My 2 pet peeves about portrait photography. What are yours?
May 15, 2012 07:35:53 #
I hate it when you go to a family/friend event (without a camera) and people hand you their camera (usually a point-n-shoot) to take "a few" photos because they know you can.
May 15, 2012 08:02:01 #
usaellie101
Loc: Spring Hill, Florida
djw60 wrote:
My 2 biggest pet peeves about portrait photography... (show quote)
In response to your complaint that some children have dirty faces...They sure do and it is part of being a child.
Three of the most famous portraits of children are:
1) The Afgan Girl...Look at her face and you will see she is not clean scrubbed at all. In fact she looks a little grimy.
2) The African Boy who has a huge white milk moustache while looking directing into the camera. It was used by UNICEF for many years.
3) The Great Depression photos of Appalachian children, they are anything but clean.
This is something to think about. The parents are OK with the dirt. I might tend to go with the way they are and do the shoot.
I know it would be hard for me too, but I would have to admit this is NOT MY child. Do I have a right to insinuate my way of raising children on another parent? Would that be altering reality?
I just don't know if we as photographers should be judgemental of our subjects but should we be presenting them as they really are????
May 15, 2012 08:22:51 #
When booking first family, make it clear you work better with no distractions which really does help you with the child or children. If another "prepared" family shows up, flip them a contract.
May 15, 2012 09:14:19 #
Whoa...hard to get happy after this one.
Did you ever realize the physcology behind the 2 for 1 sale when it is presented. On its face you believe to be getting something for FREE. In reality you are getting NOTHING for free except the smile that accompanies the sale. So it boils down to PERCEPTION and PERSONAL RELATIONS. What you perceived as a win in terms of dollars, it is the propreitor who realizes the true profit and a free walking and talking advertisement.
Keep in mind and in FOCUS that you are a paid performer. To sctretch it, a entertainer of sorts, whose extraordinary and appealing personality wins you stage time... and time at the eyepiece. Do not allow your own mental hurdles to begin your shoot. The child 's hair disshuffled.." ..lets us give your little here angel a little more halo that face derserves"......or.... " Can you fix her hair"? Want to enter the scene...absolutely... " I normally charge for this but there may be a work of art in the making that maybe I should pay you for.....now of course any EXTRA rquested prints would just be a nominal fee.
If you can perform with your instrument as well as your pleasing and amiable character when the curtain falls just listen.
That sound is what you are really SHOOTING for and LASTLY the cash register. All else being equal the latter sound will take care of itself when you display your proofs.
Did you ever realize the physcology behind the 2 for 1 sale when it is presented. On its face you believe to be getting something for FREE. In reality you are getting NOTHING for free except the smile that accompanies the sale. So it boils down to PERCEPTION and PERSONAL RELATIONS. What you perceived as a win in terms of dollars, it is the propreitor who realizes the true profit and a free walking and talking advertisement.
Keep in mind and in FOCUS that you are a paid performer. To sctretch it, a entertainer of sorts, whose extraordinary and appealing personality wins you stage time... and time at the eyepiece. Do not allow your own mental hurdles to begin your shoot. The child 's hair disshuffled.." ..lets us give your little here angel a little more halo that face derserves"......or.... " Can you fix her hair"? Want to enter the scene...absolutely... " I normally charge for this but there may be a work of art in the making that maybe I should pay you for.....now of course any EXTRA rquested prints would just be a nominal fee.
If you can perform with your instrument as well as your pleasing and amiable character when the curtain falls just listen.
That sound is what you are really SHOOTING for and LASTLY the cash register. All else being equal the latter sound will take care of itself when you display your proofs.
May 15, 2012 09:33:40 #
My only pet peeve is that I am totally unskilled at portrait photography.
May 15, 2012 09:35:43 #
I have a Big Pet peeve. I am a Pet photographer and I am constantly asked to do charity events for rescues and donate All my proceeds to the rescue. I have tried having everyone sign a photo release stating that they cannot scan, copy, or share the pictures that they buy from the rescue and that they can purchase more from my website, but that never happens. They only get a 4x6 print and they almost always scan it and post it to their Facebook pages etc....I am just starting my business and cannot afford to keep losing money.
May 15, 2012 10:59:46 #
Mommyx23 wrote:
I have a Big Pet peeve. I am a Pet photographer an... (show quote)
Offer a percentage of your proceeds (IE, 30%). If you are going to show a proof stamp proof under the chin in large letters. If they order a print watermark it and inform them that this is copyrighted and if they want to put it up on facebook give them a low res file and small size for that purpose. If charity events do not lead to customers, why are you shooting them?
May 15, 2012 11:23:37 #
I am no professional, but many times I get asked by family members to "take pictures", for free of course, at events of of nieces/nephews with friends for graduations, etc. I don't mind too much doing this, but I think my pet-peeve is when I hear, "I don't like this picture because I have one eyebrow higher than the other", or "I hate my chin" or "I'm not smiling" (after I tried and tried to get them to smile in the mouth and eyes) and the most asked question, "Can you Photoshop me?" (sure, I'll spend more free hours on your free pictures). Sometimes these questions are even followed by, "Can you retake the pictures?" Really??
May 15, 2012 11:27:56 #
usaellie101 wrote:
br Three of the most famous portraits of children... (show quote)
That's a REALLY bad set of examples; they have nothing to do with doing a family photo session with kids. They were all chosen precisely BECAUSE they envoke a specific emotion or show a specific situation; the gritty reality of war...etc.
Wiping off a kids mouth before taking a family portrait isn't even close to the same thing.
Besides...she said that when this was pointed out to the mother's, they realized it and cleaned up the kids face.
May 15, 2012 11:33:04 #
I just don't want people saying I'm mean, I guess!
Haha[/quote]
Would you rather be called mean or broke?
Haha[/quote]
Would you rather be called mean or broke?
May 15, 2012 11:51:24 #
When "they" arrive with a request to shoot their pics, just smile and say "Wow, how lucky is this?! I'm already here..set-up..and now you want to do your portraits!!..let me get out a new contract form for you guys to look over!"..You're always in control!!! I'm not in this business, but I'm sure there is a huge difference between shooting one subject as opposed to a family of 17! You can be as nice as you want to be..not as nice as they want you to be. I own a small hotel in the Caribbean, and people are always trying to sneak "extra guests" into the rooms. "Oh..they'll sleep on the couch..they'll share our free breakfast..they're no trouble!". Anyone who uses my water and electricity (I'm off the grid)..and I have to wash their sheets and towels, will be charged..UNLESS I DECIDE OTHERWISE!!..NOT THEM!! Sorry about the rant..just want you to remember that this is your gig!!..ask (up front!) that you receive fair compensation for your abilities and equipment, etc. Thanks.
May 15, 2012 11:55:06 #
Pet Peeves Re Portrait Photography
1. subjects with eyes closed while being shot.
2. kids who instead of smiling grace the picture with a grotesque grimace. I suppose adults could do this, too, but I have yet to find one who does.
1. subjects with eyes closed while being shot.
2. kids who instead of smiling grace the picture with a grotesque grimace. I suppose adults could do this, too, but I have yet to find one who does.
May 15, 2012 11:56:37 #
rpavich wrote:
quote=usaellie101 br Three of the most famous po... (show quote)
I agree there is a difference (a huge difference acutally) between the photos mentioned above and a formal family portrait.
The wonderful images listed above are unstaged captures of a moment in time, they are candid photographs that have become a calling card for their movement/time in history. Formal Family Portraits, while wonderful pictures that can become of historical importance to family members rarely are capturing a historical movement/event (war, a countries wide spread starvation of it's citizens, a the finaical fall of a country and it's people).
May 15, 2012 11:56:38 #
usaellie101
Loc: Spring Hill, Florida
OK I can accept that.
I just wanted to say it because I did not agree with you.
NO harm done.
I just wanted to say it because I did not agree with you.
NO harm done.
May 15, 2012 11:58:48 #
mtnredhed
Loc: The part of NorCal that doesn't move
14kphotog wrote:
Keep the proofs and only show them in your studio, never give a disc for them to copy or have printed. Do your own printing and SELL copys.
Not to be mean, but that business model started to die about 10 years ago. Don't feel bad, PPA is still in denial (last I checked). Far too easy to make copies. Other than a few enlargements, most everybody is looking at photographs electronically. You can argue (and I'd agree) that's a horrible way to view them, but that's the reality, and outside of commercial and business use, printers aren't a growth business.
The only successful alternative I've read about is that you sell the hi-res images separately at a different rate. So unless they buy at the uplift, they get 800x600 on the CD. They can still try and upsample but it's not going to look the same.
The downside is that people may see the crappy images and assume you don't know what you're doing. Of course that was going to happen with the copies anyway.
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