What are your thoughts

[srowlandson]

Not at all, I know that your work is fantastic. The point I'm making is there is one lady I kind of know through a friend (who i originally posted about) the images are really bad and some of them just tasteless.
Some are blurry (sorry most)
Kind of makes me think well of she can do it why can't I? I'm more into live bands anyway, but feel I couldn't charge someone as I'm not a professional... Maybe I will start to offer photo shoots and charge people. I just don't feel I'm that great at it. Oh well, u never know what people want do you?

Soon as you charge, your a Professional

Sounds like your Morals are holding you back.

A friend, whom I have taken photos of their newborn, consistently insists I should start charging and taking photos for people. I am not interested though. I don't shoot for money, but for the love of doing it.

Also, they look at the photos thinking they are amazing, but in reality, to them, its the subject that is amazing, their baby boy... its just my photos look a little better (modest huh?) than he ones they take on their iphone.

A friend (yes, i have a couple) also just got married. As with my weddings i attend, I always pack my camera. Well, the 'official' photographer shot some photos, and got a little up set with me when I fired a few bursts with my 1D in High speed + 580EX flash, It got the attnetion of the bride and groom who looked at me. I nailed the shot. She missed it. I felt bad, but thats life.

I have since seen the photos this 'pro' took. I actually thought she was just a friend who was asked to shoot, but now, i see she has a FB page... The photos were average. Simple mistakes, bad light, cropping the tops of heads, shoulders etc. Not good, not good at all. All rookie mistakes, not ones you should be making when taking photos for someones wedding day.

Anyways... enough of my waffle.

in parting, If you feel you can make a buck from your hobby, do it. but don't risk your reputation for a few $$.

[ricktas]

A friend (yes, i have a couple) also just got married. As with my weddings i attend, I always pack my camera. Well, the 'official' photographer shot some photos, and got a little up set with me when I fired a few bursts with my 1D in High speed + 580EX flash, It got the attnetion of the bride and groom who looked at me. I nailed the shot. She missed it. I felt bad, but thats life.

So you should feel bad. Etiquette is that YOU let the professional at the wedding take their shots, and then you take yours.

[srowlandson]

So you should feel bad. Etiquette is that YOU let the professional at the wedding take their shots, and then you take yours.

I disagree. Most professional photographers at a wedding, stage the cutting the cake shot well before the receiption.

There was a ring of about 30 people (I think everyone at the receiption who had a camera) took the same shots at the time.

The 'offical' photographer wasn't a professional, more just another person to spend $1000 on a DSLR who then 'thinks' they are a pro and start charging because they are a pro Thats the point i was trying to make. Charging makes you a Pro.. but doesn't mean you are any good at it.

[davsv1]

I disagree. Most professional photographers at a wedding, stage the cutting the cake shot well before the receiption.

There was a ring of about 30 people (I think everyone at the receiption who had a camera) took the same shots at the time.

The 'offical' photographer wasn't a professional, more just another person to spend $1000 on a DSLR who then 'thinks' they are a pro and start charging because they are a pro Thats the point i was trying to make. Charging makes you a Pro.. but doesn't mean you are any good at it.

I think, if they are "Professional" they should be in control of the event (wedding or whatever) and that means being in control of the guest photographers as well as the bride and groom etc. That to me is one of the main things lacking in amateur pro's, even if they can take good photo's they need to be in control 100%.

[srowlandson]

I think, if they are "Professional" they should be in control of the event (wedding or whatever) and that means being in control of the guest photographers as well as the bride and groom etc. That to me is one of the main things lacking in amateur pro's, even if they can take good photo's they need to be in control 100%.

I agree

[William W]

Most professional photographers at a wedding, stage the cutting the cake shot well before the receiption.

Really?

WW

[srowlandson]

I'm in that Age bracket where I have been to a LOT of weddings in the last few years.

A lot of Wedding Photographers don't hang around much in the receiption side, do a staged cake cut when arriving at the reception and split.

[William W]

Thanks for answering.
Understood.
Your original comment worded another way:
Of mostly all of the Weddings you’ve been to, the Wedding Photographer was (likely) only engaged (paid) up to arriving at the Reception and therefore staged the cake cutting.
?
WW

[AutumnCurl]

I think Facebook is a great marketing tool, I'm of the age that all my friends are now getting married and having babies (errg).
My wedding photographer, put a "preview" of my photos on fb, it was linked to me and all my friends saw it, in turn when my friend got married she contacted the photographer i used because she had already seen the work, and lets face it, she was already on Facebook while wedding planning and clicked on the photographers page got the number and called and went straight back to face booking.

10 couples i am friends with got married last year, 3 different photographers were used, all posted photos to Facebook, all only received a cd of photos.

I also have a friend who is a florist, and does weddings, she has about 800 followers and had been in business for about 6 months, she had a month where she had not booked anything yet, so she put up a promotional package that offered button holes for free, and by the end of the night she had a booking.

its a massive networking and word of mouth tool and its free, i know some people are not into it, I'm in my late 20's and all my peer group and the lot under me are super into it, and its us guys that are having weddings and babies etc which would be a lot of peoples target markets.

[Sobriquet]

I don't get it either Danielle, I see some of the people advertising for weddings, i go and see their page and there are heaps of likers and the work is absolute crap, looks like it's been taken with an entry level DSLR with kit lens and processed badly. I think they have so much gall to even suggest they are pro, but they do and it is full of them. I know personality matters and maybe that is a part of it. I do have trouble promoting myself but I am getting more brazen, I think it is the biggest thing I have to develop now.

[Redgum]

Facebook is simply a larger form of Yellow Pages (international versus local advertising) and therein lays its problem (FB). You promote yourself on Facebook to the whole world and the whole world promotes themselves to you. Sure it creates awareness but you can't really compare it to "word of mouth". Yellow Pages really only worked well for major branded products or even "groups" but often failed on a one to one basis (word of mouth) and was in decline prior to its on-line transformation. You also paid for YP but not for FB and with FB this simply attracts everyone to compete. More competitors, less work for the individual.
Facebook can help your branding but if you really want work many traditional forms of advertising will work better.
Advertising has nothing to do with professionalism. A well written, well placed ad can defeat a good photographer any day and that's the way it's always been.

[William W]

A well written, well placed ad can defeat a goodphotographer any day and that's the way it's always been.

Sage.

The Pen is mightier than the sword.
A well penned, strategically placed penning: is mightier and more potent, still . . . especially when directed to the masses.
I agree – no question about that.



WW

[jim]

What on earth is the point of complaining about how other people run their businesses? Their business is their business.

And this:

I think they have so much gall to even suggest they are pro

What, now? Claiming to be a pro isn't a claim to excellence. Just a claim to try and make some money.

[MaTBoY]

I read on facebook over and over again about "photographers" aka mum has a a dslr now and is a professional family/baby photographer... Sorry lol
Having a special on at the moment.
Eg: $90 for up to 50 digitally enhanced images on a disc to print at your leisure.

I personally hate the idea of burning a disc and giving it to a client mainly because if they have photos printed at Harvey Norman or big w etc the print quality is absolutely terrible. I would not like my name associated with poor prints.

I would prefer to give prints that i have printed at a pro lab than a disc burnt at home- its just tacky

What do u think
Ps sorry if I have rubbed anyone up the wrong way, just my pet hate

50 shots on a disc... I'm pretty sure the quality of printing wouldn't be the thing letting these 'awesome value' discs down

[aweiss]

I would have no problem with that ... to get the digital pictures are a must for me. What is the problem with giving away the digital pictures? The client paid and should get them ... we live in the age where you look at your pics on HD TVs, digital picture frames and show them off on a high res iPad, post them on Facebook and share via email. (I am not a pro ... just a weekend shooter).

There is still a lot of use for prints so ... I love some big prints of my pictures on the wall ... but I would classify this as a nice to have.
So far I only did the cheap prints ... no idea how a pro print would look like. Should try it. What are the best printers in Australia (or overseas with fair shipping rates?) Any suggestions?

[NatalieM]

Just want to add, but as a photographer I can see the negative with giving discs. As a MOTHER, I want friends/family to see them posted on facebook. Just how it is now. I'm moving into newborn/family photography and I *will* be giving photos on disc. Not for ultra cheap and not full high res copies, but this is what people want. I don't see any value in holding their images hostage.

[pearson]

Selling prints burnt to cd should be a last resort. You then release any further earnings associated with those images and as you say, someone can have those images printed poorly and then show them to their friends who will ask "who took these??". Naturally your client will say you did and you may just lose a potential customer over it. I prefer to make cds rather expensive to discourage someone from wanting one and then explain your point of view regarding high end printing and the much better quality they will receive. Who will say no to a better quality picture of their son or daughter looking absolutely lovely, or their own wedding for that matter? Stick to your guns and it will help elevate other peoples idea of what kind of service you offer.

[NatalieM]

I think it depends on your pricing package. I've seen some charge an average sitting fee of about $170, and then prints begin at $65 plus. Now that's all good, but as a client, if I get a gallery of 30 images of my child and just ONE of those prints is close to $100....it's a lot to ask unless you're brilliant. I want to charge fairly, without feeling like I'm holding images of their family hostage. I haven't figured it all out yet but that's how I feel.

[MissionMan]

I tend to agree with the original author but I think it's unfair to tar everyone with the same brush.

There are some new pro photographers that are just plain awful and that's fair enough. Just like anything in life, it could be that that they honestly don't have the talent for it or that they don't care enough about their work to learn more. It could even be that their friends are nice and say they take great shots without actually realizing what they are like compared to proper professional shots.

But there are also a group of people who are good, trying to break into the field and just looking to fill their portfolio's. I used a guy recently who was looking to drop out of the corporate world to take on photography because he only discovered his passion later in life. He had his plans set to leave in 2 or 3 months time and we picked up his details through one of my wife's colleagues who knew him. After looking at his photos (something anyone who hired a photographer should do), it was clear he wasn't a random fly by night. He was immensely talent, inexpensive (because we caught him early in his career) and provided 350 photos on a DVD post processed. We didn't want prints because most of the photos go up on Facebook for family in another country. Most of our parents have iPads to carry their photos around so they don't print much these days. Of the 350 photos, at least 100 were absolutely amazing and I would have happily paid the price for those alone. The balance were really good and all still keepers. I.e. they didn't look like random snapshots, the composition was good, focus was good, but in some cases there were 3 similar shots and these were as good as the best of them. He also provided some prints in both black and white and colour (obviously aimed at less tech orientated parents) which was a nice touch.

I think the point is, it's easy to judge but it's difficult to judge the circumstances. Sure it could be some mum with a D50 who doesn't know what she's doing, but we all started somewhere and maybe the internet and Facebook have made it easier for some people to get into the market where they would otherwise not have survived. In some respects it's great because it gives better access to up and coming photographers and perhaps gives people access to photographers at a price they can afford (is a $50 photoshoot really competition to any professional?). On the other side, if they really aren't that great or dedicated, it'll probably be a passing Fad in their life that they get bored of and move on.

[Dan Cripps]

Charging makes you a Pro.. but doesn't mean you are any good at it.

I disagree.

Professionalism is an attitude. You don't posses it.