride and groom), and they were really antsy. It would have been a lot smoother if the pictures could have been taken before the ceremony. Every wedding that has done that has been much more laid back with less pressure, because the wedding party isn’t in a rush to go off to the reception. In my contract, I asked for at least half an hour, but we didn’t do that.

With that particular wedding, I ordered the 6D, but it was delayed and I got it the night before. I got practice shooting them getting ready at her parent’s house, but because of the driving situation, I did not get to go to the wedding location before hand and set up. I got there when the bride got there. Oh well, lesson learned. And thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look for a white dress. And I’m not necessarily advertising to get weddings. The bride contacted me, because another photographer had canceled on her. And while I am definitely not on the level I’d like to be, the photographer who canceled was less…experienced? I not sure how to convey that, but the bride was willing to work with me, and said her expectations were just some nice pictures, and she understood that it was my first wedding and she likes to give people a chance. For less than $500, I don’t think anyone should expect a professional WEDDING photographer who can charge upwards of thousands. But I do think it’s a good idea to second shoot some more. I got good feedback from the last wedding I second-shot at, but it was a lot smoother, because of the decorations and overall location, time of day, etc.

Good advice, thank you! And I realize that’s true, people are camera snobs. Ever since I got the 6D, I haven’t used the t2i. I’m not more comfortable with it, pictures look better on the full-frame, there are just a lot of things I have to tweak and get used to. The rebel will be my camera for underwater shoots.

[christinamphoto]

Will Flickr or 500px suffice for awhile, or do I need to get a website to host a portfolio?

ebi, thank you for the invaluable response. My concern is that I don’t want to jump the gun, and not have at least some advantage and more skill/experience before I move.Today’s actually my 18th, so I would like to get a degree first, but I’m also really anxious to move on from my small town (I’m used to moving around). And yes, I have a macbook with a matte screen, and no, I do not want to be a paparazzi, haha.

In high school, my photography class was film, so I started out learning more about f/stop, sunny 16, etc. I usually adjust to look, but I would like to be more consistent and precise, and focus more on wb adjustment by looking at the metering, which I’m not in the habit of doing. If there’s sun I shoot in the shade too, but having more knowledge of what is good lighting before I’m in a spot, and creating my own light with flash is something I can build upon. I learned I don’t want to shoot in direct sun right away, haha. I still make basic mistakes, but I manage to improve a little as I go along. Also, thank you for all of the links, I read everything you wrote. Now that people have pointed it out, I pay more attention to skin tones. Warmer tones are my preference, but since I live in the Northwest, that doesn’t always happen in natural light, so I feel like I should adopt a cooler style, haha. Up until last fall, my only computer was a Dell, and the particular model I had was falling apart.

I’m really interested in seeing your portfolio (and I have some other questions); would you mind e-mailing me? christinamphoto@gmail.com

Also, I agree –I think that thing about Ms.Leibovitz  was in the back of my mind. The idea of what she shoots and who she gets to work with is probably more of my aspiration and why I mentioned her.

 

[christinamphoto]

Did you boost the clarity? I’m going to learn and improve my editing. But believe me, her skin is white, which I think it’s actually stunning, but I find it more difficult to get proper exposure/white balance on people with light or darker skin. The reason why it looks different in the book store, is a combination of the light, the way I shot, and the editing. I tried to correct the skin tone so it looked less red or yellow or something like that. It’s so hard to be unbiased and properly critical towards your own work. I find that photographers are better and critiquing other’s work than their own.

Haha, and so true with the grain. Same with the light leak trend I have seen lately!

[christinamphoto]

Another person who came to mind is Joel Robison. They actually have actions because some photographers are trying to get that “hazy” vintage look. Sometimes that does happen naturally with light.

[christinamphoto]

nairbynairb: hmm..I wonder if my monitor is off. The edit looks more pink, but yes, this girl does have very pale skin. I will try to look at my metering more! And in that particular example with the brides & bridesmaids, my intention was to have the bridesmaids out of focus, and the bride in the center focal point, but I guess it didn’t turn out quite the way I wanted to since it didn’t look that intentional. But thank you! I think I have gone from underexposing to overexposing, haha.

[christinamphoto]

Thank you, I really appreciate it! I don’t want to be just told I’m wonderful all of the time (while I am glad people support me), because I know I’m not where I want to be and have things to work on. Now I know where to focus. Could I possibly have other examples of bad angles/lighting vs good ones in my work?

ebi: I would like to move to NYC, but I am concerned about the cost of living what with rent being so high, and the questionable areas of Brooklyn etc. where a lot of the performing arts and arts schools are. Is it worse than any other city? I’m possibly blowing this out of proportion, but I know it’s going to be really competitive, and I want to make sure I can survive. Getting involved with entertainment (like Broadway), has been my goal for awhile. I sing/act/dance, but I honestly don’t think I am good enough right now. But I would like to make connections.

On the other hand, would moving to California be a better option? I’m actually on the west coast, and have family there because I lived there when I was really young. I have a couple options I could pursue, established industry people I can study under and assist. Is there a market difference in NYC vs say, the LA or OC area? Does one place tend to focus more on fine art vs commercial? Since I want to save, I’m going to community college near my small town because the tuition is paid for, but I don’t know if I should take photography or focus more on a business class.

Sorry for all of the questions, I don’t know how much you can actually help me with them. I’m just curious, and you seem knowledgable. Would you mind showing me your work?

And cameraclicker: The low contrast is probably because I try to edit some pictures in a “matte” way. But I need to be consistent. There are some photographers that heavily apply actions, and that is their style. I probably have been wavering between disliking that matte low contrast look, and thinking it improves the picture. I know with another photographer, she started editing her pictures more and I prefer the more natural style. I could never dream of being as successful as Annie Leibovitz, but that is the direction I want to go. I know I need to learn lighting and white balance. My goal at one point was to have a “vintage style”, but I never want to go to the point where it looks like instagram. I follow a lot of photographers that heavily edit their pictures, but they make it work better than I do. I realize I should just lean towards less editing, to save time, and focus on getting it right in camera, and maybe increasing as I improve?  I don’t know if you have heard of Gabrielle Shamon, but I’ve worked with her, and she is also 17. The vintage/fashion/conceptual style that she edits works I think, but I’d like to know your opinion as well.

 

Thank you both, cheers!

[christinamphoto]

My equipment is a Canon t2i, and a 50mm 1.4. I have a couple kit lenses I don’t really use. Recently, I upgraded to a 6D, but most of my work is with the t2i.

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