I am NEW!

Hello, this is my first thread and I would just like a little advice on my shots for my photography business :) ANY and ALL advice is great so please just be honest and type from the heart, thank you and I truly look forward to learning from you all... so excited!

I think they're pretty well executed photos technically speaking. Some of them I think the composition could be better. One I wish the flare were not there. I don't know how on comment of them one by one, sorry.

Try submiting one at a time. It makes it easier for us and also gives a more in depth critique.

Pregnant lady - you need a little more space on the right and you cropped her elbow in a place where it makes it look accidental.

Girl & Boy - cropped legs, and you need a better location

Dogs, - you need a better DOF on both - at least have all the face in focus inclduing the nose.

Baby shots - again cropped feet, and the lens flare does not work for me.

Sorry but you need to work on composition.

Roger R.

This set strikes me as a pack of "near misses" ESPECIALLY if these are supposed to be professional level shots. Roger pointed out most of the technical flaws that jumped out at me. The second shot of the couple on the road is more troubling than the rest in this case, unless the blond is pregnant (and I'm betting she isn't) you've chosen a particularly unflattering pose to portray her with. The telephone pole sprouting directly out of the center of her boyfriend/husband's head is a very elementary mistake. There is no reason a car should be passing through this intimate moment frozen in time. If you choose to chalk the lens flare shot up to artistic license...it's the best of the bunch otherwise.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but there's a lot more to having a photography business than buying an expensive camera and charging people to take their picture. Shooting film these days can also be a drawback to professional workflow as you can't evaluate/correct potential mistakes without scheduling a re-shoot which is not only time consuming, but does little to inspire confidence in your client. With digital you can casually suggest "let's try that one again" without ever alerting your customer that you just noticed you f#%*+d up.

There awesome!

First of all, welcome to the Forums... you picked the best and scariest place to start... :)

A lot of things have been said, and for what it's worth, here's what I can add:

Pregnant Lady - In addition to Roger's comment, I think the white leading all the way out of the photo is a bit lacking... if there were something to hold it in place, it would have made a nice frame... a Window frame? curtain? but not that necessary i guess..

The Couple - I don't know what they are... and that's the problem... what was this? a couple's portrait? if so, it doesn't feel like it... it is more along the lines of, and pardon the straight forwardness, just friends snapping photos.

Pets - I found pet photography to be quite challenging... you want to get some reactions from them and at the same time keep them still long enough to take the shot... the ones that work best are taken from their level... Usually a lot of depth of field is best... as it allows for their movements.

Baby Girl - I like the flare shot, except there's not enough compensation for her face compared to the strength of the flare....


Looking at these photos, I can see something I used to do when i first became "professional"... you would get too excited and wanting to show you know what you're doing, you try to do things fast... If I can give you any advice, as a fellow fresh pro photographer it would be this:

Always plan your shoots, while leaving time for a little of improvisation... Always take your time, waiting for the right moment to take the shot.. and while waiting, always look at everything in your frame to make sure the composition works... even if it takes you 10 minutes to take a shot... not to worry... it's better to take a very well composed interesting shot than a shot that could have been great "if only........"

Hope this helps.... oh and one more thing... this part of the forum is invaluable.. the things i learned here listening and trying... were the major part of my photographic education... Keep it up!

Its all been said but I will add that the dog shots have too much clutter in the background but you did get good eye focus. More dof with a better background would help.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jetrim

This set strikes me as a pack of "near misses" ESPECIALLY if these are supposed to be professional level shots. Roger pointed out most of the technical flaws that jumped out at me. The second shot of the couple on the road is more troubling than the rest in this case, unless the blond is pregnant (and I'm betting she isn't) you've chosen a particularly unflattering pose to portray her with. The telephone pole sprouting directly out of the center of her boyfriend/husband's head is a very elementary mistake. There is no reason a car should be passing through this intimate moment frozen in time. If you choose to chalk the lens flare shot up to artistic license...it's the best of the bunch otherwise.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but there's a lot more to having a photography business than buying an expensive camera and charging people to take their picture. Shooting film these days can also be a drawback to professional workflow as you can't evaluate/correct potential mistakes without scheduling a re-shoot which is not only time consuming, but does little to inspire confidence in your client. With digital you can casually suggest "let's try that one again" without ever alerting your customer that you just noticed you f#%*+d up.

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You don't sound harsh at all, in fact I really appreciate ANY critique, that's why I am here. Just for the record, I shoot with a thrift store purchased 1980's Minolta x-700, and I love it! You are right about the disadvantage to shooting with film, however I haven't had the money to buy my dream camera, and I guess I just like the idea of starting how everyone else had to. I have no formal training (i guess to most thats obvious :) ) and I really want to learn more, so again THANKS!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MarcusK

First of all, welcome to the Forums... you picked the best and scariest place to start... :)

A lot of things have been said, and for what it's worth, here's what I can add:

Pregnant Lady - In addition to Roger's comment, I think the white leading all the way out of the photo is a bit lacking... if there were something to hold it in place, it would have made a nice frame... a Window frame? curtain? but not that necessary i guess..

The Couple - I don't know what they are... and that's the problem... what was this? a couple's portrait? if so, it doesn't feel like it... it is more along the lines of, and pardon the straight forwardness, just friends snapping photos.

Pets - I found pet photography to be quite challenging... you want to get some reactions from them and at the same time keep them still long enough to take the shot... the ones that work best are taken from their level... Usually a lot of depth of field is best... as it allows for their movements.

Baby Girl - I like the flare shot, except there's not enough compensation for her face compared to the strength of the flare....


Looking at these photos, I can see something I used to do when i first became "professional"... you would get too excited and wanting to show you know what you're doing, you try to do things fast... If I can give you any advice, as a fellow fresh pro photographer it would be this:

Always plan your shoots, while leaving time for a little of improvisation... Always take your time, waiting for the right moment to take the shot.. and while waiting, always look at everything in your frame to make sure the composition works... even if it takes you 10 minutes to take a shot... not to worry... it's better to take a very well composed interesting shot than a shot that could have been great "if only........"

Hope this helps.... oh and one more thing... this part of the forum is invaluable.. the things i learned here listening and trying... were the major part of my photographic education... Keep it up!

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THANKS, this is hard ... I will not quit though! :thumbsup: