[IHF]

I like your portfolio, especially the BW shots of Michael.  I’m a little concerned with the PP, a little too contrasty, and the color seems odd (disclaimer:  I’m no pro, and I am away from home on an uncalibrated monitor at the moment)

Have you finished/printed any of your work yet.  If not, that should be the next step.  Sometimes high contrast and certain processing looks fantastic on our monitors, but as an actual photograph (even when calibrated perfectly and the printing is spot on) it’s another story altogether.  I just know a lot of people who are learning skip printing as a part of the process, even though it’s actually one of the most important things to do when starting out.  So if you haven’t yet, finish your work.  Not only is it empowering, but you will learn so much, that it may even change the way you shoot and/or process your images.

[IHF]

Yes, they are mine, and thank you so much Archy for your kind words. It’s encouraging to say the least. I am almost positive that if you saw my portraiture it would have been a different story though lol. But I’m learning, and improving at a good pace. (Just in the few days this forum has been up I have learned from people here, and I’m once again very excited instead of intimidated, to set up my make shift studio and try to implement everything)
but now I’m even more embarrassed, because while I wasn’t looking, redbubble did a revamp of the site, and my real name (Melinda Potter) and details are no longer displayed. So here I am telling Vamp I will give up my anomaly for her, and I so clearly didn’t.

[IHF]

Keep keeping on 🙂  I enjoyed your portfolio, and I think your studio portraiture is really good.  I only see you improving more and more once you hone in on it.  but, that’s not to say you should quit shooting landscapes, nightscapes, stills or whatever floats your boat.  Don’t close any doors you haven’t opened yet, you have an eye

[IHF]

Vamp, I admire your courage, and the fact that you questioned yourself and put your work out there for us to see.  I hate fauxtography, but NOT the people who create it.  Like you I am in the process of learning.  I only post my “art” for public viewing and keep my portraiture and/or more marketable photography private.  Why?  because I am still experimenting and learning, and when I tried to get CC and/or help with my portraiture, all I received were compliments and nicey nice  (until I found photo.net that is.  Now I know I can get the help I need when I experiment again.  Give it a try someday.  NO, they arent out to make friends over there, but at least it’s a less hostile environment than YANAP).  I know all of what we have said is hard to swallow, but seriously, the advice and CC given here is a gift to you, if you choose to see it as such.  Anyway, I know I have been rather harsh, and hiding behind my annon name.  To show you that I am being sincere, I want to let you in on a little about me and be brave like you are and link to my little rebubble page *blush* http://www.redbubble.com/people/onegoodeye/portfolio  This is my attempt to help you see we are not out to get you, we are not being mean, or bullies with too much time on our hands.  We just care a whole heck of a lot about photography and want you to improve.

[IHF]

“20 of the best shots from the wedding”.  and now you say, no they aren’t….sigh…

If you don’t want your entire gallery critiqued, what photos do you want us to have a good look at?  Show us the ones that aren’t snap shots and nothing went wrong.  The ones you are really proud of.

I hate to sound like an ass, but I disagree with your professors/career counselors.  With how over saturated this industry is, you need all you can get to stay ahead of the game.  The photography industry has always been very competitive, but now even more so.  You absolutely need the skills to set you apart from your competition if you want your business to have a fighting chance, and to send you out BEFORE these skills are there…it’s just setting you up for failure 🙁

[IHF]

David you are not a fauxtog 🙂  I enjoyed looking at  your photos

as for the shoulder thing….  I tried to find good examples of it for you, but came up empty.  Look in the mirror and put one shoulder forward, but lower than the one in back, now lift it higher than the one in back.  Then look straight in the mirror, and put your hand on your hip to raise one shoulder and tilt to both sides.  You’ll see the difference, I’m sure of it, and will have a better understanding of it.  You could also do a “posing men for portraits” search.  They may or may not speak about the shoulders (they should though), but the shots that work will always have the man leaning/looking/tilting to the lower shoulder.  I was in awe of this when I learned it.  Something so subtle, makes such a HUGE difference.

 

[IHF]

Vamp, I’m honestly not trying to pick on you here, but… even your bride didn’t like her wedding photos and requested a refund.  (after reading your reply to Steph, I went and looked deeper)  http://vampireketsuki.deviantart.com/journal/What-do-I-do-252339803  Now you have photographers saying there’s a problem with them as well. PLEASE!  Slow down, and just be a photography student, and learn the craft before shooting for others.  Yes, photography is an art, but you are offering a professional service when doing portraits/event photography and shooting for others.  Don’t be in such a rush to get the experience BEFORE you have the basics of photography down.  Take a deep breath, learn from your mistakes, just because you are a faux now, doesn’t mean you will forever be one.  You can do this, and do it right.  Don’t defend your shots that you blew, instead, listen to the advice and critique given to you, and push yourself to learn how to correct them.  No more excuses!!!  Get out there and prove to yourself you can do better.  Shoot for yourself, learn, grow, get to know your camera inside and out, and THEN seek out the experience needed to go pro.  Imagine having confidence in yourself and your skill level BEFORE you shoot your next wedding or event, and imagine how much better it will go and FEEL with the foundations of photography firmly behind your belt, along with maybe even some second shooting experience as well.  Right now you need to keep your eye OFF the prize and concentrate on the technical aspects, because without that, you have nothing, and will continue to flounder about as you have been.  So you want to be a professional photographer, can’t this be a long term goal?  There’s no race

[IHF]

Brownie, The way I see it, is if the critic took the time to explain themselves and where they feel you fall short or what they feel you are doing wrong, then listen.  Have a discussion if you disagree, and/or pick their brain for as long as you have them, and learn as much as possible from them.  In the world of photography criticism is a rare gift (at least in my experience, I have to go searching for it) Obviously the critic gives a care, otherwise they would have said nothing at all.  I’ve actually been asked to critique “pros” before, even after explaining that I am in the process of learning and am just a novice.  So I take my time and give them the best CC I am able to give, given my current knowledge, and I get responses that make it look as though all I said was “You suck, don’t quit your day job”.  WOW!  I just spent a half an hour or more out of my day to help you, and this is what I get in return?  I’ve even had people resort to name calling.  Really?  Just because I said “your exposure is all over the place and it looks as though you are using automatic modes, instead of telling the camera what to do?” or the like.  Never would I ever do that to someone who cared enough to take their time with me, especially if I was SEEKING help or CC from them.  If you are a photographer people, criticism and the advice that goes with it, is the very best gift you can receive.  Treat the deliverer of this gift with respect, and thank them, even if you think they are dead wrong.  Chances are they aren’t, and later down the road you’ll wish you had talked to them more and hadn’t burned that bridge.

[IHF]

Steph, Thank you so much for taking more time than I did to go through her portfolio and find better examples.

YANAP IS all about portraiture and event photography and her questions were more about being a tog for hire.  I have to be honest, I didn’t find much in the way of people photography in her gallery, but I also didn’t try very hard to dig for it.  (so sorry vamp, but this is where the portfolio clean out comes in.  I had already invested too much time, to dig any further)

Thank you also for so much detail and suggestions in your reply.  I think you will be adding a lot to this forum.  I learned from your answer, and I’m sure others will as well.  I appreciate your honesty.

Only one thing though, when you shoot in manual or manual modes, there is no need to tape the flash down, I’ve never once had that sucker pop up 😉

 

[IHF]

LOve it!!!  I’d like to add an 11:  Listen to your critics, learn from them.  Criticism about your photography or business practices isn’t personal.  It is not a dig on who you are as a person, it’s not MEAN, despite what your friends have told you, your critics are NOT jealous, or afraid of competition.  Most likely they just actually care about the photography profession.  Criticism  is meant to help your photography/business and in turn it helps the photography industry as a whole (if it’s listened to that is)

[IHF]

A couple links to help with your doll photography (and maybe over all as well)

10 Flickr Groups To See the Best In Doll Photography

http://collectdolls.about.com/od/dollcollectingresources/a/dollphototips.htm

[IHF]

Ok I’ll take a look at some shots randomly that I see and give you some more input.

http://VampireKetsuki.deviantart.com/art/Tiny-Drop-153657092

pros: I like the colors/editing in this one.  It looks natural, and in camera. and I like the subject matter a lot, water drops can take us to a different world.

Cons:  Unfortunately the way you shot the droplet didn’t take me anywhere, and I was left thinking. “hmmmm…a water drop.”  The light reflection directly behind the drop is very very distracting.  In fact that is what the viewer is drawn to first.  Pay attention to the rule of thirds (this goes for pretty much every shot I saw in your gallery). Taken from a different perspective this little drop could offer something fabulous.

 

your dolls are awesome

http://vampireketsuki.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=24#/d4tiddv

Unfortunately the way you shoot them isn’t.

There is no interest at all, except “hey, cool looking doll!”

When we shoot still life, objects, flowers, etc we are completely in charge of why, when, where, and how we shoot them.  I use objects like stuffed animals and dolls to teach me lighting techniques, and they allow me to be in charge of the total composition, mood, and help me concentrate on in camera work, all while pushing my creativity.  These objects have helped improve my portraiture, and my art, even though I dont share them with anyone but myself. I don’t see this sort of practice with any of your shots.  They seem to be shot without any care at all taken.

Google “white balance ” I see you are having trouble with it, and just a quick self tutorial on WB could help your photography so much.  Take your time, slow down.  When shooting macro flowers and/or objects you have all the time in the world to get the shot right.  When outdoors pay attention to time of day, unwanted shadows, and glare.  When indoors pay attention to light as well, and use this time to play around with lighting and take the time to see what light manipulation and set up/composition can do for your photography.  Pay attention to background, pay attention to light, and most of all take your time.  Clean up that portfolio, and only post the best shots, not absolutely everything you shoot.  You will have a clean and more interesting portfolio AND it will be easier to get the input you are wanting.

[IHF]

Snap shots topped off with bad editing.  I saw some wedding…yawn and cringe, but mostly flowers.  I think a good portfolio clean up is in order, I almost fell asleep going through it

[IHF]

I think you are asking us to compare apples and oranges.  It’s impossible to access wether you could “go pro” or not by looking at your art.  Have you been working on more marketable photography ie. portraiture or event photography behind the scenes?  If so, those are the photos we need to see, to give you any sort of pointers, CC or what not in this genre.

Kuddos to you for first shooting for yourself, and taking time to learn before opening up shop.  Thank you for living in the same realm of reality that I live in. OY!  so many dont live here with us.

With all that said.  I’m in the same boat, wanting to learn more marketable photography while enjoying my photography for photography’s sake.  I dont have a portfolio of my portraiture up on the web, but I do post some portraits for CC and or help with a tech problem.  I find photo.net to be really helpful when I need some CC and or advice or tech help with anything while giving myself photography lessons.  As far as art goes, it is what it is.  If it moves you fantastic, if it moves others…Well that’s even better.  Keep keepin on

[IHF]

I think Davey Nailed it.  I went a step further and looked up your full portfolio, and there seems to be an on going problem with misuse of light.  More attention needs to be paid there for sure.  Seems to me that more attention is paid to props, than over all comp, or the subject/subjects.  Exposure is all over the place which leads me to think an automatic mode is being used.  I could be wrong, but if I am, your missing something skill set wise.  Post processing looks to be done with actions instead of fine tweaking each image.  Now batch processing can work, dont get me wrong, but when you want to specialize in “natural light”, and more on the side of “custom portraiture”, which is what all your statements lead me to conclude, batch processing, and/or actions aren’t the way to go at all.  My advice:

slow down.  Shoot for yourself, not others.  This step alone will improve your photography immensely.

you should work on your photography skills and not business at this point.  Learn the foundations of photography  first, then the foundations of business. Work on perfecting shots in camera, and only then develop your editing style.   It’s not necessary to have a “clientele” or a million faces to work with when you are first starting out.  Now is not the time for “portfolio building”.   No need for people to get taken advantage of, or you yourself to be taken advantage of.  Use objects, and willing family members to teach yourself lessons.  Learning lighting and exposure and in camera work doesn’t require tons of people invested in your photography, to achieve.  No need to “advertise”, market, or seek out “models” when you are clearly just learning the basics of photography.

 

[Author]

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