[creyes8519]

I only suggested fixing your website because if you are using your website to market your services, it may benefit you to fix those little things.  Your photography is great IMO.

[creyes8519]

I totally agree with the above poster.  The “other work” is awesome, but should not be used in your website.  Your portraits are really nice.  You need to work on your child portraiture.  If the shot is not sharp, dump it.  Don’t put it in your portfolio.  You’ve got great work, and I can see why you’re getting a lot of work.  One other suggestion is to fix your website.  It’s slow, and I would suggest removing flash.  I am a web developer and I suggest for all businesses trying to market their business to use as little flash as possible.  Sometimes it can get a little buggy and in your case the main photo is too faded to see and you want your best shots on the main page fully visible to keep users interested in seeing more.

[creyes8519]

You need to work on your colors, exposure, post-processing, and getting things in focus.  Also, stop putting the same picture in black & white and in color…. that annoys me for some reason.  Too much vignetting, you’ve got oompa loompas in some of your shots.  Otherwise, you capture some real cute moments.  I love this one:  https://www.facebook.com/Agloverphoto#!/photo.php?fbid=210083739127915&set=a.210083472461275.54790.210082129128076&type=3&theater

[creyes8519]

You’ve got a lot of potential to be a great photographer.  I say go for it!  What kind of photography would you like to do?

[creyes8519]

I love dutch angles, when they are properly done.  Like the one browneyedgirl did of the firetruck… that is a perfect example.  The dutch angle improved that shot.

[creyes8519]

No. Your pictures are nice. There is certaintly room for improvement but these are definitely not “fauxtog” types of pics. They are quite good although I am looking at them with my phone so I can’t tell if they are sharp or not

[creyes8519]

The first shot I actually like, minus the editing.  I really hope that you have the original unedited version of that one because it’s really not bad.  It doesn’t exactly follow the “rules” but there’s something about it I like.  You over smoothed the model’s face and the colors are off.  But if it was left unedited or slightly edited, then it would have been much much better.   The baby shots are horrible… I don’t know if its because they are out of focus or what… but I don’t like it.  The first baby shot of the baby is OK, but it’s improperly composed and the editing is atrocious.  Again, I hope that you have the originals because they may actually be salvageable but if they are out of focus (if that’s what the haziness is) then there’s no amount of editing or sharpening that can make it look focused. The waterfall shots…. why do you need to edit the crap out of an awesome waterfall?
Here’s what you can do now to massively improve your photos.

1.  Slow your role on the editing program.

2.  Three words:  Rule of Thirds.  Learn it.  Then learn how to break it properly.

 

I need to see more of your work to further offer more advice, but yes you are a fauxtog but you’re new… you’ll grow out of that soon enough as long as you listen to good advice and are dedicated to getting better.

[creyes8519]

I’m  a DIY photographer… I shoot myself and my kids bc I can’t afford a pro.  So, in essense, I continue to learn to become a pro at taking my own pics.  I can’t afford anything obviously because if I could afford fancy photography gear I wouldn’t bother taking photos myself and would just hire a photographer.   So, I use a Nikon D3100 – which, at the time I purchased it, was like $600,  Yonguo flash which was about $30 bucks (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003IT7BLQ/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00), a reflector (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002ZIMEMW/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00), a pixel  remote control (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0058ITGOK/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00), a cheap tripod (also from amazon, but I can’t find the link at the moment) and  I use Gimp to edit because it’s free…. all in all, I think I spent like 700-800 total on everything I have photography wise.  Everything besides the camera totaled to about $100.  And my pics do not come out half bad, really. Here’s my stream:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/cristinaspics/

For the Christmas shots, I used a chair as a stand and placed my reflector on it, I put a chair in front of it and laid my flash a stack of books on the chair, and pointed it at the white reflector and the reflector faced us (I’ll take a picture of my setup someday) …   Mind you, I’m not a pro at all, and my pics won’t “WOW” anyone…. I’m just a mom on a budget and these are little ghetto things that I do to solve problems I’ve had with my photos without breaking the bank.

The flash I use is not i-TTL so it takes a little work, but I personally like the results.

[creyes8519]

You’re having a little trouble with lighting, particularly with back-lit photos.  You need to bring out the subject more.  There are many techniques to doing this that you can read about.  I personally use artificial lighting. Your most recent newborn shot is probably your best.  But even in the pic of the dog and the baby, the baby looks a little dark.  Work on that.  You’re doing well and improving very fast.  Keep up the good work!

[creyes8519]

I disagree about the composition in the first shot.  It’s a bit odd to me.   It took me a second to look down and see the model.  The subject should be the first thing I notice in the shot.   Also I don’t know about cutting off most of her arm.  The second and third shots are OK but it seems a little soft to me.  I think perhaps a faster shutter speed was needed for those shots to get the subjects a little sharper. I’m certainly no expert.  Hopefully a more experienced photographer can chime in.

 

[creyes8519]

lifeskills13… LMAO

[creyes8519]

Critiquing photography does not mean that you need to be a great photographer.  Just like film critics are not filmmakers, or food critics are not chefs.   I am not the best photographer, but I think I can give certain advice to a photographer on how to improve their work.

Also, even though browneyedgirl did not really make the comment about instagram, her use of photoshop actions and instagram are not the same thing at all.   When you apply an instagram filter to your photo, you can not adjust it… WYSIWYG.   With photoshop actions, most of the time you’re not going to get the results you want by applying the action alone.  You would need to further adjust colors, contrast, etc. use layers and such…. Not the same thing at all.

[creyes8519]

BrownEyedGirl… you use premade Photoshop actions, over tilt and thought that there was a correlation between a cloudy day and iso. When we addressed any of those issues you just brushed it off as it being your own style. How is Ashley’s stubbornness any worse?

soaringturkeys,  I do hate when people beat up on certain photographers for minor flaws in their work, but the photographer that she is referring to Ashley….. her work is a travesty.   I just picture in my mind one of her clients with an 11×14 collage on her wall of the jaundiced red-eyed baby with her mouth open, the jaundiced shot of the baby’s ear, and the poorly selected colored (like, half baby colored, half b&w) out-of-focus bundle of joy on her wall…. printed from Walgreens….  the thought of this makes me shudder.  And she charges like $50 for her work… to me, that is $50 too much.
I am not a photographer at all, but as I’ve mentioned before I am a consumer.  I hired a number of photographers before purchasing a shutter remote and becoming a DIY photographer after I left my job.  I know what to look for in regards to a photographer’s ability to connect with the subject, and the overall quality of their work.  Sure, there are critics on this site that are not great photographers themselves, but the whole point of this website is 1.) for entertainment, and I think 2.) a lesson for professional photographers on what NOT to do.  Ashley’s Facebook is, hands down, the WORST I have ever seen.  And she has been a professional photographer for 3 years with no desire to learn or improve.

You picking on browneyedgirl’s tilts (which is not exactly a crime in photography) and photoshop actions is just petty IMO.

[creyes8519]

So yeah.. Ashley blocked me from viewing her page because of my comment, which was nothing but constructive criticism.  Oh well lol

 

 

[creyes8519]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=375369342505736&set=a.375362575839746.86608.174738102568862&type=3&theater
It is truly remarkable how bad fauxtographers can get.  WOW

 

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