Bad Photography Rant

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#21
There is a wonderful statement..... "self evaluation is fraught with peril" I teach canoeing in my spare time.... You would not believe the number of "experts" who have not learned basic skills. Photography is no different.

When evaluating yourself, you need to compare yourself to the right people. If I compare myself to most friends, then I am a wonderful and skilled photographer. If I compare myself to the people on this forum, I have a lot to learn. As a "professional", this person should be comparing the self to other professionals, hanging around with them, and learning.
 
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#22
Tabor Warren Photography said:
distant.star said:
.
As for seeing the pictures as someone asked, that would not be professional of me. But thanks for asking.
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Kudos to you. I was wondering how you would handle that.

I had a similar experience to your Aunt and it bothered me to the extreme that now I am a wedding and portrait photographer vowing to not let that happen to any of my family, friends, and now, clients. I too take great pride in my work and am always improving. I probably should have just vented years ago. lol

Cheers,
-Tabor
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I have been asked (by friends) to photograph weddings, and said "NO!, I shoot wildlife.... I would suck at weddings"... and then asked the bride how she would feel if after the wedding shoot she found out half the pictures were of squirrels and ducks..... Hire me and that's what you will get....

It's not enough to get a good photographer, you need to find a good photographer for the subject matter.
 
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#23
Don Haines said:
There is a wonderful statement..... "self evaluation is fraught with peril" I teach canoeing in my spare time.... You would not believe the number of "experts" who have not learned basic skills. Photography is no different.

When evaluating yourself, you need to compare yourself to the right people. If I compare myself to most friends, then I am a wonderful and skilled photographer. If I compare myself to the people on this forum, I have a lot to learn. As a "professional", this person should be comparing the self to other professionals, hanging around with them, and learning.
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SO TRUE!

I often find myself comparing the works from my business to others in various cities nearby. Often, it's easy to criticize someone else's images, (and sometimes the photo is just bad). Just as I feel good about myself, I come on here or view the works of some of my favorite modern day wedding photographers AND I'm humbled again. Still, we all have to learn at some point, but it was almost two years before I really began to charge for my services. Even at the first wedding I was asked to shoot, I was hesitant and mentioned my limitations, but hey, I did my best, gained more wedding gigs from it, and off I went.

Peace,
-Tabor
 
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#24
distant.star said:
.

Looking at the photographer's Web site she indicates she went to art schools and shot for magazines for several years. I wasn't exactly sure what my aunt wanted when she handed me the CD and asked me to "develop" the pictures and select the best 10 for printing.
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Can you share the website link?
 
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#25
Don Haines said:
There is a wonderful statement..... "self evaluation is fraught with peril" I teach canoeing in my spare time.... You would not believe the number of "experts" who have not learned basic skills. Photography is no different.

When evaluating yourself, you need to compare yourself to the right people. If I compare myself to most friends, then I am a wonderful and skilled photographer. If I compare myself to the people on this forum, I have a lot to learn. As a "professional", this person should be comparing the self to other professionals, hanging around with them, and learning.
Click to expand...

Top Post!
 
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#26
Dylan777 said:
@ OP - any photos as s sample? I want to see it beacuse I after 6yrs in college, I don't make $100/hr. I can see my new carreer here :o
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The Op's photog did not earn $100 an hour either. 100/2=50 the last time I checked, also factor in any travel costs and time if any. I'm not defending the OP's photog in any way!
 
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#29
I live right next to a shopping centre and often see some "professional" with a setup consisting of a few boxes and cushions for the subject to sit on. They're armed with an entry-level DSLR and kit lens stuck on a small tripod (hey! they've got a tripod, how pro is that!!). I suppose they're just maximising profits. There is a board with example shots too - you know the type, bland images of kids against a white background. Honestly, it's just a conveyor belt of mediocrity. Plus they appear to charge about £45 a pop.

I'm not bashing entry level gear (clearly you can take very acceptable images with it) but I feel the end product from these goons is so poor yet people seem to lap it up. Is a grandparent really going to criticise any picture of their beloved progeny?

I know I could do so much better but have to consider if people would actually pay more when they're already happy with, for want of a better word, crap? I suppose you get what you pay for, especially at a makeshift "studio" in a shopping centre.

We should start asking these "professionals" how they achieve such bland results. Maybe stand next to him with a t-shirt that says, "Never pay for crummy photos".

Let the backlash begin!.
 
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#31
LewisShermer said:
How do we know if we're good photographers or not? I hate charging for shooting anything which is why I'll never be a professional outside of the place where I work (where I'm actually a professional photographer) Weird. Who can judge us and how much we're worth?
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But even if we are a good photographer at one thing, it does not mean we are good at another. For instance, my work photography is documentation. I have lots of time to set up, to get angles right, to deal with reflections, depth of field, etc etc... I think I am good at it. Put me in a wedding and you are looking at a disaster. I have no idea what the flow should be, everything is too rushed and chaotic for me, I really don't like crowds, I don't know how I would handle the pressure..... it would not be good. (I have a lot of respect for good wedding photographers who can deliver quality out of all that panic)

On the other hand, I can float motionless in a canoe and slowly inch my way towards a turtle, or sit still until the ducks ignore me... a very valuable skill in nature photography yet completely useless for that wedding photographer.

My Dad was a police photographer. His pictures were technically perfect. Perfect exposure and focus. Family pictures looked like mug shots or a police lineup :)

General evaluation is not an easy task....
 
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#32
The best way to evaluate a photographer is to look at their website or portfolio. Any smart customer should be able to judge the quality they can expect from that. Customers should also enquire at photo labs or camera stores who those people would recommend. I work at a major Southwest US photo lab and customers regularly ask us for recommendations for a photographer. Since most of the local pros use us, we can recommend two or three names who are ideal for the kind of shoot they are looking for.
 
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#36
Don Haines said:
LewisShermer said:
How do we know if we're good photographers or not? I hate charging for shooting anything which is why I'll never be a professional outside of the place where I work (where I'm actually a professional photographer) Weird. Who can judge us and how much we're worth?
Click to expand...

But even if we are a good photographer at one thing, it does not mean we are good at another. For instance, my work photography is documentation. I have lots of time to set up, to get angles right, to deal with reflections, depth of field, etc etc... I think I am good at it. Put me in a wedding and you are looking at a disaster. I have no idea what the flow should be, everything is too rushed and chaotic for me, I really don't like crowds, I don't know how I would handle the pressure..... it would not be good. (I have a lot of respect for good wedding photographers who can deliver quality out of all that panic)

On the other hand, I can float motionless in a canoe and slowly inch my way towards a turtle, or sit still until the ducks ignore me... a very valuable sill in nature photography yet completely useless for that wedding photographer.

My Dad was a police photographer. His pictures were technically perfect. Perfect exposure and focus. Family pictures looked like mug shots or a police lineup :)

General evaluation is not an easy task....
Click to expand...

This is so true. Somehow I seem to do a good job with sports photography, but people think that means I can do other types of shooting as well, which is mostly VERY not true. I spent a week in Yellowstone and didn't get a single decent landscape photo.

My wife does some event photography and I tag along to play backup. We get the pictures back and her's are "Wow, that looks like a great event!" and mine are "Look--people standing around." >:(
 
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#37
My opinion is that photography is an art form like any other—whether you're a graphic design, chef, photographer, painter, etc—what is "good" is subjective. Often times a well-lit, perfectly exposed, nicely framed photo just happens to appeal to no one (even if the photographer loves it), while at the same time, a horrible instagram camera phone shot is made into prints and, receives a million "likes" and ultimately results in a year's salary for the owner...

Same goes for graphic design (that's my full-time job). What I consider great, well-executed, functional design is almost NEVER valued by the client. Because it's not what they had in their head before coming to you, even if it accomplishes their overall message/goal 100x as effectively as their stupid idea. They end up paying a ridiculous amount of money for something that is BS and borderline embarrassing to put my name on.

But I guess my point is, that has taught me that just because I don't value something doesn't mean it's not valuable—and I don't feel as guilty as I did in the beginning. On the same token, I don't feel as defeated when a client dislikes something that I love. I think it's almost necessary to get to that point before you can start defining a style that meets your standards and also appeals to someone who doesn't necessarily care about the factors that define "good" by your peers in whatever art form you're doing.
 
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#38
Jay Khaos said:
Same goes for graphic design (that's my full-time job). What I consider great, well-executed, functional design is almost NEVER valued by the client. Because it's not what they had in their head before coming to you, even if it accomplishes their overall message/goal 100x as effectively as their stupid idea. They end up paying a ridiculous amount of money for something that is BS and borderline embarrassing to put my name on.
Click to expand...
Then you'll be pleased that the guys I linked earlier have a sister site called http://youarenotagraphicdesigner.com/
 
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#39
She could have looked at a portfolio. Caveat emptor. The buyer has all the power when the market is saturated with purveyors of this craft.

I may do some sports photography here and there, and that can be a challenge because maybe the kid doesn't play that game or gets hurt early in the game. So your time may be wasted, but I'd rather waste my time than offer a bad product. But she could have done like most people buying images have done for hundreds of years and simply purchased the images she liked that were printed for her. Then she pays $100 for good stuff... and not stuff that could have been done with... well... with inferior equipment.

It's unfortunate, but she can do what all unsatisfied customers have done for thousands of years... and complain. The CD and the images you provided me are awful. I would like a refund. Maybe she gets it... maybe she doesn't. But it is important for the consumer to speak up.
 
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#40
there's someone locally who is taking wide angle infinite depth photos and then applying a soften filter around the person and saying that he/she is willing to photograph their senior photos or special events. And the person is undoubtedly using their own kids as models... and these kids are not model level... and I'm not trying to be mean, because we all have to start somewhere, but this person is not only jumping the gun... they are jumping at On (for on your mark...)
 
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