Photographer wanted. Build your portfolio

[FACEBOOK 10]

Facebook, you are really clueless, and reading all the comments on other threads you have posted, I can assure you, you are making quite a few enemies on here! Try and understand this forum is for people with genuine intrests in topics to post feedback. That does not mean come on here and start upsetting people. Obviously you trawl through this site looking for topics you know nothing about and post just for the sake of posting. I read in a previous comment you made you bought a DSLR. Put your money where your mouth is and show us an example of your effort on how easy it is the create great images!

 

it saddens me

Edited November 2, 2011 by FACEBOOK

[FACEBOOK 10]

Unbelievable.

Edited November 2, 2011 by FACEBOOK

[jezzyjj 10]

It does have to be said that there are a lot of people with cameras who are as clueless as Facebook, who do really offer their services as a wedding photographer. They either don't last or charge so little it doesn't bother those who are good at their job and value their work.

There are a lot of people with cameras out there. Actual photographers however are still pretty rare. Just like knowing the lyrics to a song does not make you a singer [take note dopey X-Factor auditionees], owning a camera does not mean you are a photographer.

[FACEBOOK 10]

classic stuff

Edited November 2, 2011 by FACEBOOK

[harvey19 541]

An important part of a photographers skill is manipulating those he is photographing. He has to get the correct facial expressions especially for portraits, different photographers use different techniques especially with children. A glove puppet can attract a childs attention or a budgie tweeting can help.

[retrogo 10]

Facebook has a very valid point. The advancements in digital photography have made it accessible to everyone. In the same sence when George Estman introduced roll film and the box browny. It revolutionised what was once a pass time of the upper and middle classes.

 

The technology is so good now that the camera operator doesn't have to worry much about the settings/techy aspects leaving them to engage with the subject. Some would argue that this is the hardest part if you are doing social photography? Not so. Most of us do jobs dealing with the public all the time, we just need to transfer those skills to the social photography.

 

It's a bit like comparing dj's to musicians and photographers to fine art painters. There's no comparision! Gues which ones take years of practice, dedication, and in a lot of cases, natural talent?

 

My site is below

http://www.ephotozine.com/user/dynexclick-34266

 

I wouldn't say those images where down to natural talent or years of hard work. I could teach most people to use a DSLR to do the same, or even get the most out of their compact cam. All people need to do is iron out the snapshot mistakes. Though, from an arty point of view, snapshot is becoming fashionable even at weddings, rather than the posed formal shots.

[FACEBOOK 10]

Some sense

Edited November 2, 2011 by FACEBOOK

[livestrong 10]

The technology is so good now that the camera operator doesn't have to worry much about the settings/techy aspects leaving them to engage with the subject. Some would argue that this is the hardest part if you are doing social photography? Not so. Most of us do jobs dealing with the public all the time, we just need to transfer those skills to the social photography.

 

I do not dispute that an element of wedding photography is people skills. However I do think that there is a scale of ability. Whilst some photographers basically point and shoot many do not.

 

According to Facebook anyone could easily take any wedding photography... if they could well we wouldn't be in business. It may just be me but last time I checked just anyone picking up a camera doesn't get shots like some of those in my portfolio on my website.

Edited September 19, 2011 by livestrong

[retrogo 10]

I do not dispute that an element of wedding photography is people skills. However I do think that there is a scale of ability. Whilst some photographers basically point and shoot many do not.

 

According to Facebook anyone could easily take any wedding photograph... if they could well we wouldn't be in business. It may just be me but last time I checked just anyone picking up a camera doesn't get shots like some of those in my portfolio on my website.

 

I worked in a processing lab many years ago. The standard of the majority of the so called professional photographers work wasn't that good, yet people paid a small fortune for a print. Back in the 90's we'd charge the photographer about £8.50 for printing a colour 20x16inch image, a cheap frame later some parent on a council estate would be paying over £100 for the print. I also did work as a wedding photographer through my contacts at the lab. Back in the days of film a wedding was a very stressful afair. I used to earn myself £40 for the day doing backup fotos on my slr for the main photographer using meduim format. If you fkd up with film on a wedding, you couldn't have second wedding to rectify the mistake.

 

Digital imaging makes getting good quality images much easier. Post viewing the image on the camera is a god send. From an amateur artists point of view being able to post see the image takes away the suspence we all used to get processing the film.

 

Anyone who has any remote computer sense can do darkroom stage editing. When I don't know how to manipulate an image, i just google it and find a wealth of 'how to do' sites.

 

Replying back to Facebook. Thanks for your compliments about my photographs dude. Like with any business, a good sales man can sell a medioka product. Unfortunately, I'm no salesmen. Never been able to big myself up or sound really posite.Always too honest with a negative streak. Though trying to sell something without confidence instills negativity in the customer. So I can't win lol.

Edited September 18, 2011 by retrogo

[livestrong 10]

Retrogo you haven't actually made any real point there. Other than to say that digital photography makes reviewing easier and editing tools are widely available.

 

Just because it is digital doesn't mean people can't screw up photographing a wedding. A quick Google confirms that. If you think otherwise then you are as naive as Facebook is. The little green box isn't a magic. Hence why any photographer worth their salt and who charges never goes near it.

 

The simple fact is if just anyone could pick up a camera and straight away take professional grade pictures consistently there wouldn't be professional photographers per say. That is really the debate here. Your blanket statements along with those of Facebook are incredibly narrow minded.

 

Facebook believes absolutely anyone can pick up a camera and take photographs equivalent to those of a professional. With some photographers this may be true but by no means all. There are plenty of examples all over the net of people calling themselves a professional photographer yet being distinctly average. In exactly the same way that you get cowboy builders etc. In every profession/industry there is a spectrum of level and quality of service/product offered. Some good, some bad, some cheap, some expensive.

 

I could post links to hundreds of photographer's sites where the average Joe with a camera couldn't get close to consistently reproducing some of their images.

 

Anyway I'm signing off at that. The issue with the OP was expecting something for nothing which had it been asking for a free meal or what ever else(comparative examples already given) who have generated a similar reply.

[retrogo 10]

livestrong

 

I worked in a professional lab specialising in processing/printing of social photographers work for 9 years. 80% of the work was utter crap, yet the end customer was willing to pay a fortune for it. That was back in the 90s, god knows what prices people pay now for weddings and mobile portraiture?

 

The main thing these photographers/companies were good at was sales.

If you can sell, your 80% of the way there when it comes to being self employed with any product or service.

 

The skills I have developed over the years, like I said are easily accesible on the net. Their is no reason why a novice to photography can't develop and enhance their skills. Many would be better than the so called professionals in the market place.

 

My point is, being able to sell is the real skill for a business.

[speedbirdone 10]

livestrong

 

I worked in a professional lab specialising in processing/printing of social photographers work for 9 years. 80% of the work was utter crap, yet the end customer was willing to pay a fortune for it. That was back in the 90s, god knows what prices people pay now for weddings and mobile portraiture?

 

The main thing these photographers/companies were good at was sales.

If you can sell, your 80% of the way there when it comes to being self employed with any product or service.

 

The skills I have developed over the years, like I said are easily accesible on the net. Their is no reason why a novice to photography can't develop and enhance their skills. Many would be better than the so called professionals in the market place.

 

My point is, being able to sell is the real skill for a business.

 

This issue here isnt selling your stuff, sure a good saleman maybe able to sell a rubbish image but its still a rubbish image. Facebook seems to think after a few hours of playing around with a DSLR and you can start knocking out top quality stuff, which really aint going to happen. Even you say yourself " The skills i have developed over the years " and while you can now teach yourself photography from the vast amount of info that is on the net, a total novice isnt going to be knocking out top end stuff after a few hours which facebook thinks you can.

 

Anyone can call themselves a pro snapper, just cus people call themselves a pro won't automatically mean the images they produce are quality stuff. As Livestrong said you only have to search the net to see that thats true. I have a good friend who is purely a hobbist when it comes to photography and the images she takes would put alot of these so called pros to shame.