What am I doing wrong?

[aura_jane]

<p>I have been working on my portfolio, and second shooting for a little while. I have most of my experience unpaid, or paid very little. I am trying to advertise to get my name out there, and am having zero luck. I am not high up on Google search, but thought with all the networking and sadly even CL posting, I would get something. The only call I have even received is a person wanting me to shoot a whole day wedding and give all jpegs and print some pics out for under $450! What?! I politely declined their offer, but sadly, that's the best one I have received, and besides the pay from second shooting, I am making next to nothing. I knew it would take some time, but my are is not really saturated with photogs. I would like some advise on my website and my approach. My friends tell me they like my work, but they are my friends. If you were a potential client and you ran across my website, what would you think? I know my wedding work is a little slim, but most of my work is second shooting, and I don't get to use those images. Unfortunately they are also some of my best. Be honest, it may hurt, but any advise is welcomed.<br>

<a href="http://www.theampstudio.com/">http://www.theampstudio.com/</a></p>

[mariosforsos]

<p>Without being a website expert, I took a quick tour of your site and have these basic comments to make:</p>

<p>- Your images are fine, the problem is that in the Wedding part of your portfolio you actually have very, VERY few actuall wedding images! I went through the first 30 and you have great still life images, tons of rings and small details, but very few actual wedding images. And let me tell you, the casual shopper will not insist past 30 images to see how you would shoot an actual wedding.</p>

<p>- I didn't particularly like the "Adopt a furry friend" addition to your site. It has nothing to do with photography and should not be there. You have a nice interface right at the beginning - put it there and make it a separate entity, not an integral one with your photography.</p>

<p>- While the Calendar may seem like a nice idea, when someone goes in and sees ALL dates as open, it does send a negative message, so think about that too.</p>

<p>- The Testimonials has only ONE. Either there should be more or the whole section should be taken out.</p>

<p>I'm sure more professional wedding photographers will have more to say, but that's my 2 cents.</p>

[savagesax]

Something about your black and white images were a bit flat, nothing real creative with lighting. Second issue was no church shots, no reception shots, no people other than 2 or 3 bridal party people sitting or standing. So you may wish to update your site. The photo's you have on your site offer a good start.

 

Getting your name out in the field requires marketing yourself. There has been alot of postings regarding this subject that will keep you busy reading for a day or 2. From my experiences through the years are joining networking groups.

 

Your fees are a bit low. An 8X10 should be higher, $15 may make you look inexperienced and not a true pro. We sell 16X20's, retouched, mounted, textured, sprayed, and framed for around $150 to $200, depending on the frame of choice. We triple the prices of the frames. Anything over an 8X10 should be hand printed, not machine printed. We are actually on the medium to low side here in Los Angeles. Some studio's are as high as $48 for an 8X10.

[steve m smith]

<blockquote>

<p>for under $450! What?! I politely declined their offer</p>

</blockquote>

<p>That's $450 someone else earned instead of you then.</p>

[fuccisphotos]

<p>Aura, you have to start somewhere. Sometimes even coming in in the red. Now generally that isn't advised. For example if you think they are asking for more than $450 in prints, then don't take the gig. Otherwise, if I was you, I would have taken it. Lesson learned, but such is life.</p>

<p>Now you asked for some tough love, so here it is...<br>

The first image I see when I come across your site is a ring shot, and the rings don't come across as being in focus. This wouldn't be something I'm showing as the first wedding image you put up there that people see and associate with your site. If you want to do some ring shots, I'm sure you must have some friends who have wedding rings, get them cleaned professionally and then shoot those in artistic fashions.<br>

In your weddings section, the first image I see while cool, doesn't really read wedding to me. Looks more fashion. I wouldn't start with it. 2nd is the ring shot, and nothing seems well focused here. I understand doing selective dof, but this seems to be missing any specific focus plane, I would NOT keep this one in. 3rd ring shot, better focus, but it really just doesn't say anything to me. Play with different more colorful pieces of fabric, get some flowers from the supermarket and play with rings with that. <br>

4 is fine. 5, I like a lot, maybe have that be your first shot.<br>

6, there is too much going on here. The rings get lost, I'd get rid of it. I'm not sure if you have a 1.8 or even a 2.8 lens, but you should get one if you are going to do ring shots like this and play with depth of field. Don't just shoot it head on, try different angles.</p>

<p>7 if the shoes were blue or some other color than black, this would work. But it doesn't read bridal at all with black shoes.</p>

<p>8 is a bit more creative, but again, somehow find the focus misplaced. The leather grain of the shoe is in fine focus, rather than the facets of the diamond, and the brown background against the black just gets muddy for me.<br>

9 the food shot is ok, but again the sharpness focus seems to be lacking. I am not saying the WHOLE image has to be sharp, but some part should be, to draw your eye there. Also, in this one because it's food I feel like the sloping horizon gives me the feeling that the food is falling off the table. Just is a bit unnerving. Like you are on the titanic eating as it started to go down.<br>

10 does nothing for the bride. You don't want to put up a shot just to have a shot. The dress is puckered and it's just a strange cropping.<br>

11 love the composition, but you have no white white in there. Set it so the program is your white or close to it and I think this one will pop.</p>

<p>12 little boy pinch cheeks great</p>

<p>13 if this shot had her hands posed more gracefully, maybe put this up. But generally it reads to me as hey, I have a big hand.</p>

<p>14 if you don't have too much else to go on, keep it in, but generally I would crop it down. Ask yourself what does having all that background add to the shot. Generally the whole shot is extremely linear with focus straight down the middle. Try to think of the rule of thirds.<br>

15 is fine, kinda boring, but is well balanced, etc.</p>

<p>16, this is very unfeminine posing. Black dresses on a black sofa, they all become an amorphous dress blob.</p>

<p>17 is fine if you fix the coloring of the roses some how. It seems like you've put a gothic filter on it somehow. Even if that is actually the color of the roses, spot color them in photoshop to something happier, maybe add a vignette or in photoshop blur the background so that the focus is on the cake.<br>

18 would be great if her finger tips weren't cut off. This is a shot that is focusing on the hands, you need to get all the fingertips in the shot.<br>

19, he's looking down, and her dress looks too long. It isn't really capturing any particular moment. Her face maybe, but it's just saying I'm walking, and that's it. I'd crop in and capture the joy on her face or with a bit of bouquet.<br>

20 to me she looks a mess. Her dress is brought around awkwardly, his arm is just to the side, not embracing her. It just feels awkward and poorly posed. When I've second shot, the lead photographer made a good point to me that in general try to remember the rule that people have 2 eyes, and that many people don't like their profiles. So always try to have at least even a hairs breath of the other eye showing.<br>

21 is a better composition, but there don't seem to be any true white whites. Just seems too muddied out gray.</p>

<p>22, now I seem where that other odd crop came from. As a potential bride looking for a photographer, I'd look at this shot and go, he or she didn't take the time to neaten out the back of the dress even though they obviously took the time to neaten out the rest of it, just looks careless then. and the background is just kinda depressing to me at least.</p>

<p>23, I don't find this to be a flattering shoe shot. I can see dots on the brides legs from where I'm assuming she has shaved but is a dark haired person, and the shoe is just not particularly pretty. Not a shoe you'd be like oooh look at her pretty shoes! </p>

<p>24 is great, keep it, I'd be interested to see what it was like in color too<br>

25, yeah it's a kid dancing, but there isn't much connection there.<br>

26, he doesn't look like a wedding guest, and again, I don't see any white whites. The angle is soooo sideways it just seems out of place.<br>

27 seems a bit more genuine a moment, but her hands are so pulled and clenched it looks forced, and we don't even get a hint of the groom's eye. He's just covered, and she's completely in profile again. If you'd moved around to the left a bit and opened it up, then this would be stronger.<br>

28, cute but I'd warm up the tones a bit. He looks a little sickly. Being a pale person, I know how this can happen EASILY with my skin tone.<br>

29 you should get rid of. It's poorly exposed. You needed fill flash there. Having the horizon tilted like that when it's a monument just looks odd and it just looks like she's dancing in socks. <br>

30 is a more honest shot of this pair. Ask yourself though, what does having that bush in the shot do to help this composition. It doesn't, it takes away from it. Crop this down. Keep it from the hands up to whatever you choose. Maybe even flip the orientation to landscape.<br>

31 take out immediately. This reads as a snapshot that any person could take with a point and shoot. And I feel like it looks like she's going to prom in the 1950s.</p>

<p>32 is ok, but the hand is awkward again, I'd crop in on the face.<br>

33 seems dark, and again, what is all that sidewalk adding to the shot. I'd crop it to an 8x10 ratio. And again, her shoes just bother me. Her shoes are a blue white and her dress is an ivory white. If you correct the color of the shoes, maybe it'd be less jarring.</p>

<p>34 more says to me, she fell and hurt her wrist than they are praying.</p>

<p>35 needed fill flash, and it appears she has only one leg. And having that thing dead center over her head is just too obvious. Have it to the side, or just concentrate on her emotion. That background isn't that meaningful (at least not to me not being from your area). Unless that monument is really meaningful in your region I wouldn't put it up like that.</p>

<p>36 Girl picking up a rock, ok could be cute, if we got a bit of her face, or if you got down a bit lower or something, but the leaves on the side I find distracting, and there seems to be like a junction box to the right, and behind her while I'm sure it's just a part of the fountain, it looks like something dark in the water which is just distracting.<br>

37 Kid on the cell phone, cute but a) need to crop in on him. Again, ask yourself what does having that utility thing on the right in the shot add? Nothing it detracts from it. b) He's dead center, another compositional no no c) he has a tree growing out of his head, you want to avoid that. Yes I get it's a moment you snapped, and to his family they won't mind the tree, but it compositional errors like this aren't the type of work you want to be showing on your site.<br>

38 again, unless this is UBER important in your region, I would take it down immediately. Just looks like a snapshot of this memorial thing.</p>

<p>So generally, if this was the portfolio I saw as a prospective bride, I wouldn't have hired you.</p>

<p>On to site design. I love animals dearly but putting a link to adopting a furry friend does NOT belong on your photo site. Calendar: showing a calendar with NO bookings doesn't make me think this person has much credibility.</p>

<p>I didn't review the other shots, but make whatever your primary business as the first thing that drops down. So if you want to really be doing weddings, then put that first. </p>

<p>List yourself on craigslist, list yourself on wedding wire, on yelp, everything and anything that you can afford. Hone your craft a BUNCH more. Get your portfolio looking better. Go to different venues, make appointments with wedding planners, and show them your stuff, and hopefully winning personality. When you are starting out, you HAVE to be proactive!<br>

My apologies if this was rough, but I wanted to help, and I think hopefully this may be constructive.</p>

<p> </p>

[neilambrose]

<p>I think your problem is basically inconsistency in your messages.</p>

<p>You look like you want to be perceived as an established studio - you use the word 'studio' in your name, an 'about us (plural)', services described in the third person, multi-layered website, complex pricing packages, etc.</p>

<p>But you don't have the follow through. There's a limited amount of work in your portfolio, almost no wedding work to speak of, and your information page positions you as someone who is inexperienced and spends most of her time volunteering, and maybe takes a few pictures in her spare time.</p>

<p>In short: you're falling between two possible positions ('established professional' vs. 'fresh and quirky') and not hitting either of them.</p>

<p>The root of your problem is you don't have enough credibility. Your primary focus at this moment should be portfolio building, not attempting to make sensible income. I'd suggest you take as much work you can get, at whatever price is reasonable to cover direct costs and expenses, and concentrate on building experience and getting a great set of work to show. Three of four weddings is all it would take to build a solid portfolio, after which you can develop more robust pricing.</p>

<p>You're also not evaluating your strengths. There's no point in attempting to look like a big studio if you're not one - by definition, you can only ever be unsuccessful at it, and you'll be setting yourself up to compete with people who will be better at it.</p>

<p>You'd be better off capitalizing on what makes you unique: such as your youth, energy, sense of fun, quirky approach, or whatever's appropriate. You can probably relate to a twenty-something bride better than a photographer who is in their fifties, so make that part of your marketing. Be about style and personality rather than track record and bricks and mortar. And don't rely on your website for business - 90% of your success should be through personal contact.</p>

[steve m smith]

<blockquote>

<p>And don't rely on your website for business - 90% of your success should be through personal contact.</p>

</blockquote>

<p>Another good reason for taking the $450 job.</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>Like Steve, I can't believe you took a pass on the $450 job, would have been something and could have given you an opportunity to add to your folio and provided additional experience.. Many of the images are very nice while there are alot of clunkers in there. Vail gave you alot of detailed feedback on individual images....some of which I agree with but much I see differently but just as critically. Neil's comments about trying to be an established studio vs. fresh and quirky is valid.</p>

[david_schilling___chicago_]

<p>I would also suggest that you post a shot here on the forum for feedback once in awhile. Also ask a mentor to review some of your images to help you cull the clunkers. The image below from your wedding folio had tremendous potential.....pretty girls, great expression, nice moment.... but it is OOF, the lighting is very poor and the white balance is off.</p><div></div>

[aura_jane]

Thanks so much everybody for all of your great advise. I really need it. Thanks especially Vail for taking the time to go

over so many images in detail. I am going to take my time to go over the ones with issues and fix or remove them. The

reason I didn't take the wedding is because after expenses, I would make more second shooting, plus I have much less

responsibility. I haven't shot a wedding of my own in a while. I have learned so much second shooting, but can't get a

decent job of my own to show off what I've learned. This woman called to see if I could give her all that she wanted for

less than the last person quoted, which was $450. She didn't care about fun funky images. She wanted a cheap body

holding a big camera. The other weddings I did free and cheap, but those were for friends.

[daverhaas]

<p>I agree with the comments above about the $450.00 wedding - you definitely should have taken it - if only to get the experience and have more images to show. </p>

<p>website - lose the adopt a friend - not related to your wedding business</p>

<p>How are you marketing your site? Relying on google to drive business to you is hit or miss at best - </p>

<p>Pricing - When I click to a site - I want to see pricing - for weddings in particular - at least provide a starting point. </p>

<p>The photos that you have are what I'd expect from a 2nd shooter - do the candids, the rings, etc.... not a lot of the actual wedding - </p>

<p>My advice - Take some of the lower paying gigs - earn your stripes... </p>

<p>Dave</p>

[aura_jane]

Forgot to mention, the reason the adopt a furry friend link is on there is because I do a lot o volunteer photography for that

rescue group. All of the animal shots are for them and I have done two fundraiser portrait shoots for them as well. They

have a link to my site from their site. People are really big on pets around here, unfortunately it doesn't lead to paying

gigs. It is very rewarding though! I may try to move the link somewhere else. All of the profits I have made so far have

either gone to my equip, or supplies to help the rescue group. I raised over a thousand dollars for them with the portrait

shoot. I thought to do one for me, but I love shooting weddings and would prefer to make money there. Have one of my

own coming up soon that I did for trade for a close friend. Should be a pretty location and very short work day. Maybe I'll

get some good stuff to show here for more detailed critique.

[melissapapajphotography]

<p>Wow! I didn't go nearly into detail as much as many photographers here, but when I looked at your website, your pictures seemed dark to me. In all of your wedding images - I only saw seven pictures that were of a bride and groom and it was the same bride and groom and not in what seems like a traditional wedding to most - in Utah, Temple weddings are very common and possibly Idaho, but A LOT of people are looking for the traditional "civil" ceremonies or at least more than one temple wedding. Sometimes, you have to start somewhere and $450 is better than nothing...you have to look at the beginning as experience gained, not how much you make. Keep in mind that second shooting, you can't use those shots, so that $450 would have been priceless considering the ability to make your portfolio that much better and "Prove" yourself for the next bigger and better job. We all start nowhere and have to build up with time - unless of course, you are Jasmine Star ;) and catch a VERY lucky break!</p>

[blake_schwalbe]

<p>The furry friends photos are great! I would maybe place a link from within your "about" page where you talk about yourself. That kind of pro bono work is a great way to help.<br>

I think you have a lot of strengths that you can build upon, as the perceptive comments above mentioned, as well as some weaknesses in your portfolio. I think you should accept lower paying jobs, but with careful consideration for how it would help your portfolio, get referrals, and gain experience. Is it a great location? Is the couple photogenic? Are they nice and receptive to being photographed in the best way possible? I would be leery of someone that would want you to shoot all day and hand over a CD. It seems to indicate someone that doesn't value photography or your time and wouldn't work with you in a positive way generally.</p>

[goldbergbarry]

<p>A few quick things that I noticed:</p>

<p>1. You are making a huge mistake in thinking about your web presence as three separate entities: Facebook, web site and blog. You need to integrate all three into one site, which reflects your brand. As a new user, I have no idea which one I should visit. I would figure out how to integrate the FB and blog into your web site.</p>

<p>2. Like someone else said, kill the Adopt a Furry Friend. This adds nothing to your site. Remember that this is a business and people are not coming to your site so that they can adopt an animal.</p>

<p>3. Kill the calendar as you don't want to give the impression that you have no work. </p>

<p>4. Since you built a site entirely in flash, that this will great affect your SEO rankings (meaning that you are invisible on Google, Bing and Yahoo). You want a HTML frame with keywords so that you will be picked up by the search engines.</p>

 

[paul_reklaitis]

<p>Pricing is like a water valve: When you want more water to flow (business) you open the valve (lower your price!) When too much water is coming out (more business) then you can change the valve (raise your price to reduce the amount of business). Image is everything... so don't take a $450 job when work is slow. Take a $2000 job and give the client a $1550 discount because they meet some requirement! (and treat it like a $2000 job, because they will become a sales force for you.) I get 95% of my work from referrals! </p>

<p>Why does a bride hire a photographer? Because she likes you or someone they trust likes you. They only check your website to validate that you are a competent photographer. And your website demonstrates that you are a good photographer. Good luck! </p>

[mike_hitchen]

<p>Wedding photography is about managing people and, as several have said in other threads, you can get away with not being the best photographer as long as you have the people skills to make the day enjoyable and successful (and able to network!). So for that reason alone I think you were wrong to turn down the wedding for $450. handling people when the main photographer is in overall charge is quite different to being at the front end and doing it yourself (when the buck stops with you!). Plus you would get more shots in your portfolio.</p>

<p>Get any any job you can and build from there.</p>

[whiggy]

<p>I agree with Melissa - very many of your images look dark. Not something usually associated with weddings and happy life moments...</p>

[rt_jones]

<p>My take?<br>

For somebody just starting you need to figure out what your wedding prices are and give that a separate menu in plain site. I don't know what your site traffic is like but "pricing" is generally what people are looking for.</p>

<p>I doubt you're targeting $3k and up so IMO putting pricing in plain site can only help in this regard.</p>

[mike_odwyer]

<p>I really like some of your kids photos!<br>

You have a talent for making them look at ease, sure you don't want to go down that route?<br>

As everyone has said, take every job as long as you don't loose money and by that I mean charging yourself out at pretty much zero.It's all about getting a book together at this stage. We have all been there!<br>

The next person who says "but you did it for $450.00 for them" , which is the danger of pricing low, mention the fact that it was a one off, sorry.<br>

Your charges look low to me .You want to cost yourself at just under your competitors , you can always reduce your price ,when negotiating, you can never go up!<br>

In general I think that after 20 pictures you are pretty burned out looking at them , so tighten up.</p>

 

[Stock-Photos]

<p>Hello Aura Jane,<br>

You need to do some research about search engine optimization if you want your Web site to bring in business via search engines.</p>

<p>Your site has very little text (almost none) and people search for text strings with search engines. If someone searched for the term "Tennessee wedding photographer" you cannot expect that your site will show up at all. That term does not seem to be on your site in text.</p>

<p>Even on the "about me" page the text seems to be an image, not readable by search engines.</p>

<p>Consider starting a new site, TennesseeWeddingPhotographer.com or something similar.</p>

<p>So many photographers are overly concerned with images and aesthetics of their Web sites, they forget about what brings in search engine traffic and business.</p>

<p>I wish you luck with your business !</p>

[aura_jane]

I don't really like kids photography because I don't like doing posed portraiture with kids in a basket all day, and

unfortunately in my area, most parents want that. They don't like shots unless the kids are looking and smiling and it has

to be the right kind of smile. Not too big, not to fake. I like natural when it comes

to children. I love weddings, And fashion, I just need to work on it. I have changed my website some and added some

actual wedding shots. Most of the shots I'm not too crazy about, but it least it shows I've done whole weddings. I have also

found a friend of a friend who is very pretty and having a great wedding at a great location and I've offered to do it free,

with limited images given and the option to buy more later. I am excited about it, because I can really do a great wedding

my way and use some of the skills I learned without sacrificing my style. It wasn't just that the job was $450, it's that it

was a job I didn't care for and I felt leery about it. I would rather do a great wedding for free. There is also a large

possibility of referrals with this one. I really appreciate all of the great advise. I love this forum because people take time out of their day to really help people. Thanks so much!

[kim_johnson1]

<p>I by no means consider myself a wedding photographer. But I have done probably 15 or 20, and maybe 25 or 30 so "events" at or below the price you turned down. No website. When I'm at these events, people ask my availability and ask for a card, or even give me their numbers. THEN, there are people who see the photos I've taken and ask their friend to get in touch with me for an event.<br>

In other words, I reiterate what the others have said. You should have taken the event. $450 isn't too cheap, if thats the only offers you are getting. When people are actually paying you $1,000 to do an event, then turn done the $450. The $450 jobs will be you getting experience and paying your dues. Remember, Your BEST advertising, is someone seeing you at the event, and seeing your photos of the event.</p>

[art_tatum]

 

<p>I am drinking the Neil Ambrose Kool-Aid. Man he hits it on the head.</p>

 

 

[marekd]

<p>Aura, I would respectfully disagree with most other posters about taking on that $450 wedding. It was obviously a bride with unrealistic expectations and likely with no respect for photographer's work. These brides very often turn out to be bridezillas. It's better not to take a job like that than to take it and have your name ruined by a an angry by default bride and be put off from ever taking on the wedding again.<br>

The only time I would recommend taking a wedding for that cheap is for a friend or a couple that has realistic expectations and values your work but is just experiencing financial hardships.<br>

I'm sure you have friends who are getting married even this season, take your camera with you and shoot some pictures (just be respectful towards a hired photographer). Call or meet with photographers you second shoot for and see if they could refer you to some of their clients that have a wedding on an already booked date. I am now in my first season in the US but I started in Poland and we (the wedding photographer) would recommend each other all the time.<br>

Your images are fine for the most part - I would remove repeats and out of focus ones - so if you keep persistent, I'm sure you'll do fine.<br>

Cheers!</p>