Are you shooting professionally? Amateur but still for cash? Or just for fun?

I just do photography for a hobby. I only have one flash and I hardly use it. If I were *really* into portraiture, I would definitely be shooting with 3, maybe even 4 flashes, I would have continuous lighting as well, there are some fun setups that I would have if I had a studio for lighting, etc. Gets expensive, but there's some really cool ways to do things.

From the bulk of what I've read, most professionals find their style, and that's usually what they stick to. This is a fairly smart business model for a few reasons. First, your portfolio is relatively consistent... and if it's consistently impressive, and a style that gets clients, then that's all you need. Two, your work will be consistent, and so your clients will be consistently happy with your work. Imagine a client who hires you based on your portfolio, but they just don't get any results that look like what you've got in the portfolio. Three, because your workflow will become more efficient if your style remains the same. And four, because your creative style will progress much more slowly (incrementally), rather than radically, so you make much more conscious and calculated stylistic choices.

Imo I think as long as the basics are good, the lighting, composition, etc, all are down, then it's difficult to go wrong from there. I mean, that should be where the style really starts. Editing should usually be planned, rather than be an after-the-fact thing, ideally. My opinion is this: The more great things you can do (and reproduce consistently), the better.

This post was edited by Canadian_Man on Jan 11 2015 02:02am

There are some cool tutorials out there showing interesting ways to use strobe photography in already well-lit conditions. I think it can be beneficial. I don't know if I would ever do that myself, since I'm not a pro.

My average edit time is pretty low, since usually I know what I want. But if it's something special, it can take a long while, especially if things go from Lightroom and into Photoshop for further work.

It's very important to have your own flare/style, its what separates you from the herd of photographers out there. Developing that style takes years though and experience.

My work at the moment is a mixed bag and im still trying to find myself but i can sense a pattern in the way i shoot.

This post was edited by lithfkn on Jan 11 2015 09:39pm

Double post

This post was edited by lithfkn on Jan 11 2015 09:38pm

Do you have any that you especially like? I seriously feel lost when I even try to think of what to do with that flash. I have trouble focusing when it comes to certain things too so that doesn't help.

I've tried to learn LR so many times xD It makes me want to smash my computer. I swear it seems like they made certain features unnecessarily difficult.



Well hi there ^^

True enough. I feel the same way, I think you've been shooting a bit longer than I have though. I mean, I've done amateur stuff for a looooong time, but I think I've only started to hit my stride in the last year or so. Especially when it comes to at least knowing how to edit a little better, lol. I decided to redo a picture from a few years ago recently, it was actually astounding to me how different it was. I can't believe there was a point where I thought the original looked good. But who knows, maybe in a couple of years I'll be saying the same thing about the re-edited version. It's not the exact same photo because I saved over the old one, but that's how it looked before.



Here is another one that's current, it's the style that I'm into at the moment. It's kind of a goofy photo (my SIL and BIL) but I was really loving the finished photo. Before is SOOC.

hey hey

Been shooting fashion consistently now for 3 years, everything before that is irrelevant haha

Yeah if you're onto a good thing don't change it but be willing to modify what you're doing to make it relevant. Unfortunately a lot of photography is susceptible to trends so you find yourself always making micro changes!

Style isn't just about lighting.. it's also about the feeling that goes through your lens
I went pro and adopted a specific style that is just me, and I see some copycats trying to do the same.... lighting wise there are getting there, but they are missing the 'feeling'
It's the most important thing I find with portrait, otherwise it's just another snapshot

This is what would represent my style: the hands, the pose, and the light... this is just a 'snapshot' I took of my daughter with her horse after he rolled in the mud... nothing was planned, she hates the photo cause she's a teenager and was wearing barn clothes
I don't upload photos on Flickr, I mainly use FB..
Don't mind the ugly watermark, and web site needs an update



This post was edited by MotherOfTwo on Jan 28 2015 02:10pm