To the OP. The short answer is, no, you're no. Just be blunt, not mean. Hnestly, I think there are some nice shots in there, and better than a lot of people who postulate that question. But it definitely doesn't look up to the quality that I would want to see from someone who is charging money. Most of it has already been said.
But here's the other thing. It looks like, and I think this already got clarified, that your subjects are all friends and family. I think before anyone is ready to start charging, their portfolio should be completely devoid of f&f for two reasons. One, by that time, you should have enough experience to give you a large enough body of good work that you don't need to rely on f&f shots to have a large enough portfolio. While I'll admit that it's fine to have a shot mixed your portfolio of little nephew Jimmy, because it's just a fabulous shot, that's not most people. The majority of the time you see f&f in a portfolio, it's because tht person hasn't shot much else.
Reason number two, is that having f&f in your port doesn't accurately display your true abilities. Because the reality is that it is much easier to work with your sister and cute little nephew Jimmy, than it is to work with woman you jus t met and her crazy kid who has never seen you before. So you take a bunch of great photos of people you've known for years, and then use them to lead people you've never met to think that our can do the same thing with their kids is falsification in my mind.
But here's the real answer to this question: I hate this question! I hate it because the question is never 'do you think I'm good?', or 'is my work up to a professional standard?' or 'have achieved a certain level of mastery of the craft?' or 'is my work inspiring or artistic?'. It's always basically, 'have I achieved the lowest possible level to which I can start charging money for barely passable work?'
I fully understand that we all have to start somowhere, and that you have to s tart charging at some point. But it's the mental approach that i have a problem with. The root of this question is just a desire to be good enough, not to be great. A desire to successfully meet the status quo, not to surpass it. non one was ever great on accident, and no amount of trying to be good enough will ever cause you to be better than just that.
