[IHF]

This isnt your work?!  Why would you do that?  You can submit a photographer or photo to YANAP anytime.  See the “submit” button up there?  This isn’t the place for it at all.

[IHF]

If you’re making a living with your photography, you must be doing something right. But if by “making a living” you mean “I work for cheap because my passion is more important than profit”…. Thatwould be a different story all together.

 

I think if anyone was forced to take down their site, it was either because they were rude enough to get someone going, they were breaking the law, copywrite infringment, they were talking with their ego instead of their knowledge, or they were found out by YANAP’s link to their image somehow.  You are doing none of these things by asking people’s opinions on wether you are faux or not.  The worst that can happen is receiving the truth

[IHF]

Doisuck,

I’m not a professional photographer, I give advice and comment on what I can here.  Just because I don’t make a living at photography doesn’t make me blind, or make my opinion or advice less credible.  And if I am ever blatantly wrong, or if any pros on the forum disagree with me, I’d sure hope they would set me straight and educate me.  But I don’t talk about things I am unsure of or don’t have much knowledge in (unless it’s to learn), so I doubt  I’ll ever have to get reprimanded.

There are plenty of knowledgable photographers out there that aren’t in business and don’t ever really even want to be.  They just love photography and respect the medium and the industry.

No one special has every right to be here and learn/comment/and even be wrong every once in a while 😉

[IHF]

Heather, why not post a link to your website/portfolio instead of making multiple Facebook pages, and then taking them down?

Taking clients/charging and only having a fb page?  Even without seeing your images I can safely say you are a fauxtog

[IHF]

 

 

“I think it’s important not to suround yourself with people who have issues with reality”

Lmao the best advice anyone has given in this forum so far!  I think I may stay away for a while…. But it’s like a car wreck and I just can’t help but look and try to help some how.

[IHF]

And remember, any hobbiest selling a product, will price their items at value. The expense in producing and delivering the product+ thier time, and what they feel their product is worth.  Your goal is to not be a hobbiest, and to be in business, yet you aren’t even priced for hobby income.

[IHF]

 

Cost of business calculator
http://www.nppa.org/professional_development/business_practices/cdb/cdbcalc.cfm

Lots of good links within
http://shuttercliq.com/listings/the-shuttercliq-10-step-guide-to-starting-a-photography-business/

Fauxtography(a little about pricing in the article as well)
http://www.takeoffyourmommygoggles.com/consumers/what-is-a-fauxtographer-2/

Pricing
http://www.mcpactions.com/blog/2009/10/12/how-should-i-price-my-photography-words-of-advice-from-jodie-otte/

http://currentphotographer.com/understanding-the-art-of-pricing-your-photography-by-deborah-kaufman/

Starting a photography business
http://www.zenologue.com/blog/2012/01/how-to-start-a-photography-business/
(notice there’s no mention of learning basics. Why?  Because this guy assumes that’s a given. I have a feeling he may have wrote it a while ago, or he’s not from America )

These are just a few articles I found when I googled for a few minutes.

This is just my opinion(I’m sure I have company though), but
“I am still learning and portfolio building” is an oxymoron

[IHF]

Lmbo!  Made me laugh, and if it’s not a joke… Oops!  Sorry

[IHF]

I’m away, and on my phone currently, but as soon as I am able, I’ll post some links that will help you understand the business end of things. I know this is not the help you were looking for but I feel you desperately need help in this area if you are serious about making a living in photography someday.

[IHF]

I’m still learning too, but I don’t have a website, market, or have clients.  I don’t feel it nessesary to invest so much into the learning process or be in business while I learn and build my fundamental  skills nessesary to be a professional photographer someday. To me it doesn’t seem right to ask others to invest in my learning process as well. Once I have a foundation build,  then it will be time to portfolio build and be in business.  I WILL shoot at a discount while building my portfolio, but my real prices will be displayed/posted so people can see that soon I will be raising prices, and so they can see the true value of my work.  Right now what you are doing is collecting clients that like cheap prices, and labeling yourself as the cheap tog, all while working too hard shooting for others, instead of for yourself.  marketing, customer service, people skills, etc is not growing as a photographer. Yes!  These are all very important things to learn if  you want to be a successful professional, but not so important to learn while you are still clearly struggling and learning the basics of photography.  You’ve taken too much on at once.  You are a fauxtog, but only because you practice like onE, and have jumped in head first without building your foundation first.

If you disagree, and feel you are still ready to be in business and portfolio building.  Please take the nessesary steps to be legit.  Get your ducks in a row, figure out what you need to charge to make a profit after fees, expenses and the cost of doing business, and post those prices while you build, so your clients know how much you are worth.

 

[IHF]

David,

What kind of light set up do you have going on?  I have a heck of a time achieving a white background with only 2 softboxes and ambient.

[IHF]

David,

I love your post!  Got a lot from it.  I have to add to your last tip though.  Squinting because your subject is trying to protect their retinas doesn’t equal confidence, just bad lighting lol

 

One “trick”  I learned early on, was to always say the subject looks fantastic, and they are doing great, even when they are self sabotaging their photo and it’s not going well.  By doing this it builds a confidence that wasn’t there to start with, and they open up.  lol  I have to laugh.  My daughter is my most used model for my experiments in portraiture, and our first sessions were beyond horrible, and hilarious.  We didn’t work well at ALL together, and we’d end up grumpy each and every time.  She learned to run away when I got the camera out, and to say “NO!” if I asked.  So I got online and studied posing and direction for a few weeks.  I then had to promise her that it wouldn’t go like it had in the past, and if it did I would never ask her again, wait a few days for her to feel pretty, and BLAMMO!  Now she asks ME for photo shoots…and it all started with a lie “You’re doing so good.  That’s perfect!  BEAUTIFUL!  Now try this”  lmbo  I love it!  who would have thought?  (God!  I hope she doesn’t ever read this)

[IHF]

OH!  and I’m here to listen and learn!  I’m a brain picker, and I’ll be asking questions.  That you can count on

[IHF]

Thank you so much Brownie and Stef.  I get it now!

and Bug,

Your mother is absolutely gorgeous!  In your shoes, I’d use the heck out of her to learn lighting and posing.

Here is an article I found after Stef (in a different thread) talked about split/broad/short lighting.  I plan on doing the exercise as soon as I can set up again.

I had been using some of the patterns without even knowing it, and Im sure I’ll do even better when it’s done purposely and more correctly lol OY

6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know

[IHF]

Vintage inspired and aged looking photography isn’t taboo here, just unnatural skin tones are.

 

Do a google “Vintage inspired Photography” and just take a peak at some portfolios of images.  Notice that the skin tones are natural while still giving you that “look” you are after?

This is a resource site, but good information in there, that might help you understand what we are trying to say

http://www.takeoffyourmommygoggles.com/

[Author]

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