Stuck; not improving as a photographer.

I've been trying new things, e.g. I learned how to use a 35mm lens and get good shots with it, but I'm not really improving as a photographer. My 35mm shots aren't better than the shots I get with what I normally use (85mm); they're just different.

In other words, my images aren't really getting closer to inducing a "wow" from viewers. I feel stuck. This is my port: https://www.instagram.​com/idealportraits/

What should I do now? I don't know how to actually improve.

If that Instagram page is representative, I imagine that your clients are happy with your work. What sort of improvement are you searching for?

OhLook wrote in post #19088053
If that Instagram page is representative, I imagine that your clients are happy with your work. What sort of improvement are you searching for?

People are happy with my work. But I want to improve; I don't want to be stagnant. I'd like capture stunning images, rather than merely good images, and I don't know how to get there.

icor1031 wrote in post #19088031
I've been trying new things, e.g. I learned how to use a 35mm lens and get good shots with it, but I'm not really improving as a photographer. My 35mm shots aren't better than the shots I get with what I normally use (85mm); they're just different.

In other words, my images aren't really getting closer to inducing a "wow" from viewers. I feel stuck. This is my port: https://www.instagram.​com/idealportraits/

What should I do now? I don't know how to actually improve.

Hi icor!

I looked at your IG page and your website. I admire your work! You have some great work.

I'm an amateur photographer, so take anything I say accordingly.

I will also be making a few comments on photos, not full-on critiques, but illustrative comments. You want to know how to improve; that takes knowing where you are, and where you are is represented by your photos.

You're a professional portrait photographer. Your clients want something that matches your work. You're a traditionalist, and yet I see variety in lighting, poses, et al. On your website, you have a lot of self-trust (guts, chutzpah) to show the bottom right hand portrait of the female (?) in the plaid shirt and the black hat. You can't see her face, but she knows it's her, and I suspect her family and friends do, too. It's a great shot! That's probably pushing the bounds of your clientele. Yet I think you can create a package that takes ideas further.

Look online for photo ideas. Go to your search engine of choice and search for portraits. See what's there. What looks interesting to you? What would you like to do? Understand that when I look at your work I see some really good things, traditional as well as different. If you see something different and it resonates with you, see if it's something you can use; otherwise, move on.

Look online for project ideas. Search for portrait projects. Maybe you'll find nothing, but you definitely won't find anything unless you look. You're not looking to recreate someone else's image, but you are looking for ideas for poses, lighting, settings, and whatever else you can find.

Look at fashion work. Here you're likely to find more avant garde work, but perhaps there will be something that looks good to you!

Look at art, paintings. With Covid-19, more museums and art galleries have work online. Art has been around for a lot longer than photography, so go to the richest sources you can find. Do NOT dismiss any artist. The painting is from Picasso. It's during one of his less abstract periods.

Finally I've added a family portrait I did in January of this year. This was actually done with a tilt-shift lens, and the post processing is updated from what I'd originally posted. Mom's and Dad's class rings are on the outside with our baby's ring (adult now of course) in the middle. While this isn't something you'd probably give as the *only* family portrait, it's a twist on what a portrait is.

You have some great and admirable work! It's "traditional" and it's creative. Just look once in awhile to see what others are doing today. Hope this helps!

While I'll let you find links on your own, here's from a search on "portrait projects photography" (when I just did "portrait projects", there was almost no photography). There are some great ideas and creative starting points for you here. Good luck!

https://fixthephoto.co​m …it-photography-ideas.html

I personally feel that the most underappreciated aspect of portrait photography today is the technique of POSING a subject, to FLATTER them and make them as attractive as possible.

Looking at your website, composition is not lacking. The shots are immediately attractive...but photos 5 and 6 illustrate one principle,
"Don't let your subject (paticularly a female one) show the back of the hand/knuckles...knuckl​es seldom are flattering on a woman (those who have flattering attractive hands are often hand models for professional shots!)"

There are an array of posing techniques that you might wish to investigate and incorporate.
Some of the past acknowleged 'masters of portraiture, like Monte Zucker, really knew what to do (and what not do to) in the pose of the subject, and what camera angles worked.

icor1031 wrote in post #19088031
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In other words, my images aren't really getting closer to inducing a "wow" from viewers. I feel stuck. This is my port: https://www.instagram.​com/idealportraits/

What should I do now? I don't know how to actually improve.
.

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Your work is quite solid, but I can very much appreciate your desire to improve, and the feeling that "good" or "very good" is not really good enough. . No matter how good one gets, they should never, ever, be satisfied, and should always long desperately to create even better work. . I totally get that. . All truly great work was created because someone was not satisfied with "solid" or "very good".

I love that you frequently shoot in natural settings, and aren't afraid to take it out of the studio and do outdoor portraiture.

But the thing with such "ambient" backdrops is that there can be a myriad of distractions in them. . Maybe it's some little area of the distant background that is a bit brighter than the rest of the surroundings. . Or perhaps it's that there is some contrast in the background that is a little too strong, and detracts from the subject.

Maybe it is something a little different that inadvertently gets placed right above the subject's head .... such as the blob of light in this image https://www.instagram.​com/p/B1QYFQCB0Qf/

Or perhaps is's the overall background choppiness created by light-and-shadow, such as in this image: https://www.instagram.​com/p/B7l65BBBn1W/

Or it could an out-of-focus "blob" that is visually incongruous with the rest of the out-of-focus area, such as in the lower left corner of this image: https://www.instagram.​com/p/CBfQC9Cht1O/

Also on that same image is a small, very bright highlight immediately under the yellow flowers on the lower right portion of the frame. . It is brighter than anything else around it, and really grabs the eye and stands out.

I remember an old saying that goes something like this: . "Everything in the frame is either helping the image, or hurting it .... nothing is 'just there'. "

That holes true for portraiture. . Every single little thing in your background should be evaluated, and you should only include things that you believe make it a stronger image. . Every tiny little reflection. . Every branch and twig and blade of grass. . Every little "sky hole" between the tree leaves. . All should be working together to create the aesthetic that you were looking to create. . If anything is not helping to build that aesthetic, then you need to find a way to remove it from the composition.

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I echo Tom's reply about the issue created by 'ambient light' shooting environment.

Some of the issues can be addressed better by using ambient light with greater control, by using your own Main and Fill lights outdoors to primarily illuminate the subject, while the ambient simply is controlled (shutter speed or ISO) to distract the viewer's attention with the background less from the subject. If the subject Main is at +1EV, the Fill is at 0EV, and the ambient is controlled to -1EV, the illumination takes the viewer eye to the subject, not the b/g.

So here is my gut feel after looking at your portfolio. They are technically competent photographs. A lot of photographers seek this. And in this regard, you've done quite well. What I don't see in the images is a story... anything that indicates who the person is that you are capturing. That is where the "art" starts taking over from meer technical competency. They need emotion, something to connect to. And that is really really hard.

A great image begs the viewer to ask more questions. To stop, and try to understand more. A great portrait puts the subject not in front of a backdrop, but an environment the tells more of the story of who the person is.

I would be a total hypocrite if I were to say I've mastered this. As my photo teacher said about me in high school many many years ago... even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally. I've spent my photographic life running like mad trying to run into nuts.

A great photographer knows how to compose those images... I just shoot a lot... occasionally hit something worthwhile. The thing is you need to really figure out what kind of photographer you want to be, and then try to find your inner voice or eye on how you see that person, or event. When you do find it, what others think ceases to matter. You know those images... when you see it for yourself and you just feel harmonized with it.

Don't mean to bash instagram... ok I do.... but so much there is cookie cutter, I don't see how anyone can truly channel their inner vision through a medium so restrictive. It lends itself to images that don't stand out. Not saying they aren't good... they just are not unique.

Shoot to make yourself smile... and it will soon become easy to shake off what ever is holding you back... just my experience for what its worth.

https://youtu.be/Cb5bj​lnDkCs

https://youtu.be/PW8tr​4j1ZWE

this vid has 3 million views.

filmuser wrote in post #19088539
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https://youtu.be/Cb5bj​lnDkCs
how to improve

this vid has 3 million views.
.

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That would be a helpful video for rank beginners, who have a lot fo work to do just to get photos that are "kinda ok".

The OP is way beyond that. . I think that the 5 points covered in that video are things he mastered a long time ago. . They are very basic. . He is trying to figure out what he can do to go way beyond that.

It is relatively easy to go from being a terrible photographer to an ok photographer. . And it is equally easy to go from being an ok photographer to a pretty decent photographer. . To go from being a "very good" photographer to an "excellent" or "world class" photographer is a much more difficult endeavor ..... one that goes beyond YouTube videos about the beginner's basics.


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icor1031 wrote in post #19088056
People are happy with my work. But I want to improve; I don't want to be stagnant. I'd like capture stunning images, rather than merely good images, and I don't know how to get there.

Your portfolio is SOLID!

To me, it seams like you are looking for the "blueprints" for "cutting edge", "standout", "never thought of that before", etc.

What you have to realize is, that level is almost always derivative of an artist. And, that is not to disregard that there are "artistic" people that can replicate "stunning" with a blueprint. But, it is the true artist that creates that blueprint. They use all of their knowledge, practice, failures, repeated attempts, etc. to eventually create their "blueprint" that finally results in "WOW!". It is easy to show someone the way, it is brilliance that finds that way.

You might not have that capability, or you may be on the cusp of discovering it...time and a relentless drive will tell.

However, you should not feel like you haven't become a talented photographer. Like I said...your portfolio is SOLID!

Tom Reichner wrote in post #19088166
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Your work is quite solid, but I can very much appreciate your desire to improve, and the feeling that "good" or "very good" is not really good enough. . No matter how good one gets, they should never, ever, be satisfied, and should always long desperately to create even better work. . I totally get that. . All truly great work was created because someone was not satisfied with "solid" or "very good".

I love that you frequently shoot in natural settings, and aren't afraid to take it out of the studio and do outdoor portraiture.

But the thing with such "ambient" backdrops is that there can be a myriad of distractions in them. . Maybe it's some little area of the distant background that is a bit brighter than the rest of the surroundings. . Or perhaps it's that there is some contrast in the background that is a little too strong, and detracts from the subject.

Maybe it is something a little different that inadvertently gets placed right above the subject's head .... such as the blob of light in this image https://www.instagram.​com/p/B1QYFQCB0Qf/

Or perhaps is's the overall background choppiness created by light-and-shadow, such as in this image: https://www.instagram.​com/p/B7l65BBBn1W/

Or it could an out-of-focus "blob" that is visually incongruous with the rest of the out-of-focus area, such as in the lower left corner of this image: https://www.instagram.​com/p/CBfQC9Cht1O/

Also on that same image is a small, very bright highlight immediately under the yellow flowers on the lower right portion of the frame. . It is brighter than anything else around it, and really grabs the eye and stands out.

I remember an old saying that goes something like this: . "Everything in the frame is either helping the image, or hurting it .... nothing is 'just there'. "

That holes true for portraiture. . Every single little thing in your background should be evaluated, and you should only include things that you believe make it a stronger image. . Every tiny little reflection. . Every branch and twig and blade of grass. . Every little "sky hole" between the tree leaves. . All should be working together to create the aesthetic that you were looking to create. . If anything is not helping to build that aesthetic, then you need to find a way to remove it from the composition.

.

That's a lot of good advice. However, fixing those elements wouldn't achieve the wow-factor that I want. But yes, they'd get me closer.

I've been looking for examples, and it has been much harder than I expected for me to find sample images. In any case, here are a few. I think that anyone with an FB account can access this, and if not, then you hay have to also join this group: https://www.facebook.c​om …&hc_location=gr​oup_dialog

https://www.facebook.c​om …5044&type=1&the​ater&ifg=1
Exceptional effect and scene lighting.

https://www.facebook.c​om …5044&type=1&the​ater&ifg=1
The way her head was posed takes away from the image, IMO, but the composition is otherwise stunning. It has excellent lighting, color complementary, and clarity.

https://www.flickr.com …3283/in/pool-3591590@N21/
I believe that I already basically know how to achieve this effect. It really stands out, and in a pleasant way.

https://www.facebook.c​om …5044&type=1&the​ater&ifg=1
I don't like the pose, but this scene and lighting are remarkable.

https://www.facebook.c​om …5044&type=1&the​ater&ifg=1
Very attention-grabbing.

https://www.facebook.c​om …5044&type=1&the​ater&ifg=1
Remarkable scene.

https://www.facebook.c​om …5044&type=1&the​ater&ifg=1
The scene is beautifully lit, except on the model.


... Does this help in understanding what I think I'm missing, so that more specific advice can be given to help me get there?

icor1031 wrote in post #19088618
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... Does this help in understanding what I think I'm missing, so that more specific advice can be given to help me get there?
.

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Unfortunately, no. Links to pages on Facebook seldom work, because of the way Facebook filters things based on who it is that is clicking on the link. And in this case, joining the group or not has no effect.

Pretty much anything that is not Facebook would be a good way to show us what you're looking to emulate.

There are gazillions of people portraits on F-stoppers and other similar sites. . Surely some of them have the type of look you are going for:

https://fstoppers.com/​media/tags/114


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Tom Reichner wrote in post #19088647
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Unfortunately, no. Links to pages on Facebook seldom work, because of the way Facebook filters things based on who it is that is clicking on the link. And in this case, joining the group or not has no effect.

Pretty much anything that is not Facebook would be a good way to show us what you're looking to emulate.

There are gazillions of people portraits on F-stoppers and other similar sites. . Surely some of them have the type of look you are going for:

https://fstoppers.com/​media/tags/114

.

Do these work?

https://scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net …028694d78e676&o​e=5F26B96F

https://scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net …fa63ad3d3bc3a&o​e=5F2762F3

https://www.flickr.com …3283/in/pool-3591590@N21/

https://scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net …d99fe32a77446&o​e=5F26D006

https://scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net …545a6bf65a458&o​e=5F290F25

https://scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net …17b7a568927fe&o​e=5F2679A0

https://scontent-msp1-1.xx.fbcdn.net …2a3455a5335a9&o​e=5F26A172