i'm honestly and seriously thinking about trying to become a photographer would you tell me if i'm any good?

Question

yeah like i said i really do want to become a photographer. thing is even though i love takeing & poseing ppl for photos i don't know if i'm really good enough to make it. course my family says i am but that's family. so i was wondering if anyone would go look at some of my photography under: "photography gallery" at my website: geocities.com/magic_terri and tell me your 100% honest answer as to weather or not i'm good enough and what i could do to improve. please help me out!??

Answer 1

I like the last page best, esp. the close up at the top and the last one on the bottom. The first page...the in the park pictures...ouch. In the first one, you have sun glare coming through the tree and the background is blown out. If this is a couple, you need to find a way to get them close. I see that's difficult because they are both large, but you want to portray an image with your pictures. You need to create the image of a relationship in the picture. Depending on your knowledge of lighting, you could take them out in the field behind that tree and have better success. Make sure you look and use your surroundings. Picture two...good, but it doesn't say anything to me. It's average. I guess it would depend on what you are using it for. If you are trying to get him to model for you, he needs a different pose. Picture three would have been better without the wall on the left in it. Make sure you are looking at what you are seeing through your lens. This is a skill that takes time to develop. Look around the whole scene through your lens before you hit the shutter. I took lopsided pictures for months when I first started because I wasn't looking. The fourth picture...a tip, make sure your subject has good posture before you take the picture. Lots of people slouch and this guy is one of them. Again, it's about really looking at what you are seeing. The color is better in this one than the first. The rest of this page is pretty blah. page 2...nothing really pops here. I like your subject on the bottom left of the 3rd page. She could make some interesting pictures. That's my honest critique.

Can you make it as a photographer? Well...you have a lot to learn about posing and lighting. Photography is about capturing what you see that's different from the way someone else might see it. It does have a lot to do with your "eye". That's something that's hard to develop. I don't know if you can make it, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. It means that if this is something that you are passionate about enough to put the work in to get better, you could potentially make it. You've got learn what it takes to create a good picture. This includes posing, lighting, expression, angle, all of it. How much work are you willing to do to achieve this dream? I wish you the best of luck.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

OK..I've been a professional photographer and photographic teacher (high school and college) for over 30 years. Unlike most people who are here to stroke your ego, I will ask some questions and see if your answers help you with your decision. 1. People don't buy pictures of other's kids unless they are related or the picture is so unique that it has universal appeal. Who would want to buy your pictures of the child and why would they (don't answer because the child is soooo cute...they all are)? 2. What is unique about these pictures that set them apart from any others you have seen? 3. What commercial value do they have? By that I mean, if you were selling them to a complete stranger, what would motivate them to buy? 4. What mood or emotion did you intend to capture BEFORE you took the picture and how did you make it come across to your audience? Here are some criticisms, hope you take them in good spirit. Photography is a two dimensional medium that represents a three dimensional world. You have to avoid mergers (tones or objects that destroy the illusion of depth). Most of your photos have either object, tone or border mergers. Lighting makes the image stand out. Most of your lighting angle causes the image to appear "flat." Don't listen to the old adage that pictures should be taken between 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (that was designed to adjust for colors on film and to prevent distracting shadows...fine for an amateur, but just wrong for the professional who can control the lighting). Try taking the same picture from different angles and at different times of the day to see how this works and discover the unique properties of light. Selective focus, allows you the ability to control what the viewer pays attention to, you need to work on controlling depth-of-field using the aperture setting on your camera. Choose Av (Aperture Priority) and practice to see how larger lens opening can isolate your subject from the background). You seem to be working with people you know, but not very realistic in the professional world. Go try it with strangers and seek a comfort level and communication style that lets you get the pose and expression you are looking for.

Answer 4

I worked in a photo lab for a long time, so I've seen thousands and thousands of pictures. I really like the close ups and some of the black and whites....the other ones are a little too "portrait studio". People in pictures look more interesting when they are candid photos, people caught off guard. It's more natural looking that way. I think you definitely have what it takes to be a photographer. Keep up the great work.

Answer 5

Honestly, every single image from a professional standpoint sucks. There is no controlled lighting, no good composition, the coloring is way off, the posing is far from flattering... you have females in a masculine pose and vice versa, your black&whites are horrible in contrast and density.

Everyone nowdays thinks they can become a photographer. And the sad part is, there are shmucks out there who tell them to go for it just because they have passion. It takes more than that. You have to have an eye for it. Having passion doesn't naturally make me a dentist or a biochemist. It takes years of work, learning and practice.

So, if you even want to concider taking a halfway decent photograph, start off with the following books:

Studio Lighting: A Primer for Photographers
http://www.amherstmedia.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1787&Category_Code=B

Beginner's Guide to Photographic Lighting
http://www.amherstmedia.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1785&Category_Code=B

Black & White Photography for 35mm
http://www.amherstmedia.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1670&Category_Code=B

DIGITAL QUICK GUIDE: Posing Techniques for Digital Portraits
http://www.amherstmedia.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1901&Category_Code=B

DIGITAL QUICK GUIDE: Step-by-Step Composition Techniques for Digital Photographers
http://www.amherstmedia.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1902&Category_Code=B

DIGITAL QUICK GUIDE: Digital Potrait Photography 101
http://www.amherstmedia.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=1907&Category_Code=B

Go through these books, learn about controlled lighting even in natural light, learn about correct composition and posing and at least you'll be 1/2 step ahead from where you are now

Answer 6

Photography, like most artistic things mostly takes a desire to become better. The more you do it the better you'll get at it. I'd reccomend taking some kind of a photography class and see how you like it.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

There are home study course you can take. There was once a book you could buy, with which you'd teach yourself. I could grade you, if you were to bring me your photos. Maybe even help you improve a little, if youwere where I am.

Answer 9

yeah, about this whole interweb transfer limit capacity stuff...

get a real site if youre serious, theyre cheap and easy to use most of the time

Answer 10

hey thats soo cool thats what i wanna do to... but i really dont think that i am good enough ... but all my family and friends say that i am!! and i would have looked at your pictures and told you what i thought but .... it said it was unavailable right now!!