[LexiRose]

I know, nairbynairb, people were just commenting about the fact that I didn’t win, and I wan’t to make it clear that that isn’t what I was bothered by or wanted to discuss. This was about teachers who don’t know anything about the business.

[LexiRose]

I honestly don’t have issue with the fact that I didn’t win anything, I didn’t expect to, and I don’t even have a lot of drive to enter other contests, because I don’t  feel all that confident about my work.

What bothers me here is that this person is teaching hundreds of student’s. It’s their responsibility to know the craft and recognize when students have worked hard and been innovative. All of the other submissions were also placed on our school website, and there were so many really nice photos. Even a lot of mediocre hdr and spot-colored ones that at least required some creativity. At least for most of the photos, the photographer had to venture further than their own front lawn.

This teacher is raising a new army of fauxtographers who think that pretty flowers are the pinnacle of photography.

[LexiRose]

Browneyedgirl, I must agree with what others have been saying to you. Have some respect for others and some humility for yourself. You seem to be fairly knowledgeable about photography, but you are also extremely defensive and entitled, and that’s going to do nothing but make people dislike you. It will also bring hate down on your photos that they might not deserve.

If, say, Zack Arias (I use him as an example because he is a very humble and well-loved photographer) were to start off in photography telling everybody who asks for help that he’s better than them, and giving his photos as examples of what they SHOULD be doing, nobody would have looked at them (no matter how great they were) and said “wow! He’s right, this photo is just as perfect as he says! I hope one day I can achieve such brilliance!” No. They would see him as an entitled jerk and hate the photo no matter what.

 

[LexiRose]

I’m a novice too, so I don’t think I should offer any specific technical advice, but I do think your photos have promise. There is some stunning light in a lot of these photos, and anyone can recognize that they have good composition.  I can say for sure, though that there’s a lot more to being a photographer than raw talent. You must study hard on the technical side of it. Reading through forums, watching workshops, and seeking out critiques for my own photos has helped me enormously.

Like I said, you seem to have a very good sense for composition, but that and white-balance is about all you can control with a point-and-shoot. The next step I would take would be to get a DSLR and learn on how to control everything about a photo in manual mode.

[LexiRose]

Thanks everyone! Really great advice. I have been wanting to try shooting male models, groups, and events, but I just haven’t had the connections to do that yet. All of my portraits now are just of friends, or self portraits from when I see a great opportunity but nobody is around.

I will definitely take to heart what you said about photography being more about business than anything. I know that improving and practicing my photography is what I need to do right now before ever selling my services, but business is also something I need to look into.

Thanks again!

[LexiRose]

Thanks for the feedback! Creyes8519, I definitely would want to do photography of people. If you guys think I have potential, what exactly do I need to improve on? What steps can I take towards a career in photography?

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