A few self portraits I enjoyed

[vannahcometrue]

I thought these turned out neat.

 

[Lunchbox]

nice pics # 1 is my fav...your a very good looking girl

 

[jv08]

Nice shots! You're such a pretty girl.

 

[invisibledemon]

number 1 is by far the best, looks great.

number 3 would have to be the runner up, would be a little better if you had a little more light on the side of your face.

but all in all, very nice.

 

[vannahcometrue]

Thanks. I like number 4 as well but its blown out. I sort of like that look though.

 

[invisibledemon]

yeah, those always look good to me bc it makes you concentrate on the eyes more than anything, and great eyes are a must. lol.

 

[vannahcometrue]

Sadly all of these were taken in auto. I'm such a big chicken. I've recently been asked to do another set of family pictures. I was recommended by the last family I did portraits of. I'm nervous because I'm still learning all of this and I'm far from professional. They keep asking what I charge. I have no idea because I'm not professional. It's a hobby at this point but people are liking my pictures. What do I do?

 

[invisibledemon]

take it as a learning opportunity.
tell the family that your still learning and that if they bear with for a little while longer during the shoot and let you learn and experiment in manual as well as auto dont charge them much if at all.
make sure you tell them that they will have to pay for the prints and things of that nature but as far as the actual set goes, i wouldnt charge.
usually people will throw a "tip" to you after its done.

but be very clear that you arent a pro, so not to expect pro quality as of yet.

 

[vannahcometrue]

well the last family i just charged gas. I had to drive an hour north. 25 bucks. and gave them a edited cd of the pictures for them to print. is that ok?

 

[invisibledemon]

yeah, didnt know it was that much of a drive, an hour north almost puts you in my state lol.
but thats about what i would do, i still forget that you can just put the pics on a cd and let them take care of the rest, and im only 22, feel like im 80 sometimes. lol.

 

[vannahcometrue]

You live in Tn? Yeah. I recommend them to get the pictures developed at Wolf Camera or somewhere else for better quality.

 

[bigtwinky]

Sounds like you are doing the right thing in charging them gas. If you are unsure about your skills and are still learning, the best thing is to be 100% honest with the "client" telling them that you are still learning.

Take the pictures, charge them gas, and learn as much as you can.

As for the pictures, great composition in 1 and 2. Needs more focus though, specially on the eyes which is key for portraits.
3 is too underexposed IMO, 4 is too overexposed

Overall pretty nice job, but as with all us new photographer wannabes, getting off Auto is the biggest step to learn. I was an auto shooter for a while and decided to f-it and just go with Manual.

If I am in an uncertain situation, I'll rely on Av (apeture priority) or Tv (shutter priority) when I need to get a quick pic and ensure the right settings for the right effect.

Come on...do it...you know you waaaaaant it.

 

[invisibledemon]

i sure do. its too cold and rainy today so i opted to skip work.
ever up this way we should do lunch, lol.

and yeah, i would suggest the same, wolf and places like that can usually touch up a pic a little before printing to ensure it comes out best.

 

[vannahcometrue]

Haha thanks. I need all the help I can get!!

 

[vannahcometrue]

Yeah. Another thing with family photos is when you're starting out you kinda have no idea how to pose the people..You want them to look their best and you have to work with what you've got. Sometimes I freeze and am like " uhh..." Someone recommended to put a few posed photos I found online onto my memory card as like a cheat sheet if I need a pose to rely on or something to get my brain ticking. What do you think of that?