Would you pay for these? If not what would make you?

chubbyone wrote in post #16489435
Your right. It's easy to swallow up all the praise and feel empowered. My wife has kept me grounded, but is extremely supportive! She wasn't as on board with my Reef tanks, road bicycles, fat-tire bicycles, or audiophile phases. Haha

Yep that is more or less the question. And I do fear the latter point. Any incite on how to have my cake and eat it too? I mean, I suppose the easy answer is to consistently deliver wonderful images to everyone; but, I know that there must be more to it than that.

But yet you took all the praise and so cleanly side swiped any negative comments...

I too had a wee look at tmoore323's photos and I did come to the same conclusion, why would someone with (it appears) very little, if any, ability in the composition department critique your photos, specifically on composition...

I would like to say that, despite having no interest in the subject matter, and not finding babies 'cute' or in any way interesting...your two images are friggin fantastic!

Yes, the first may be a little light, but it does work here, and the second one is just simply stunning, not just worthy of sale....

If you can reproduce these images on a regular basis, I would say you have good chance of becoming a house hold name at this sort of thing...

I thought original images were okay and I also thought edits by others offered an improvement. Perhaps overkill in the tonal part, but the OP was basically asking for CC and got it. That criticism was handled poorly by making judgement on the critic, when they should have simply been accepted for what it was.

I'd offer suggestions but really don't care to have anyone come back with criticism of my work when I'm not asking for it at this time.

tmoore323 wrote in post #16489602
But yet you took all the praise and so cleanly side swiped any negative comments...

No, just specifically yours, and I explained why. I am sorry if I offended you, like I said previously we all work hard at this.

STIC wrote in post #16489618
I too had a wee look at tmoore323's photos and I did come to the same conclusion, why would someone with (it appears) very little, if any, ability in the composition department critique your photos, specifically on composition...

I would like to say that, despite having no interest in the subject matter, and not finding babies 'cute' or in any way interesting...your two images are friggin fantastic!

Yes, the first may be a little light, but it does work here, and the second one is just simply stunning, not just worthy of sale....

If you can reproduce these images on a regular basis, I would say you have good chance of becoming a house hold name at this sort of thing...

Thank you!! That's the by far the hardest part, reproducibility. I just don't have enough practice yet to know how to overcome all obstacles. A big part of the newborn thing is poses and calming the baby, both I need work at yet. Again thank you, I don't have such high aspirations but I certainly wouldn't fight it.

RandyMN wrote in post #16489641
I thought original images were okay and I also thought edits by others offered an improvement. Perhaps overkill in the tonal part, but the OP was basically asking for CC and got it. That criticism was handled poorly by making judgement on the critic, when they should have simply been accepted for what it was.

I'd offer suggestions but really don't care to have anyone come back with criticism of my work when I'm not asking for it at this time.

I'm sorry you feel that way! I think if you re-read my initial "rant" post you'll see I wasn't trying to bash on the guy. I was just blatantly honest about how I felt, and how my approach to this sub-topic has evolved. I am OK with criticism, and if you look back at other pictures I have posted I have never once not accepted what people had to say.

I knew that perhaps I shouldn't have said anything to begin with, the whole golden rule and all, but since this is the critique section, and he happens to be so active here in particular, I decided to get it off my chest.

So go ahead! Say what you will

w/r/t paid shooting no longer being fun.......
"Yep that is more or less the question. And I do fear the latter point. Any incite on how to have my cake and eat it too? I mean, I suppose the easy answer is to consistently deliver wonderful images to everyone; but, I know that there must be more to it than that"

There is no insight to give. Here are the differences, and only one is positive:
1. Contract to hire you (negotiation), get paid something up-front (if you're smart)
2. Appointed time and place (they decide, for the most part)
3. Prep gear, travel
4. Setup
5. Shoot, a lot, because you'll want to give them choices, then tear-down and travel, unpack...
6. Initial post-processing, often while receiving e-mails from the customer asking when it will all be done
7. Post photos for review online (or print proofs, visit the customer)
8. Customer makes change requests
9. You make changes
10. Rinse and repeat 7,8,9 until customer is 'happy'
11. <optional> Customer suddenly wants major Photoshop work, such as removing a person, at no additional charge, followed by you dancing around trying to get paid to do the work, usually followed by you doing it at no charge in a vain attempt to satisfy the customer hoping to get a referral (never happens)
11. Final product delivery
12. Get paid (maybe)
13. Never hear from them ever again

;}

Contrast that with 'favors' for friends whom you shoot for, which is what I do, accepting only beer as payment...........

1. You negotiate a mutually good time/place
2. You shoot, receive beer
3. You post final results online
4. They thank you

See? They're actually happy. And they don't demand a thing.

You shoot for money, and that all changes, Suddenly, everything must be perfect, and anything that isn't is your problem.

awesome shots love the use of bokeh with these.. the second could use some exp but i also like the mood the slightly darker exposure gives...

I would say they are rather standard for newborn photography but pretty well done. If standard was what I was looking for I would pay, yes. Good job

chubbyone wrote in post #16489800
I'm sorry you feel that way! I think if you re-read my initial "rant" post you'll see I wasn't trying to bash on the guy. I was just blatantly honest about how I felt, and how my approach to this sub-topic has evolved. I am OK with criticism, and if you look back at other pictures I have posted I have never once not accepted what people had to say.

I knew that perhaps I shouldn't have said anything to begin with, the whole golden rule and all, but since this is the critique section, and he happens to be so active here in particular, I decided to get it off my chest.

So go ahead! Say what you will

I keep trying to ignore this thread, but it keeps popping up and curiosity keeps drawing me in

I think your still missing my point, and obviously this guys, you put pictures up for critique, at least one person said he didn't like them and explained why, you got all hurt and went to my stuff (I doubt you went farther then the first page which consists of an impromptu shoot of a bunch of kids getting ready for Halloween with 5 other people in the room also trying to take pictures, and my chasing around a 10 week old puppy trying to get snapshots to send to family) and attacked my work. Which if you look at histograms on them show a good exposure foot print and I can and have printed them exactly from these settings successfully.

I have also sold some of my pictures, not these obviously and had repeat business, you haven't.

I have put many pictures up for critique, have received negative comments on some, even from very frequent posters of this forum, but never once thought to go look at their work and point out their flaws and use that to boost my ego.

Many of my photos on there you can see several copies of them, if you look, these are photos I put up here for critique and leave them up as I progress as I for one don't believe you should hide your mistakes and especially on here they should remain so if some one finds a thread, they can see and maybe learn from the progression.

I never said I was perfect, and I'm learning just like you, the difference between you and I is I take all criticism like it or not and add it to my thought processes for the future, not just dismiss it out of hand.

So please keep believing all the good you hear, and ignore even the slightest disagreement and you'll go far in this business...

tmoore323 wrote in post #16497675
I keep trying to ignore this thread, but it keeps popping up and curiosity keeps drawing me in

So please keep believing all the good you hear, and ignore even the slightest disagreement and you'll go far in this business...

Let it go brother! The horse is dead.

S.Horton wrote in post #16490010
Contrast that with 'favors' for friends whom you shoot for, which is what I do, accepting only beer as payment...........

1. You negotiate a mutually good time/place
2. You shoot, receive beer
3. You post final results online
4. They thank you

See? They're actually happy. And they don't demand a thing.

You shoot for money, and that all changes, Suddenly, everything must be perfect, and anything that isn't is your problem.

This is more or less my business model too!

bartc wrote in post #16490519
awesome shots love the use of bokeh with these.. the second could use some exp but i also like the mood the slightly darker exposure gives...

Thanks!

blackdawgphoto wrote in post #16497257
I would say they are rather standard for newborn photography but pretty well done. If standard was what I was looking for I would pay, yes. Good job

Thanks, I'm ok with standard!

chubbyone wrote in post #16497710
Let it go brother! The horse is dead.

^Well said.^

Also, I really like your photos. I won't go into the critiquing, as that's been done pretty well already, except to mention that I really like the warmer tones. It's not something you see very often, and I think there may be a market niche for it.
I'd buy a photo like yours of my own kid, for sure (if I didn't have the capability to take them myself).

S.Horton wrote in post #16490005
w/r/t paid shooting no longer being fun.......
"Yep that is more or less the question. And I do fear the latter point. Any incite on how to have my cake and eat it too? I mean, I suppose the easy answer is to consistently deliver wonderful images to everyone; but, I know that there must be more to it than that"

There is no insight to give. Here are the differences, and only one is positive:
1. Contract to hire you (negotiation), get paid something up-front (if you're smart)
2. Appointed time and place (they decide, for the most part)
3. Prep gear, travel
4. Setup
5. Shoot, a lot, because you'll want to give them choices, then tear-down and travel, unpack...
6. Initial post-processing, often while receiving e-mails from the customer asking when it will all be done
7. Post photos for review online (or print proofs, visit the customer)
8. Customer makes change requests
9. You make changes
10. Rinse and repeat 7,8,9 until customer is 'happy'
11. <optional> Customer suddenly wants major Photoshop work, such as removing a person, at no additional charge, followed by you dancing around trying to get paid to do the work, usually followed by you doing it at no charge in a vain attempt to satisfy the customer hoping to get a referral (never happens)
11. Final product delivery
12. Get paid (maybe)
13. Never hear from them ever again

;}

You got 11 and 12 the wrong way around...first you get paid, THEN they get the product...

tmoore323 wrote in post #16485503
I for one would love to see this picture, and any links to your classes...

Checking back in pretty late, but this is it: