C&C My Site, please

[Rosy]

Forget about your website, you need to work on your photography.

can you be more explicit

 

[MLeeK]

Yeah, it definitely COULD be. Or you could MAKE it mean something other than the initial knee jerk reaction. There's probably a bit of WORK to do that, but anything is possible.
While you shut the site down and concentrate on learning and practicing you can be taking your time and designing a clean, clear, professional site for when you are ready. That way you're not slapping something together and making mistakes that will reflect poorly upon you.

You've got potential, but devaluing yourself and the industry with this work isn't fair to the future YOU, clients or the industry in general. Spend some hard core time in here for a couple of months and you'll see a huge improvement.
No matter where you are in the skill game but it never hurts to start at the very basics and go through all of the lessons again while asking for help, feedback and guidance. The first set of tutorials are the exposure triangle here Digital Photography Tips and Tutorials and basic composition I really like this site Guidelines for Better Photographic Composition.

 

[thereyougo!]

Am I alone in thinking that I would never hire anyone whose approach to photography is 'casual'? It gives me the impression of laziness or couldn't care less attitude. So for me the name of the website makes me close it immediately.

does it really give that impression? The Casual Approach.

That's the first thought that came into my mind. Casual means laid-back and if you are sending me an invoice for services, I wouldn't expect you to be casual about it. To me it says hobby not business. A casual approach to life is to shrug your shoulders and say "ah well, never mind". i'd be horrified if you came to my wedding with that attitude, and with a name like that I'd never hire you. Don't mean to be over harsh, but the name has way too many negative connotations. Like I say I doubt I am the only one thinking that, and I don't think it is a two nations divided by a common language. The use of different fonts and the layout cements the view once you do see the website.

I'm not saying you have a devil may care attitude about your business, but that's what this name says.

 

[Bossy]

Forget about your website, you need to work on your photography.

can you be more explicit

Theres a lot of poor post processing, heavy vignetting, a lot of b&w and sepia, both of which are fine in moderation, but theres little to no proof you know how to work a color image. Selective color, which was an awful fad about 4 years ago and now shouldn't be done in most situations. Composition issues, chopped limbs, under-exposed images...

A good idea would be to post a couple of your favorites, and get some peer review

​

 

[MLeeK]

Forget about your website, you need to work on your photography.

can you be more explicit

Exposure and using it to control the creative elements of the image
Composition
Post processing
Editing
Exposure.
Did I say exposure?
Posing
Getting out of auto modes and at least into the assisted ones and the proper use of them.
calibration
colorspace (there is no embedded colorspace in your images)
Lighting
Flash
Seeing the light
creativity
Shooting for print
when and how to use selective color properly-if EVER
proper black and white conversion
how to make a proper vignette

 

[Rosy]

Forget about your website, you need to work on your photography.

can you be more explicit

Theres a lot of poor post processing, heavy vignetting, a lot of b&w and sepia, both of which are fine in moderation, but theres little to no proof you know how to work a color image. Selective color, which was an awful fad about 4 years ago and now shouldn't be done in most situations. Composition issues, chopped limbs, under-exposed images...

A good idea would be to post a couple of your favorites, and get some peer review

sounds fair. thank you.

do you recommend sticking straight to color. stay awa from the b/w - sephua/vignetting (heavy)

 

[Rosy]

Forget about your website, you need to work on your photography.

can you be more explicit

Exposure and using it to control the creative elements of the image
Composition
Post processing
Editing
Exposure.
Did I say exposure?
Posing
Getting out of auto modes and at least into the assisted ones and the proper use of them.
calibration
colorspace (there is no embedded colorspace in your images) ? what do you mean by this.
Lighting
Flash
Seeing the light
creativity
Shooting for print
when and how to use selective color properly-if EVER
proper black and white conversion
how to make a proper vignette

color space?is it possible to show me some of your images where you've done this. i am a visual person. it would help me a great deal
do you recommend sticking to color and limit the post processing

 

[Bossy]

sounds fair. thank you.

do you recommend sticking straight to color. stay awa from the b/w - sephua/vignetting (heavy)

Its hard to say. If you want to make B&W the only way you shoot, you have to finesse it and make it outstanding. Its not a one button conversion.And you have to be consistent. You're also going to lose possible clientele down the road because you're boxing yourself in. But some great photographers only shoot in B&W film, so I'm sure it can be done.

What do *you* think? Do you think sepia and vignetting works on your images? To me, it says "mock wild west studio portrait", which I'm guessing isn't your goal. But it might say something else to you.

Overall though, I think it is important to be able to shoot in color and properly color manage.

​

 

[Bossy]

What are you shooting with? What programs for processing?

​

 

[MLeeK]

Colorspace is the colorspace your camera and editing software are working in. For internet use and most printing uses your images should be in sRGB.
You aren't post processing. You destroying what looks like it might have been a decent image to start with by using some really cheap and heavily applied editing. Your tree shoot, for example. I remember you posting it for CC at one point in color. For example you still seem to have a love affair with selective color. Selective color is fine-when done properly. When you make everything black and white (or in your case grayscale) and one thing color you make that color item the whole subject of the image. So in the case of the little girl it's the clown shirt she has on. It makes her look clown like instead of like a beautiful little girl in a tutu.

Post processing is applying a curve, sharpening, adjusting white balance... It's not changing the photo at all. It's like developing the film-not changing it.
You need to back away from the editing. The sepia conversion you are using is orange and incredibly overpowering. Your black and whites are mostly grayscale and in the wedding photos they are totally jacked with your subjects skin being the darkest element-that shouldn't happen unless you have a subject with that deep black skin tone. If you create a beautiful image you don't need to change it. Concentrate on creating the beautiful image-the one in your mind-and then only adjusting the curve, post sharpening, white balance, etc. Editing will destroy your photography and it will eat up your time to the point that you'll never be able to be profitable.

What program are you using to edit? Are you shooting in jpeg or raw? and if you're shooting raw how are you post processing and converting?

 

[MLeeK]

I have images in my gallery. All of which are sRGB embedded and are post processed.

 

[Rosy]

I have images in my gallery. All of which are sRGB embedded and are post processed.

i hope i'm not taking too much of your time. I shoot raw - adobe RGB and I post process in CS5 and it converts it to working sRGB. That's why i didn't understand why you mentioned that i had no embedded color space i think i am doing toooo much post-processing

 

[Bossy]

How do you save?

​

 

[Rosy]

What are you shooting with? What programs for processing?

the majority of the images on the site were taken with a nikon d80 and a tamron f/2.8 17-50mm and i post process in Cs5

i upgraded several months ago to a full frame and i've been on a learning curve

not sure if i thanked you for taking your time to help me

 

[Rosy]

How do you save?

jpeg format - size 10