[spanghew]

oh, wow.  Scrolling through that page is painful…

Also,  “done as a painting”?  To be honest, it looks nothing like a painting, and everything like a very noisy photo.

https://www.facebook.com/christyrosephotographymoments/photos/a.282662595209457.1073741832.125922810883437/434354986706883/?type=1&theater

[spanghew]

In Jewel’s defence, he (I think it’s a guy at least) does post a lot of work for critique, which would support the theory that he’s really trying to learn.
And I do actually like a few of the pictures, buth the general quality of the work is below the level I’d expect from someone that’s been doing it for 10 years already.
This one looks like it could have come straight off the front page of this site
https://www.facebook.com/VisionOfMemoriesphotography/photos/a.432923146746150.93935.432923003412831/879492228755904/?type=1&theater

But yeah, quality of the photography aside:   having multiple names for the same “business”, writing posts with strange grammar and spelling mistakes, and asking the page’s non-existent audience to rate portraits is a bit unprofessional.

[spanghew]

I clicked on this page’s link, because the name alone screamed “fauxtog”.  The whole thing is a mess.
https://www.facebook.com/VisionOfMemoriesphotography

[spanghew]

I’m not exactly an expert myself, but I looked at the page, and absolutely loved that photographer’s work.

[spanghew]

Photos to really capture those precious memories of your baby.
https://www.facebook.com/606274366144373/photos/pcb.641839762587833/641839672587842/?type=1&theater
https://www.facebook.com/606274366144373/photos/pcb.641839762587833/641839692587840/?type=1&theater
https://www.facebook.com/606274366144373/photos/a.631483653623444.1073741830.606274366144373/641837072588102/?type=1&theater

[spanghew]

thanks everyone for taking the time to give me some helpful feedback.  I’ll try to keep it all in mind in the future when I’m shooting and editing.  Especially the tip about lighting – I have been wanting to learn more about light for a long time now, and I guess it’s time to actually start doing it.

And thanks Nesgran for confirming my suspicions that I really do need that 85mm lens!
I’ve been saving up for one since last summer, but wasn’t sure if I could really justify spending the money on it, which is why I’ve been making do with what I have.

[spanghew]

oh, sorry – I didn’t realise you have to log in to be able to use tumblr!
The reason I didn’t give my flickr account straight away is because there is some work mixed in there that’s more snapshotty, and I wouldn’t really count it as my best photography.
But here’s my link
https://www.flickr.com/photos/127836299@N03/

[spanghew]

https://www.facebook.com/4kendraleephotography
This woman’s page says that she’s been a professional photographer since 2007, and yet I found her in a photography group on facebook, claiming to be a beginner, and asking  “how do I get a blurry background using a Nikon D3100?”
I was tempted to write back that if she didn’t know something so basic, and still considered herself a beginner, then maybe she shouldn’t be charging people up to $200/hour for her “professional” services.

A couple of notable mentions:
https://scontent-fra.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10933822_1612556318968173_2032684398205878682_n.jpg?oh=4d59c59dab3e661f0dd31576a5d323cc&oe=5580C3C7
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/s720x720/10922520_1612550072302131_185485896692134540_n.jpg?oh=9888c6339f84ebdc0a0a5356aed38a84&oe=55B39C9E&__gda__=1434122104_c42994960b5cc7ba8a5faab6773125bc

And although it’s photographically not too awful, this one made me cringe
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10917455_1612550478968757_3745740804196438042_n.jpg?oh=3c961a68800801314b004b490d8ddc4b&oe=558135D4&__gda__=1438073022_c6f73e94171e413627c44e7aba147f27

[spanghew]

The lady described her photography as being just a hobby, and said that she wasn’t advertising herself as a photographer, so she’s in a whole different category from most of the fauxtographers that end up on this page.

If people are willing to pay her money for her hobby, then I don’t really see much wrong with that.  She’s probably taking better pictures than they would themselves, and she might have excellent people-skills.
Without any proper equipment or knowledge, she’s definitely not in the same league as actual professionals, but the families who she photographs might not even be able to tell the difference.

I’m not sure that smartphones are to blame, though. With any form of art (and wine, food etc.)  there are people who are only satisfied with an excellent product, and people who really don’t mind, so long as they get something which isn’t terrible.  Not everybody demands high levels of artistic expertise in everything they consume, and without a bit of specialist knowledge, a lot of people don’t know even know what constitutes a “good” photograph.

My sister has her children photographed by a friend of hers, and I personally think they’re all atrocious.  It’s all old-fashioned 80’s backgrounds, awkward unrealistic posing,  and weird sepia finishes that sometimes have a selectively coloured bonus level of awfulness.
My sister likes them though, and that’s what really matters.  It’s her children, and her money, and if she was dissatisfied, there are a hundred other photographers that she could go to.
The only time she’s ever complimented a picture of mine, it was an awfully overexposed photo of a friend on the beach, where the background was blown out to being almost pure white.  All my photographer friends (and myself) considered the picture to be a failure, but to her, that was the best one of the bunch.

It used to drive me crazy, but I’ve accepted that not everybody has the same standards that I do.
My girlfriend is a coffee expert, and has the same feeling every time I drink a latte with syrup in it.

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