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Sassy
ParticipantHi CC, thank you so much for taking the time to look at my website, I’ve only just had a chance to jump back online!
I am glad that my about section is up to scratch, I really really struggled trying to write about myself!
I don’t understand about the opening slide show remark? while I disabled right click on my site I know its perfectly possible for people to still steal my images (screen shot), I have also not watermarked them on there as i find it unprofessional as a potential client and a bit distracting. All the images on my site are shots which have been paid for in full so it wouldn’t be clients who would be stealing them if that makes sense, and anyone else who wants to and has the capabilities to screen shot probably would also remove a water mark if they were desperate. I do watermark my ‘sneak peeks’ which I put on FB after a session, this is mostly for advertising 😉 so that when they share it (if not how I guide them in the contract) friends and family still know where its come from 😉
That photo was taken with a 30 1.4 , the lighting is a bit flatter than I would have liked as baby turned his head back a little, and baby does have some moulding in the back of his head which has elongated it a little. I sort of fell in love with the image due to his expression and eye contact, its difficult to get an awake shot of a newborn with ‘personality’, I have had that image critiqued and no one has mentioned the odd shape to the head which i can now see (photographer blinders) so thank you. People have either loved it or hated it, I included it because i loved it but im thinking that maybe i should remove it and pop another shot up? I liked it so much it was going to be one of my pics to enter into the aipp awards 🙂 which i didnt end up doing btw, as i wasnt confident enough!
https://www.facebook.com/SarahsPics
This is another link just incase the last link wasnt working, it may not work depending on where you are as i have blocked some countries which i was getting click farm likes from.
thank you so much
🙂
Participantthank you guys, feel free to chime in with any areas you think im struggling with.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1461240_10151715327396587_2038618632_n.jpg
this is just a little collage of the same pose, the first shot was taken roughly 20 months ago in fully auto and edited in picnik (also available in selective colour!) the bottom right image the lighting is a little flatter than i like but i like to think that i pretty much nailed the pose and the edit, it was taken a few months ago (fully manual, natural light, touch up in ACR and then into PSE to fiddle with the skin)
ParticipantThank you for your compliment. Newborn photography is ‘in fashion’ at the moment which helps, but i wouldn’t call what i have a successful business, i have had a few paid gigs but i only take on maximum 1-2 paid jobs a month, the only reason i do it is to pay for more gear and public liability insurance because it has been a dream of mine to become a Heart Felt volunteer photography (im a NICU nurse as my trade). I doubt very much the baby bonus and parenting scheme has helped this niche, as it is the baby bonus is gone pretty much and the paid parental is over installments and only eligible if you worked X amount of the year ect ect. i Think the real reason why newborn portraiture is popular is because of mummy goggles, all new mums want to brag about their baby and see how beautiful their baby is (i know cause i’m a mum!).
I think Wedding photography would have a wealthier customer base (2 wages and lack of kids) but probably harder work on the day (not that newborns are easy)
Participanti have read most of the posts but not all. i think you have been given some good critique but it almost feels like you dont want to hear it at all.
I honestly wouldn’t pay for any of the photos on your FB site.
Cute kid but horrid digital back drop border and very soft focus, let me guess mum loved it? well mum has mummy goggles on so don’t believe her. Its fun to play with digital stuff but chucking a digital border on a shot does not a good image make.
who wants to buy dirty shoes? why are they on your site?
this is such an easy shot to get, for me focus should be on mario and peaches and not on the grass. why is some cake chopped off? its an odd composition.
this is blown and is such an easy fix in PP. also an odd composition, it doesnt make me want to eat the cake.
Most of your photos have major technical issues. I am certainly no expert but even i can spot them.
I agree with others, you should only put your best images out there for people to see.
https://www.facebook.com/SarahsPics As you are so desperate to see others work, this is me. I am not great and yes i have technical issues but i’m getting help and i’m nutting them out, unlike you i have only really been shooting 18 months. You have reminded me its time to go through and delete some of my earlier work.
ParticipantI see a lot of soft photos. colour issues and cliches.
^^^ this photo really really freaked me out. i am the wife of a train driver and seriously this is nuts. railway tracks look nice (albeit a cliche these days) if you use them for their leading lines, this just looks silly and dangerous. not to mention its illegal. i am assuming they are working tracks as i see a carriage in the distance. Really really really bad idea.
ohh and what the go with contests and posting images from your clients that you have taken, at face value i saw some horendous shots and then realised they were a photo contest. maybe think about deleting them.
Participantsee why couldn’t you tell the OP that? thank you for critiquing my critique (that sounded wierd) that is a much better critique then what i felt you gave her, thank you for pulling me up on the terminology i used, rereading my critique i see those errors, sorry late response after many hours of editing and my brain was quite mushy. It would have been nice for you to do that before saying
Ohh and that shot is nice if you factor in stuff other then what i said, focus seems ok, connection is nice i felt. i dont know.
why didnt you go a bit more in depth with the OP? I just think that using capitals to get your point across about white vignette was a bit too extreme, not arguing or anything here just trying to point out that you are quite capable of giving a nice informative critique. The OP was really nice and pleasant in asking for CC so i was trying to do the same, i am a member of a few forums where we tear shreds through each others work when its CC and i can do that but i choose not to. i can also handle CC myself. would you like me to pop some images up and you can go crazy? i take all CC on board and i take it very very seriously.
I put a watermark on my images on FB, was it not you who suggested social media which doesnt have EXIF data you should use a watermark. i try to not have it to be too big, and i use it to direct people to my website (which isn’t up atm btw). Also my recent shots on line are paid ones, these shots were put up before they had selected the images from the gallery. My watermark i was hoping would deter them from just taking them off there and blowing them up, i have heard of this happening.
18months ago i was shooting in auto, no focus, no wb, no idea about lighting ect ect. it is the focusing on the technicalities which has got me out of that horrid place. i think knowing the technical side back to front before pushing the boundaries is very important. Also i’m unsure if you have done any newborn portraiture but its damn hard to pose them in many different ways which haven’t been done before.
starting to go round in circles! sorry for all this.
Participant@ebi that fine that you think my photos are mundane and of babies. I am learning and I am happy to take on any CC you wish to give me. I feel that my shots are at a professional level so i am charging, honestly i would prefer not to. I would happily do it for free but i’m fueling my addiction to photography the best way i know how. I focus on babies because i want to become a heartfelt volunteer and I like babies. I dont need to be completely original, there is no law in photography which means you should be completely original. I would like my photos to be as technically correct as possible and it is a fear of mine to be considered a fauxtographer.
I would like to point out that i never once said the haze look was a new thing, of course its been around for ages. i did say that currently it was in fashion and just because something is in fashion doesn’t mean its a new thing, yoyos were in fashion a number of years ago doesnt make them new.
I would like you to tell me what exactly is wrong with my critique so that i can learn, I gave my positives of the photos and negatives the way i was taught.
I do see now the original image has some white vignette, i would never do a white vignette personally but hey at least she didnt go crazy with it like i have seen. i missed it because for some reason i cant increase that pictures size like the other one, am i the only one having that issue??
Participantjust adding something, i think Brown eyed has a very valid point. you really need to get technical stuff right before you start doing creative edits. also remember that creative edits date very very quickly.
ParticipantWowsers Ebi really needs to learn to critique. am i missing something? i dont see any images with white vignette?? which ones exactly have white vignette?
I think the OP is actually going for the hazy look which is currently in fashion… i think the lack of contrast is keeping in line with the actual theme of the images. personally i dont go for the haze look but lots of people do and its really popular at the moment, if you want to master it maybe think about doing some PS courses or maybe looking at the ask Damien FB group for some ideas.
The only part of Ebi’s critique i agree with is the projector idea being out of place.
hope Ive helped again 🙂
ParticipantHi there, i am a new professional photog, here is me http://www.facebook.com/sarahspics. as i’m always still learning i get a lot out of critiquing.
I am happy to critique each image for you.
The first four are a nice series, they all need to be edited exactly the same so they fit together. 2 are more hazy then the others. the processing fits and my style is warm and bright so i like them.
Image one is good posing but composure is a little boring, i like their connection. You have used fill flash which was a good idea. but they seem a little shiny from it. There is haze on their face so im not sure if focus is crisp on their eyes or on her nail poilish.
Image 2 is nicely composed, they are shiny from the fiill flash and that bothers me, they lovely and connected and well posed. i am unsure if the focus is on their eyes again or the nailpolish.
Image 3 i know what you were getting at with the projector but i think your point is missed, i look at projector 2nd (which is good) but when i look at them i just think they are two silly people looking off into the distance. their posing seems stiff and uncomfortable and they aren’t as nicely connected as your other ones.
Image 4 This is really nice, focus seems good again well exposed. I would have shot it in landscape and taken a few steps back and have them on the side if that makes sense.
All those 4 images you need to have the subject further away from the foliage and use a shallower DOF.
First wedding detail shot of the dress is nice and well composed.
2nd wedding detail shot is a bit busy, don’t like the sepia type tones. and i don’t like that the perfume bottle isn’t straight.
Wedding couple 1, its a nice shot, well exposed, nice connection. odd place to take a photo though. i would have taken them some place else personally. not sure of him crouching down like that when there is a seat right behind them. overall back ground a bit to busy.
Wedding couple 2, the other is better, i like that you have capture a lovely moment but the back ground is hideous… is that a guest on the phone behind them? and i’d like to see some of his face.
hope i have helped 🙂
ParticipantHI there Milhouse, it would be nice to have some more information on you, what you hope to get out of critique, id love to know which images you think are your strongest and why.
I am happy to do a full critique of all your images as i have a few minutes, i am a new professional photographer and i am still learning myself. i get a lot out of critiquing other people photos.
Image one (the band i assume) isnt a bad shot, it seem to be in focus and nicely exposed. The posing really lets you down, in particular the woman, it is really really not a flattering shot of her and i suspect she doesnt like it (being a woman myself i know i wouldnt). the posing seems a little disjointed. and the couch isnt straight (im kinda OCD), part of the couch is chopped off. also the back ground isnt completely black, im on a calibrated monitor but i can see the back ground when i move to the left and right, its liks you havent blackened the back out fully. All in all id say the processing isnt bad though. When i first look at the image i look at the couch above her knees.
Image two (another band one), not bad image in itself, as least its exposed ok and focus looks sharp. Again the posing is what really lets you down, every one looks awkward and is looking everywhere. The lady looks like she is very worried. You need to engage more and let your subjects become comfortable with you, they look like they are very very uncomfortable. you need to direct them into exactly what they should be doing and where they should be standing. This shot had potential.
Sorry the underwater ones dont do anything for me, nothing seems to be in focus and something has to be in focus you know? it honestly looks like the camera has just gone off by accident. the final underwater one could have been good if the wave was in focus.
The wedding image. odd processing that doesnt match the theme. i automatically look at the top of the tie as its in focus but i want to look at the hands which are doing the tie up.
the woman getting off the boat, this image isnt bad but the focus really needs to be on her face. i look at face of teddy and not the woman. and she is gorgeous so i want to be looking at her! ohh and cause i cant see where she is holding teddy it looks like its kind of floating there.
The wood chopper ones i feel are your strongest, well exposed, ok composed and good processing. i really like the gritty feel with these ones.
You are good at taking photos in the minute but you really need to work on your posing.
hope this has helped 🙂
Participantis this the image of Zach you like? this is called the froggie pose, it is an advanced pose and done as a composite, multiple images blended into one in photo shop. its not one i usually do as i generally like babies looking comfy and cosey, mum requested it and baby was sleepy enough to give it a crack.
this dog one is also a composite.
as is this one, bub had hands on him at all times (ohh and i wish i turned him so light was hitting his head first and not his bum, we all make mistakes huhh!!)
Do you remember how old he was? older babies are best done as awake playing shots, you can wrap them to get them to sleep and take sleeping ones that way. I did a 3 month old the other day and i got her to sleep and took sleeping wrapped newborn style, it wasnt difficult but then im comfortable with babies. id love to share the shot but mum doesnt want to sign a release 🙂
ParticipantI am only new to photography and charging, i have had no formal training and have taught myself (with a lot of help from CC and other photogs). i use auto focus but i change my focal points to what ever is closest to where i want the focus to be, then i focus slightly and recompose. I very rarely manual focus unless i have to because honestly i don’t have time, i’m not good at it. i will manual focus if i’m doing a close up and i’m suing a very Shallow DOF. manual focus is a good skill to have but from what i understand most professionals during a shoot will use auto focus these days as the camera is generally quite good at doing it and they have enough work to do themselves.
What exactly do you have trouble with auto focus?? what exactly is going wrong?
When shooting kids i use a faster shutter speed, and i bump my ISO if i have to. As the photog you have to be in charge, you can listen to people and see what they want but you have to make the ultimate judgement call. You know best. Pretty much grow some balls and boss people around a little, act more confident even if you aren’t. You really really need to work on interaction with you and the camera. you need to direct them where to stand and where to look. The best bit about being a photog is that YOU CAN SAY NO! you do not have to say yes to everything. You can choose to shoot what you want and how you want, people should come to you for your style and not for your price. I am only recent to the charging world but i am the most expensive photog in my area, my time away from my family is valuable and i want to be reimbursed properly for it. I still get clients even though im the most expensive. If you are practicing or portfolio building you should have the ideas of what you want to do (ie white background) say you are going to do it and ask around till you find someone who is willing to bite, after all they are getting free stuff, they shouldn’t complain about their free stuff (although some do, you dont want those people anyway).
With your second question, i would simply tell them that the red background will be very very hard, i shot a baby on a red blanket a few months back, the editing took for ever to get the skin right (or at least better then it was).
This is a SOOC red baby i did https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/536574_10151523153891587_914460031_n.jpg
while the red doesnt look too bad it actually clipped very easily and would not print very well at all, it would print as bright red blotches basically.
I am not sure what program you use for editing but what i do is use levels and gradient layers in PSE. PSE is a wonderful tool and quite affordable. i like to have the blacks more black and the whites more white. The trick is shoot something knowing that it will be black and white. i think red is one of those colours which don’t look great in BandW as well. I never turn every image black and white for the hell of it.
I think you really have to work on focus as well, focus is not correct for the red ones or the little baby. I learnt to trash EVERY SINGLE IMAGE which was not focused where i want it (generally in a portrait on their eyes) i learnt very quickly after trashing images i loved. Even if it was a great moment or a lovely image otherwise i would still trash it. If those baby shots were mine they would have been deleted straight away, the client would never have seen them as they were not in focus.
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/1234934_10151584667226587_377631945_n.jpg
this is a similar shot to your second baby one, as you can see baby looks a lot more comfortable. i spend a lot of time posing my babies so they look comfortable and cosey.
this is how i would take a photo of a baby who is awake, they have such big heads you cant expect them to lift them up a this age and take a nice shot. pop baby on its back and shoot down, try to get baby looking kind of at you you will have to move into babies view.
I think the glitter ones are your strongest, although they need more light in their eyes i think you should be proud of what you have done.
I am helping you because i think you have potential and you want to learn, if you had of said those red shots were the epitome of awesome i would have continued scrolling.
Ohh and i am new to photography and the business world, its a part time hobby business for me. i only do newborns as its all i am interested in. i am by no means as experienced and qualified as some of the other people on here.
here was my first baby, obviously not a paid thing, this was taken a little over 18 months ago. shot in auto, missed focus, selective colour, no posing, edited in picnik. https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc1/1002610_10151584675286587_977438177_n.jpg
i like to think there is hope for anyone willing to learn…. ohh and notice my lack of watermark…. feel free anyone to steal it and use it as your own work 😉
ParticipantI’d like more bubbles though. That would be really cool.
I am a newborn photographer so I can give lots of CC with the baby ones. Focus is soft on eyes, there’s no light in the eyes. Not too sure how old bub is exactly but tummy with a newborn when awake is a bit of a waste of time. On 2nd baby image bub looks uncomfortable. One eye is open. If you open up the fist and slide under his cheek it will rise it up more and you will see more of his face. Newborn photography takes a lot f time, my average session is 2-3 hours.
Feel free to check out my work if you want http://www.facebook.com/sarahspics
Participantkids to interact with you and your camera. Her feet are dirty (underneath the cake and it bothers me) the background pattern is distracting.
The strongest images are the bubble blowing confetti ones.
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