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I don’t think that I advertised I was a professional. I have done shoots for friends or for favors but I am a LOT of learning away from launching a business. I need to save too so I can budget in things like insurance. I asked about exposing the sky because I have a really tough time trying to get both the foreground and the sky exposed just right. I have a pretty nice flash (a 580 EX II) and would like to get familiar with OCF but the reading I’ve done has been a little overwhelming. Do you find that third party flashes still work nicely for off camera? Maybe I can save a little before jumping into that part of it.

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That was totally my fault for not being clear. I really included that last part of my initial post as an afterthought and really didn’t think about phrasing. I’m relieved to know that it’s not a mistake to turn down potential clients. While I would love to bring in business, there’s probably going to be times that it just won’t work out right. I appreciate all the advice. Thank you.

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Oh my gosh dont.care, I love that they have handles! I wish my reflector did. The diffuser with my all in one isn’t that sheer and it’s… floppy.

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I should clarify:
When I was talking about that specific shoot, I’m not saying that I didn’t get any good shots from that day and they were honestly something that those I showed them too liked. Including his fiancee. The groom-to-be/my boss’s father, did not. I didn’t think it was fair for him to pay me if he wasn’t happy with them but I did let them know that the shots represented my style and if they didn’t like that aspect, then I was concerned about doing their wedding and that I probably shouldn’t be the one to capture their day.

I did use reflectors and open shade and I had a diffuser (part of the all in one reflector so not actually a real scrim) with an assistant helping to hold and place it. I was prepared for the light but I will be honest, I dreaded it a little. I was mostly trying to describe the setting as not ideal AND I even offered to do a second shoot at no cost because it was a little chilly and she wasn’t able to wear the dress she wanted. She hardly spoke English so that’s what he said about them wearing matching white button downs and jeans. I do struggle with the midday sun but I wouldn’t say I was entirely unprepared. I wanted to explore some beautiful hiking trails off to the sides of the main park but they told me they didn’t want to walk and asked me to only shoot in the main portion of the park.

My thought process was that it was a shoot for them so I should accommodate that. Was I wrong? I mean, I probably could have explained why the less crowded trails would have been better but I suppose I was a little intimidated. I extended a few coffee or barnes & noble meetings to him and his fiance but they told me they were busy and only Sunday would work but they just wanted to shoot. They said they didn’t need a consultation and would correspond with me via email. So I did, multiple emails about locations I had scouted around the park and what to wear (with links to blogs about outfit coordination and suggestions. Even colors. I really thought I had all my bases covered…

I suppose since maybe I’m used to working with younger couples I was nervous about working with an older one. The gentleman was very gruff and didn’t seem to like my posing so I asked for his suggestions and he wanted more, I’m not sure this is quite the right word but, rigid poses? I gave him a combination of both my poses and his in the final edits. They wanted them quickly so they could send out photos as save the dates but didn’t want them printed by the lab I use (SimplyColor) and just wanted to expose them at Costco. Because of the rush that’s another reason I offered a second shoot…

I mean, did I really screw this up? (More in the context of – did I make a huge mistake by telling them I might not be their flavor for the wedding?)

 

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I guess I’m a little confused. Are you saying I should have shot their wedding for free even though they weren’t happy with what I gave them? I managed to get a lot of great shots but the busy-ness of the park made it difficult to get more. This man told me he wanted around 100 images to choose from because that was “normal”. I honestly didn’t think they would be happy with their photos if I shot their wedding because he didn’t like my style either.

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If you can afford it I highly encourage renting a lens to get some hands on time with it. I rented a 135 f/2.0 L and absolutely fell in love with it. I think I’ll be renting the 100mm L next to give it a whirl and compare so I can finally decide on  which one to save for. I do understand that this can cut into the savings for a new lens but it will help immensely with the decision making!

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I really like the shot of your sister. I would definitely recommend using a reflector or something to try and brighter her up a smidge or put some light in her eyes just to add some extra depth. 🙂 They’ve all come out pretty well though!

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I wasn’t going to say anything about the illuminated rump. I was hoping that by not pointing that out, others wouldn’t be like “Cannot unsee!”. But yes, the lit up butt is really not flattering… A shot like this might be nice to try and get to learn but I, personally, would never stick it up somewhere.
Post only your best work or what is your best that you can deliver consistently.

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I guess I can’t edit twice, bummer.

She has updated her site since I met her about 8 months ago. Some of the work has improved, however, some of the original “portfolio” work is one there. Look specifically at the ones of the family in their kitchen and the ones of the family outside their home (in like, a community area I think). Those were the ones that really surprised me. Oh yes, there is a token selective color one as well.

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Mend: Holy crumpets those are…. wow…

I’m new to this site and while I don’t claim to be a pro, I think I’m better than many I have seen on here (I haven’t always been!) but I think if anyone were to see my early learning phases they would probably laugh just as hard. I mean… super bad. I have a page I want to share with you all and a little background on it.

I live in Colorado, and due to our landscapes and tourist-y locations, there are “photographers” everywhere. It’s a VERY saturated market. I met this woman and her husband while working a booth at a local Women’s Expo. They were a friendly enough couple but the husband was a tad pushy to try and get people interested in his wife’s photography business. I felt it was courteous to take a look at what they had to offer and smiled and nodded pleasantly (maybe a smidge zombie-like) as he pulled up her website on his Kindle.

http://www.nlightphoto.com/

This woman, that had spent the last ten minutes boasting about her gear to me (after I said to her that I loved photography and I was learning on a Rebel T3i with a handful of lenses) had some of the most poorly composed work I had seen in a paid local. I was surprised but then quickly realized it was why she had no prints on her table or anything else showcasing her work but her husband’s kindle!
It made me sad, that someone like me who is learning and growing, lusts after fast glass and a full frame camera (I recently got a KILLER deal on a 5D from work and have been readjusting to full frame – I adore it!) and this woman just won’t take the time to learn. She had told me she had been shooting for years and had a degree in it. She even boasted “There’s not much else for me to learn. Maybe I’ll start teaching workshops next year!”

Needless to say, it makes my heart heavy. Not that she’s bad, but that she thinks she has nothing left to learn… when clearly she’s got a lot of opportunities ahead of her to grow.

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Thanks a lot everyone 🙂 I guess it’s going to take some time to get used to this. How effective is it to use fill flash in things like Bridal party shots? For large parties it just seems really tough to get everyone lit where it seems “just right”. I don’t encounter that often (as I’ve only shot for friends -usually just during the reception – but to get a couple extra fun group shots) but I am curious.

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My first suggestion is to make your watermark smaller. It’s terribly distracting in the first photo and really took away from it. Secondly, I think with the circus image it may have just been a poor condition to shoot in (odd angles and lighting) but it’s all right. Bear in mind, please, that I am not a professional, I am only offering my thoughts. It just seemed like something was “off” and it is really hard to put my finger on what exactly.

What are you trying to communicate with the self portrait? I would have shot it little tighter but if you wanted to capture more of the background I do understand. You have very little detail in the shadows and I think it makes it hard to pick out parts of the image.

These photos are not bad, but I would take a little more time setting the shot (I know that’s really difficult for ones like the circus shot).
Just my opinions.

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I absolutely love the second image. I know that as far as composition goes it may not be perfect, but I love the softer vintage coloring and use of negative space. She looks so happy and the instant reaction I had was to just smile. I think that’s a good sign 🙂

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