Are my photos good enough to start charging for sessions?

[table1349]

I have to agree with Tirediron's comments about the photographic and compositional technique these two pictures display. Assuming these are two of your better images, I would imagine that others are less successful than these two frames. I will pass along one tip for photographing smaller children: working at these distances with that lens at such wide f/stops is a recipe for many, many reject shots, as far as focus goes. These have the bare minimum of depth of field; closing down to f/3.5 and finding/setting up less-distracting backgrounds would be a smart strategy for avoiding shots that must be rejected due to slight focusing errors under real-world conditions.

Photographing smaller children of this age is, as you know, hard work! They move! They don't follow many directions! Focus and recompose at this range is **inaccurate as heck** if you are using the center AF square. At 7 to 10 feet at f/2 or so, the edges of the frame and the center of the frame are at different distances; distances which will exceed the DOF band of a lens shot at wide f/stops, and that's where/why a good number of missed focus shots can occur. At f/3.5 or at f/4, the overall net DOF at this camera-to-subject and subject-to-background range will be "similar", but there will be just enough additional DOF to make a keeper out of what would easily have been an f/2 but rejected image.

I dislike rendering opinions of peoples' skill level based on two, individual photos of related children who appear to maybe be the OP's own offspring. Two shots is not a lot to go on, but it can reveal a few things, but it's not the ideal way to evaluate a photographer. If we saw 100 of your photos, we could probably form better opinions, and spot trends, and patterns, and better evaluate the overall skill level you are currently at to a better degree than we can from seeing only these two shots.

I don't have a ton of portraits to show you guys yet.

That is a telling statement to me. In addition to what has already been said, when one is ready to charge, especially in the portrait world one needs to be able to produce a multitude of sell-able images with each shoot. Not everyone will be that golden image, but the majority should be good enough to be worthy of display.

 

[Trever1t]

One of the primary differences between a "Pro" and "Hobbyist" is consistency. A pro will consistency capture pro-level images on every assignment/job.
.

This...well except some of us non-working professionals may take exception.

Consistency is difficult for many because it requires an intimate relationship with your equipment and a broad understanding and ability to see the light.

Can you charge? Like said, I've seen worse. Should you charge? My opinion is that nobody should be charging anyone before they're a Master of photography, but that's just my opinion.

 

[beccaf91]

I do have consistent shots as far as exposure and focus but now that I'm looking through them I see that the majority aren't level and have distracting backgrounds. I thought it added to the overall photo but I see the pros disagree. Thanks to everyone who has provided actual learning opportunities. I'll be back soon with updates.

 

[Destin]

I do have consistent shots as far as exposure and focus but now that I'm looking through them I see that the majority aren't level and have distracting backgrounds. I thought it added to the overall photo but I see the pros disagree. Thanks to everyone who has provided actual learning opportunities. I'll be back soon with updates. View attachment 135286

We're all here to help you grow. We've all been where you are.

Keep coming back, getting c&c, putting it to use. It's a never ending cycle. Keep your nose in a book or a YouTube video. Aim to learn something new about photography daily.

You clearly have a passion. You have potential. It just takes time and work.

 

[cherylynne1]

I've been in your position, so I understand how you feel. Here's the thing: You have excellent family photos, well above average for Facebook and family photo albums. And for many people, they feel that once they get better than their Facebook friends, that puts them in the realm of professionals. However, that's not the case. There is a huge gap between the best family snapshots and the lowest tier of professional photographers.

Right now, your biggest focus should be building a portfolio. Ask friends and family if you can do portraits of them, ask for critique on the photos, then take more. If they turn out well, great! You have pictures for a future website, and the family has photos that they'll put in their home or on Facebook. Then when you're ready for business, all of your friends and friends of friends will be somewhat familiar with you as a photographer, and you'll have your first set of clients. After that, you'll have to work harder to expand from that small circle, but that's a discussion for another time.

In my opinion, a good portfolio should have about 15-20 photos from about 10 photoshoots, and feature a fairly diverse set of people. Different ages, different ethnicities, different body types, etc. It's fine if you want to specialize somewhat...for instance, if you want to primarily photograph children, there's no need to have boudoir shots in your portfolio. But you should have babies, toddlers, and school age children. After you have a name for yourself, you can choose to specialize even further (I.e. only newborns, only high school seniors, etc.)

Anyway, just my thoughts on the topic. You have talent, don't give up. It's just going to take a little more work to get you to where you need to be.

 

[beccaf91]

I do have consistent shots as far as exposure and focus but now that I'm looking through them I see that the majority aren't level and have distracting backgrounds. I thought it added to the overall photo but I see the pros disagree. Thanks to everyone who has provided actual learning opportunities. I'll be back soon with updates. View attachment 135286

We're all here to help you grow. We've all been where you are.

Keep coming back, getting c&c, putting it to use. It's a never ending cycle. Keep your nose in a book or a YouTube video. Aim to learn something new about photography daily.

You clearly have a passion. You have potential. It just takes time and work.

Thanks for the tips and the encouragement!

 

[chuasam]

Capturing the moment and the emotion counts for more when charging for photos. Go ahead and do it.

 

[beccaf91]

Capturing the moment and the emotion counts for more when charging for photos. Go ahead and do it.

Thank you so much! That's just what I needed to hear.

 

[chuasam]

Capturing the moment and the emotion counts for more when charging for photos. Go ahead and do it.

Thank you so much! That's just what I needed to hear.

Ignore the naysayers. I would rather buy your photos that capture the feeling than those boring sharp school day photo crap that some people here produce.
Clients honestly can't tell a technically perfect photo from one with a few flaws. They really want to capture the happiness they feel when the see their kid.
Want to get into the business? Focus on the soft skills, the people skills. Understand your client needs (not just what they say). Learn to package your product. Learn to show interest when they tell you what photos they'd like. Bring treats for the kids (with the parents permission). Connect with your subject.

Sell the experience.
People are more likely to buy photos if they enjoyed the process. Rather than "good" photos and they hated every minute of the shoot.

You'll do far better than the boring formal portrait crowd.

 

[Designer]

Sell the experience.

I once worked for a man who was a terrible designer, but he always had new clients because he could sell his services to the next unwitting client. It was always a new client, never a repeat client.

 

[Destin]

Sell the experience.

I once worked for a man who was a terrible designer, but he always had new clients because he could sell his services to the next unwitting client. It was always a new client, never a repeat client.

Not exactly a long term sustainable business model. For most photographers, your bread and butter comes from loyal repeat customers.

 

[chuasam]

Sell the experience.

I once worked for a man who was a terrible designer, but he always had new clients because he could sell his services to the next unwitting client. It was always a new client, never a repeat client.

Her stuff isn't terrible. It isn't high end but she has to start somewhere.

 

[Designer]

Her stuff isn't terrible. It isn't high end but she has to start somewhere.

You missed my point, but I had to write something.

 

[beccaf91]

I've been in your position, so I understand how you feel. Here's the thing: You have excellent family photos, well above average for Facebook and family photo albums. And for many people, they feel that once they get better than their Facebook friends, that puts them in the realm of professionals. However, that's not the case. There is a huge gap between the best family snapshots and the lowest tier of professional photographers.

Right now, your biggest focus should be building a portfolio. Ask friends and family if you can do portraits of them, ask for critique on the photos, then take more. If they turn out well, great! You have pictures for a future website, and the family has photos that they'll put in their home or on Facebook. Then when you're ready for business, all of your friends and friends of friends will be somewhat familiar with you as a photographer, and you'll have your first set of clients. After that, you'll have to work harder to expand from that small circle, but that's a discussion for another time.

In my opinion, a good portfolio should have about 15-20 photos from about 10 photoshoots, and feature a fairly diverse set of people. Different ages, different ethnicities, different body types, etc. It's fine if you want to specialize somewhat...for instance, if you want to primarily photograph children, there's no need to have boudoir shots in your portfolio. But you should have babies, toddlers, and school age children. After you have a name for yourself, you can choose to specialize even further (I.e. only newborns, only high school seniors, etc.)

Anyway, just my thoughts on the topic. You have talent, don't give up. It's just going to take a little more work to get you to where you need to be.

I realize my portolio is lacking and I have some basics to brush up on. I practice shooting something new every day. Thank you for the advice and encouragement!

 

[beccaf91]

I wish you didnt show the second set. I wont answer the OP question besides saying that.

You've received a lot of good advice above, if you want to start a business, no amount of internet wisdom will help you.

Make a plan. Then make another. Buy a few books related to your plan, get the gear, register the business, get insurance, get a lawyer, banker and accountant. Then if you still have it, the drive, do it.

If you have 0 business experience, get professional help, take a course or two or three on business.

Oh goodness. Well thanks for the "advice".