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picstop
ParticipantWhy are you people feeding the self-proclaimed troll?
Participant“In the sense that it doesn’t interfere with what I do, or affect me in anyway, I don’t care either. But, in the “I can’t look away” during a car wreck kind of way, I’m just so very compelled to be interested in what they do, think, and say. I can’t help it. It’s almost a reflex or instinct that I don’t have control over. “I must study this faux phenomenon”. hehehe”
Actually this is really more what I meant when I said I don’t care. Indeed, it’s just that I don’t let the faux mindset or culture affect my daily life as in “those “pros” charge too much so hire me”. Funny how they call themselves pros too and really, all that matters is what my customers think.
For the most part, I think most care about their photos and abilities. You don’t have to be a pro. Simple knowing the difference between good and bad, learning as much as you have time for, are willing to devote to the craft, and apply it to the best of your ability. Just because you are not charging for photos doesn’t mean they aren’t any good. Just because you’ve found someone to pay for your photos doesn’t mean you’re a pro. One of the many things that separates a faux from a photographer is the desire to engage the craft and produce the best photo according to your ability and to realize that there is always something new to learn and not be satisfied that you’ve hit “good enough” and don’t need to pursue new ideas. It’s a great feeling to look back at older photos and compare them to today and actually see improvement, myself included. And along with that, I’m always looking at how to make the next pic even better. And yes, I get that impression from you too. If only we could inspire some of these fauxs to aspire to something greater…..
ParticipantFirstly, I don’t truly care about what fauxs think. I’m not trying to be elitist. It’s just that no matter how hard you try, you won’t be able to wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep. And that goes for those who think the output of these people is just amazing. So if the faux thinks I’m overpriced and those beneath them are wrongly shooting for free, I don’t care.
However, I have always thought one day to make up a list, and I think it’ll be long, as to why people think the output of these fauxs is good enough. Ugh, I hate that expression. Since when is “good enough” acceptable in this world? Since when do people settle for having anything in their lives be “good enough”. That’s why we have cars that are endlessly recalled, cameras with little DR, furniture that lasts years and not decades, homes made of chipboard and not real wood and on and on. And of course, photos that are “good enough”. Really? You want your precious memories to be “good enough” which in most cases with a faux is “good enough” according to an even lower standard than most. But I digress a bit.
So, just for now, let me continue on with what you started and that’s the acceptance of so many for crappy photography. Like many, I too grew up looking at great photos. I know what’s good and what’s not, immediately. I don’t need someone to point out the poor lighting, lack of depth, correct skin tones and on and on. Many people today have grown up with pure garbage phone photo snaps and as long as something in it is remotely recognizable, it’s a “great shot of you guys!”. So when a faux takes a shot that’s very slightly better than the garbage they are used to, it’s “amazing”. These poor souls have never seen a good photo. They may have seen their friend’s wedding album done by a decent photographer and compared it to their faux wedding pics. They still think their own are great. Why? Because to truly show them what’s good and crappy is to have a real photographer and faux shoot their wedding side by side. A direct comparison of the same shot is what it takes for many to see the difference. I don’t know how many weddings I’ve done where the bride picks up her albums and is so glad that she can see the detail in her dress, the detail in the tux and vest and on and on (as she knew she would) after seeing all the pics guests and family took with their “pro” dslrs that she’d been looking at waiting for me to get her albums put together. As for the rest of the people thinking the fauxs are great, they’ve had nothing to compare the crap output to so will never get it. They are turning in to the generation of it’s “good enough”. And the bar sinks ever lower as the years go on.ParticipantI’m always up for a gander at faux weddings (not that I’m a fan of putting anyone, especially children on train tracks either!).
How about, “where’s the dress”?
https://www.facebook.com/MemorieswithSAZA/photos/a.10152611496801075.1073741878.325539056074/10152636370356075/?type=3&theater
Or, “where’s the focus”?
https://www.facebook.com/MemorieswithSAZA/photos/a.10152611496801075.1073741878.325539056074/10152611501041075/?type=3&theater
Or, “could we not find a nicer spot to highlight the dress”?
https://www.facebook.com/MemorieswithSAZA/photos/a.10152439808916075.1073741870.325539056074/10152442026796075/?type=3&theater
Or, “could we include some more personal grooming items into the mirror shot”?
https://www.facebook.com/MemorieswithSAZA/photos/a.10151804091451075.1073741841.325539056074/10151804092131075/?type=3&theater
Or, another “let’s just demolish the dress and cape the bride spent months finding for her day”
https://www.facebook.com/MemorieswithSAZA/photos/a.10151339723771075.524147.325539056074/10151354077551075/?type=3&theater
Or, “could we possibly find just one more innocent bystander to include in our special day”?
https://www.facebook.com/MemorieswithSAZA/photos/a.10151339723771075.524147.325539056074/10151339724161075/?type=3&theater
And back to the original reason for posting, yep, endanger three young lives (yes mom and dad, you need to share in the blame of being stupid…no other way to describe it) AND screw up the pic. Nice.
https://www.facebook.com/MemorieswithSAZA/photos/pb.325539056074.-2207520000.1418698545./10152837708386075/?type=3&theater
And hundreds of likes. What a shock.ParticipantSeth…I know the ad people wanted digital files to play with but some people think it’s ok to fool around with jpegs. Unless someone specifically mentions “raw”, I’ve found that many fauxs think jpegs are just as good. In any case, just a ridiculous “ad”.
Yeah, I tell ya, the “groupings” thing is nuts. It must make sense to her in some bizarre way but I have to wonder if her potential customers “get it”. And for sure the name is beyond nuts. What’s she going to do when the economy turns around, start calling it “Bullish Photography”? She’s halfway there if you know what I mean.
Participant@ Chrystal…I like that analogy. Personally I’m glad that my doc went to medical school (is even involved in teaching) and didn’t just open an office cause she was passionate about medicine.
As for recessionphotography….starting with the couples shots, I notice 5 out of 7 are the same pose. Someone needs to take the time to learn how to pose people and learn what poses work for whom. The hug from behind is cute for some, uncomfortable for others and definitely should not be the only pose in your repertoire. She loves capturing the love in their eyes but in two pics they look more nauseous than in love.
As for any wedding shots, the few that there are for some strange reason, it’s just the usual bland or overcooked amateurish fare. Her prices do reflect her abilities but I agree, the prices are still a little high for what she puts out. And I don’t understand her pricing either. What the heck are “groupings” and why do I get 30 of them with my $900 wedding, along with 20 ceremony poses. Does this mean I get 50 pics for $900? Just something I’ve never seen before. I’m used to number of hours and number of prints.
Finally, I just love her self portrait on her home page. First of all, fake bokeh is my favourite…NOT…and you’ve just demonstrated to me that you don’t even know how to hold a camera properly.Participant@cass335….holy cowpies! Not only are they “willing” to pay the princely sum of $180 for 12 hours, but they’d love to have TWO photographers (with “real” cameras as oppose to fake ones I suppose?). $90 for 12 hours of work? This is a GEM of an ad. If the fiance was truly any sort of self-respecting photographer, she’d be screaming at her husband-to-be to stop being such a cheapo and dish out for a real photographer. But I guess she’s a faux too. I’m surprised they aren’t asking for the raws…another sign of someone saying “I’m cheap and think I can save even more money by editing the pics myself” when in reality, you likely have no clue what a raw even is as well as “wants to help a fellow photographer grow”. Those are all the tell-tale signs of a couple with no budget whatsoever spinning it to look like they simply are trying to do someone a favour. All in all, a damn insulting “ad” and I pity the poor fool desperate enough to actually get involved with this couple that thinks their pics of a once in a lifetime event is worth less than what I spent on dinner tonight at a nice restaurant for my wife and I.
ParticipantShe had a near identical post asking the same question. The link to her work in the old post is now unavailable so it’s up to her to come back and either add her new link or get the old one working. Maybe she just had second thoughts and bowed out.
ParticipantWow, urkiddingright…that is some find! I submit that you’ve found front page material here with “Honey, keep a lookout while I answer nature’s call”,
I’m also intrigued to know who the fella is in the background of this shot. A friend, an “ex”? Regardless, excellent job of an intimate moment where her face is hidden, along with her hands but as long as we got that guy in the background included, mission accomplished!
And yes, the pic you’ve highlighted is special too. I guess “sisters forever” or something was just too bland for them. And maybe not forever if she doesn’t loosen the grip on the neck. Yeesh.
ParticipantOk, zaps, I see it now.
First let me just say a few things. Please take no offense to this but, I find your reason for posting a tad perplexing. I spend time on a few other forums dedicated to photography and every once in a while, someone will ask “which camera should I buy”? We don’t know why he/she needs it, what the photograph, their budget and so on. A number of us usually point out that there is a wealth of information out there from reputable testing sites as to the abilities of one camera vs. another. Asking how to use it is a different question. So what happens is people chime in with their favourite choices of camera but we don’t really know what’s a good fit for the person asking.
Your question is similar but I’ll grant you we now know you want family photos taken. Your other concern is they all think they are the best. Well, they will think that. Doesn’t make it so. It’s up to you to decide that. Which leads me to my “please don’t take offense” part wherein I’ll say, “they all have pics posted so what do you think?” If you look at all those pics and you actually like them, then you’re good to go. Do you really need me to tell you they are good (for you)? I can tell you if I would hire them, or not. In the end, you have to decide if you like the price and pics. It’s not too different from the person asking me which camera to buy. I can tell you what I want and need.
Well, that all said, I wouldn’t hire this lady. There are some saving gems in there but they really are needles in haystacks. For one, as urkiddingright says, her wedsite is irritating. I personally (and it’s considered “best practice” for the most part in creating a website) is to nix the music. At least there is a pause button. However, the layout is difficult to navigate and thankfully after much digging, I did notice the fb link.
After going to fb (cause you can’t tell much from teeny tiny pics on her website), I didn’t find much to float my boat.
Though we can all make mistakes, I’ll never understand why people post them. Personally I’d prefer the subject be in focus and not the foliage…
Or, though one of her better ones, the blown parts and neon glow and fountain coming out of the head are distracting….
And though you’re inquiring about family photos, there isn’t much for me to peruse so I had to peek at wedding shots and I wasn’t too thrilled with them. From heavy vignetting to blurry shots to fake bokeh, (along with offering “x” amount of pics and only some get edited though that’s not an issue for you), I’m not impressed.
So, I think this lady is another in a long list of “could be good if applies herself” but for now is either just getting there or is happy with where she is. I would not hire her. Good luck in your search and if you really feel helped by linking others here, opinions will follow. Don’t forget, the ultimate decision lies with you.
One last tip. Flip back through these pages and look at some of the other “Fauxtogs who should end up on the main page…” and see what makes up a faux. Then when you find another candidate, if their pics look like anything you’ve seen here, move on.
ParticipantDon’t know if it’s just me but your last link zaps, comes up “server not found”.
If you’re looking to have family photos taken, you might want to start a new thread title something like…”I want to have family photos taken. What should I look for in a photographer”?
ParticipantEve is interesting. There definitely is a lot of noise as if it’s a small sensor. There seems to be a reflection of her in this shot,
but maybe it’s a bridge camera and not an slr. Odd because it’s not high iso noise and really seems like tiny sensor noise. Oh well.
Anyway, it sure would be nice if “clients” would not encourage bad photography by “liking” it though (not just Eve but any who took a shot so oof and has the gall to post it) like this one,
All I can say, Eve, is enjoy working your butt off for $20 + $10 for cd with printing rights. I guess it’s probably just a hobby and you’ve got a real job elsewhere that pays the bills and that’s fine but eventually you will tire of running around for peanuts. Time will tell if you do raise them and if your skills and output will rise along with them.
ParticipantWell, zaps, when a person starts off with “Photography has always been a passion of mine since I could remember and I decided to venture it into a career in 2013”, that tells me two things. One, the word “passion” makes me gag and tells me the person is lazy. There are 44 different words you can use for “passion” but everyone (oddly mostly amateurs and fauxs) seems to use it to the point it’s pretty meaningless. Interestingly, I just spent the last few days on a pro photographer thread with a fellow being told the main thing he needs to enter a career is passion. Well, passion is for sex, and chocolate. Indeed, a career in photography is hard work and even with (ugh) passion, you need gear, the ability to use it, and lots and lots of business sense unless you like being a bg wannabe making a few bucks with the occasional shoot. Some do and good for them. You do need to take some satisfaction away from it or you’ll find an easier way to make a living. Call it passion if you like but this person’s sentence is just a cut and paste from thousands of other’s pages. Please be original and tell people about your zeal, joy, dedication, ardor or zest about your work. Secondly, she’s always been “passionate” but of course only now (when she figures she can jump onto the fb faux bandwagon and make a few extra bucks to feed her kids) decided to do something about her “passion”. Everyone’s live take them down different paths but usually passion leads you to follow your heart sooner than later. In any case….
I don’t see a lot on her site that’s really bad but neither do I see anything to jump and down about. What I’ll highlight is first, just a peeve of mine and that’s all and this style of processing. I’m just not a fan but a lot seem to be doing it. Fads come and go but people get tired of the same old so fb photogs are usually the first to pick up on this sort of stuff to make a quick (few) dollars…
http://pinkblossomphotography.com/p415609100/hb8578d5#hb8578d5
But then she dabbles (just three shots) in “adults/models”. I think she has a way to go with this in terms of right from equipment to lighting to processing.
http://pinkblossomphotography.com/p363888400/h12fb8202#h12fb8202
And then while there are some shots that aren’t horror stories, we get to something that (another peeve of mine) COULD HAVE been a decent shot. But, as a faux, you don’t pay attention to your surroundings. Sometimes as a photographer, we don’t have the luxury of choosing our photo site. We still try to work with what we have and pull it off as best as possible. This shot was completely under the control of the photographer and a slight change of angle or complete change of positioning on her and/or the subjects part could have avoided the horrific blown out flowers which completely ruin the shot. What a shame.
http://pinkblossomphotography.com/p28749769/h1661d590#h1661d590
And then with a change up for the mom and daughter, again not great but not bad but really, do we have to loose feet? Move in for a tighter crop (would probably be nicer) if you want but do we need to cut feet in half or toes off? So why mention it? It’s about being aware of what you’re looking at through the viewfinder and more importantly, what you wanted before you even looked. Through the viewfinder is just confirmation of what you pictured in your mind. But new photogs and fauxtogs get all excited and lose track of what they’re doing.
http://pinkblossomphotography.com/p28749769/h1661d590#hb257998
Then finally, not too bad at all but relying too much on natural light with no regard for the inventions called fill flash (off camera please) or reflectors. The blown parts and slightly missed focus doesn’t help.
http://pinkblossomphotography.com/p415609100/h2287d5fd#h2287d5fd
Back in the studio, ok-ish but the lighting is again flat.
http://pinkblossomphotography.com/p415609100/h4b4d48b#h1ea3fade
Now, I’m not trying to be all negative on this passionate lady but she has a lot to learn, if she wants to improve. Photography is light. Learn how to light your shots better and you’ll even wow yourself. Be aware of your surroundings! Picture your photo in your head and even before you look through the viewfinder, LOOK! Then and only then look through the viewfinder but never stop looking. Too many fixate on their subject. A good photog will spend time looking around first and realize that great shot he/she wants just sadly won’t work in one spot so create a different shot or move to where it will work. Don’t shoot willy-nilly. This goes for fore-ground, back-ground and your subject’s limbs.
All in all, passion won’t make a great shot. You’ll enjoy your job more if you like your job (and yes, it’s a job and it’s hard work) if you are dedicated. You may even get a better shot if you’re dedicated but you need far far more than that to get the shot. Training and ability and plain hard work will make a great shot. You also need the motivation to seek out the training. Many think that since they are getting a few bucks for the drivel they dish out means they are either great (dreamer) or at the best, “good enough” so why bother wasting time and money to get better. Well, it’s usually about the satisfaction of producing a great shot instead of mediocre along with being able to get more money. Her choice.
ParticipantI love neon glow, when it’s a neon sign. To each their own and when you’re doing “out of the box” photo shoots, I guess it’s sort of part of the schtick. However, does it really belong (neon glow) when you’re doing portraits?…
I guess when it’s all you know, you use it and overuse it.
And it’s all great to have a genre that you love but if you’re going to do more than shoot fairy tale figures, you ought to learn how to pose people cause this, along with the lighting of course, is not the worst in the world but sure isn’t flattering at all….
And more along the lines of something other than fictional characters, and of the “learn how to pose” and a little of “use better equipment that doesn’t have so much CA it’s all I can look at” and a dash of “find Waldo…I mean, find the focus”…..
And then there is the “wow, this almost works”. As usual, another faux just about gets there but has to ruin it. A decent pic not quite in focus. I know some blur has been added but I suspect it was never really sharp anyway. I know you don’t want sharp pores but she appears to have nice glowing skin and I don’t think there was too much reason just to gauss blur it all out. But of course, what really ruins it is the typical faux habit of not paying attention to the background. The frames on the wall is an interesting idea, however, did the faux not notice the corner of the frame cutting through her head?
Geesh, I could go on all day here but among all the nuclear glow, poor composition, crap lighting and just plain so-so stuff, let’s finish off with a typical faux fail…..OUT OF FOCUS so why the heck are you posting it!?!?
ParticipantAs always NLL, as always. I like to say weather doesn’t matter, as long as the couple are in love and getting married (and get a decent photog like me 🙂 ), but looks like same for me as late fall is becoming early winter. Oh well, they’re in love and I don’t mind snow and hope the rest this year don’t either.
So, inkh2art3d, that really is a find. It’s nice that “their eyes really are this gorgeous in person” but I wonder if poor Brantley’s skin is that crappy in person. Well, as long as his eyes are a nice colour while he looks stunned and zombie-like.
And from the same “artist”, some of my favourites ( not a lot of time to peruse them all but I’m sure there are some other doozies)…
A fella that looks so natural leaning against a picket fence (like what the heck?)
A lesson of how to light a group (or not),
Another example of not the greatest pic in the world but something that could be cute at least in the couple’s eyes but ruined because you know, the kids that were included to “make” the shot need to be “removed” from it..
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