How to break your "Plateau", tips on getting from great intermediate to "professional"?

[The_Traveler]

You have a problem that most people would like to have - good composition, sharpness and color.
I think your best work is in the children series where your natural feelings show through - most of them are great with some arising to the truly excellent.

Where I think there is room for change is in your use of the frame. You seem to be hooked on 2:3 when often 4:5 would be better. There are several instances where there is lots of excess space that you've vignetted away - and the vignette looks obvious.
There are instances where the subject has pushed up against the edge for no real reason.
These are minor issues that don't speak to the 'plateau' but that keep your work from being as good as it can be.

One way to get recurring input is, if you have a photographer friend whose opinion you value, try having them look for mistakes or things they don't like - and then accept or reject the ideas as you like. Putting pictures up for c/c is useful but won't speak directly to your issue, which is not finalizing the image perfectly.

In regards the hated 'plateau' - most of your work is very much alike, pretty much straightforward, here's a reflection of what you saw, captured well. But once you can do that, it get's a bit boring - and more dangerous, because everyone knows what they will see, any errors pop out (like the baby picture with the foot of a chair in the corner)

You need some diversity in your 'style', more arrows to your bow.
I think tirediron's suggestion is totally right on the button.
Look for images you absolutely love but in a style you've never done - and try to create them.
That will teach you more than reading exercises on a site.

 

[tirediron]

...I respectively disagree. I think she could use work in processing, posing, composition, lighting etc. These types of classes are available online!

Fair comment; just to clarify, by "done learning" I was referring to the foundations. None of us should ever really think we can stop learning, but I think Amber has reached the point where such improvements in most aspects are going to be slow and subtle.

 

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

thank you for all the feedback. I guess the challenge of "reinventing" myself has come up much earlier than anticipated lol. I'll be sure to check out all of those webinars and yes Traveler, I have a good friend who I turn to for critique and her, I, but no joke, we're almost the same people when it comes to our work lol. Our stuff is eerily similar so its hard to give and get great advice.

 

[pgriz]

Amber, plateaus happen when you get comfortable. You know what you're doing, you know the process, you know what you need to do to get the end result. The risk of failure is low. So... as Lew suggested, you need to get into areas where you are NOT comfortable, and you DON'T know what you're doing. Maybe devote one day a week to doing stuff you've never done before. Say, free-lensing, or shoot a race, or shoot in total darkness with flash... Shoot with a mirror held in front of the lens. The point is not to "perfect" that technique, but to change the mental gears, discover a new way of seeing things, and perhaps refocus your inner child's eye. Perhaps, put the camera down altogether, and take a course in drawing the human figure, or try your hand at pottery. Innovation and creativity often happen when you mix stuff from widely separated fields, and you begin to see stuff in one that can be used in the other.

 

[Derrel]

I looked at just one gallery: Portfolio | Children

My comment would be that about half of these have a VERY intrusive background. There's too much depth of field, and the background is way too much in-focus to be considered "professional photography". Over half of the images in the gallery look very unstudied because the background is so sharp, so clear,and does so,so little to advance the image. You need to develop the ability to show a person with clarity, and then use a defocused background. One of the main things lay people look for in professional people work is a sharp subject and a blurred, nice background. You don't seem to have this "down". Look at Paige W's work for an example of what to do as far as a simple shot of a child, with a background that actually advances the shot, instead of detracting from it. You need a full-frame camera and a few months of effort and study on how the background and the subject relate to one another. This does not require 'exotic' lenses; an FX camera and a 50mm or 85mm lens can do this.

Look at the subject, and then look, really look HARD at the backgrounds in the above gallery. See the one shot with the crooked limb, screaming for attention? See how IN-focus the foliage is on several of those shots? WHY? Why is the background so,so in-focus when it does so little to advance the shot. You need to separate the subject matter, cute kid, from the technique used--ie,. in-focus background due to small sensor camera...you need to be able to see what it is you are showing with more discernment, with a higher level and more keen sense of visual discrimination. This is what KmH is talking about by studying things learned from books about the visual arts.

 

[mcap1972]

I would recommend doing some workshops or just joining some local photography club.

 

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

I looked at just one gallery: Portfolio | Children

My comment would be that about half of these have a VERY intrusive background. There's too much depth of field, and the background is way too much in-focus to be considered "professional photography". Over half of the images in the gallery look very unstudied because the background is so sharp, so clear,and does so,so little to advance the image. You need to develop the ability to show a person with clarity, and then use a defocused background. One of the main things lay people look for in professional people work is a sharp subject and a blurred, nice background. You don't seem to have this "down". Look at Paige W's work for an example of what to do as far as a simple shot of a child, with a background that actually advances the shot, instead of detracting from it. You need a full-frame camera and a few months of effort and study on how the background and the subject relate to one another. This does not require 'exotic' lenses; an FX camera and a 50mm or 85mm lens can do this.

Look at the subject, and then look, really look HARD at the backgrounds in the above gallery. See the one shot with the crooked limb, screaming for attention? See how IN-focus the foliage is on several of those shots? WHY? Why is the background so,so in-focus when it does so little to advance the shot. You need to separate the subject matter, cute kid, from the technique used--ie,. in-focus background due to small sensor camera...you need to be able to see what it is you are showing with more discernment, with a higher level and more keen sense of visual discrimination. This is what KmH is talking about by studying things learned from books about the visual arts.

no offense, as I have always appreciated your advice, but I do have a full frame camera and I only shoot between f/4 & f/2.8.... I use a 5DM3 & 24-105, 50mm 1.8
but I do see that my backgrounds get more focus than needed in some. I guess I should be shooting more in 2.8 & under if f/4 is giving such clarity to my backgrounds.

 

[Braineack]

the problem then becomes the focal length.

 

[CameraClicker]

tirediron, your suggestion of just posting that I offer prints is probably a good one lol. Since I don't make any profit and its more of just a convenience to people (time suck for me) I might just put up an image on the bottom stating, ask me about my prints. I don't want to upcharge for something they could just do themselves. I feel like a crook. The new pricing sheet for 2015 will be a bit higher up and not include as many images, but I'm taking it in baby steps. I feel like if I was the one looking from afar I would be like, "Pff! Last week she was charging HALF that! What made her sooo special this week?"

Haven't looked at your photos, just responding to the printing part of this little piece.

Anyone can take a file to Walmart or Costco and get a print. Most people do not realize 4 X 6, 5 X 7, and 8 X 10 are different shapes. They also don't have any idea how the number of pixels affects the print, or what sharpening does. They have no idea how bright the image should be. What looks good on my monitor looks bad as a print. My monitor is calibrated. The average client's monitor is not. All monitors are back lit, or have a light source. Prints are reflective. As the photographer, your chances of understanding the differences between an image on a monitor and in print are much better than the average person's. Understanding will usually result in better prints. Different papers and inks have different longevity and ink spreads differently on different papers. A good lab will produce a good product. Walmart, Costco, Walgreens, etc., will produce mixed results from the same file. I was making groups of 4 X 6 prints for people and rather than print myself, or spend time in the store ordering one of these, two of those and three of them, I made three DVD's, each with the photos for that individual. The instructions for the store were easy, one of each file. We reviewed the prints and were amazed at the differences from the same file!

If you shoot Tommy's little league game and another parent wants a few prints for free, quality doesn't matter much. If you shoot someone's portrait and they are paying you, I imagine quality matters. In that case, having someone who knows the ins and outs of printing to look after printing is a tangible asset to the customer. Getting a quality print after the quality photo session and quality retouch session is desirable, even if you charge extra because left to their own devices it will be printed at some place that is doing consumer grade printing, poorly.

 

[AmberAtLoveAndInk]

tirediron, your suggestion of just posting that I offer prints is probably a good one lol. Since I don't make any profit and its more of just a convenience to people (time suck for me) I might just put up an image on the bottom stating, ask me about my prints. I don't want to upcharge for something they could just do themselves. I feel like a crook. The new pricing sheet for 2015 will be a bit higher up and not include as many images, but I'm taking it in baby steps. I feel like if I was the one looking from afar I would be like, "Pff! Last week she was charging HALF that! What made her sooo special this week?"

Haven't looked at your photos, just responding to the printing part of this little piece.

Anyone can take a file to Walmart or Costco and get a print. Most people do not realize 4 X 6, 5 X 7, and 8 X 10 are different shapes. They also don't have any idea how the number of pixels affects the print, or what sharpening does. They have no idea how bright the image should be. What looks good on my monitor looks bad as a print. My monitor is calibrated. The average client's monitor is not. All monitors are back lit, or have a light source. Prints are reflective. As the photographer, your chances of understanding the differences between an image on a monitor and in print are much better than the average person's. Understanding will usually result in better prints. Different papers and inks have different longevity and ink spreads differently on different papers. A good lab will produce a good product. Walmart, Costco, Walgreens, etc., will produce mixed results from the same file. I was making groups of 4 X 6 prints for people and rather than print myself, or spend time in the store ordering one of these, two of those and three of them, I made three DVD's, each with the photos for that individual. The instructions for the store were easy, one of each file. We reviewed the prints and were amazed at the differences from the same file!

If you shoot Tommy's little league game and another parent wants a few prints for free, quality doesn't matter much. If you shoot someone's portrait and they are paying you, I imagine quality matters. In that case, having someone who knows the ins and outs of printing to look after printing is a tangible asset to the customer. Getting a quality print after the quality photo session and quality retouch session is desirable, even if you charge extra because left to their own devices it will be printed at some place that is doing consumer grade printing, poorly.

I absolutely understand and DO use a high quality print service and offer my clients to use that service if they so choose. I warn them of the dicey printing quality of drugstores and inform them how color calibration works. So the ones that care about that ask to place a print order through my printing services, the ones that don't go to CVS and have been warned.
Since digital files are included in each client's package and they do have the permission to take their disc to wherever, I charge them what I get charged myself when I order prints of my own family from my printing service. I do not want the hassle of creating custom image galleries, waiting for clients to choose and then charging per print and putting in orders. I prefer to give them a set amount of digital files per session. I make my profit on time spent, not prints.
For now I'm a part time photographer, I do not say full-time, not because I have another job, but because I am a home maker and mother 90% of the time, 10% of each day devoted to my business. If I was full time I would most likely go to the digital gallery route where clients pay per print of each image instead of digital files.

 

[Mike_E]

Old married guy here (with a happy(ish)) wife so take that into consideration.

First, drop the kids off at the sitter's and then go have a nice brunch. No sweats but comfortable shoes. Leave the camera at home.

Second, get your nails done and maybe a pedicure. (all of this is to clear the palette if you will)

Then get yourself to a museum and a gallery or two. Enjoy the works you see but consider how you would have made them better. If you have time walk around downtown and consider a short story or book you've enjoyed and consider how you would shoot a series to illustrate it.

Go pick up the kid(s), order delivery, then have a nice cup of tea and remember your day. Tomorrow comes early and it will be a new day.

best

 

[Vince.1551]

Try taking part in an international competition.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DevC]

I'll be on the boat that you have an excellent portfolio at this moment. Everyone has room for improvement although.

Therefore, my suggestions...
When your weightlifting and hit a plateu, there are a few ways to improve. One is to reduce the weight and continue with it, or just up the weight and do as many reps as you can. TO try and translate this to photography, the two options goes as follows:
-Continue shooting- shoot alot, shoot more, shoot until you drop. Maybe you'll learn more from just expirementing and trying. Get into more landscape work, etc...

-Take a step back and go over more fundamentals. Learn more about dynamic composition and framing. This doesn't mean spend more money on gear..but take a minute to reemphasize lighting in your teachings. Work from there.

 

[MichaelHenson]

I'm nowhere near where you are and I'm worlds away from where I want to be but one thing I've consistently heard from the professional-I-do-this-all-the-time-and-travel-the-world-getting-paid-to-take-amazing-photos photographers that I read/follow is to MAKE TIME for you to shoot what you want to shoot. They all talk about reaching plateaus, burnout, etc. and the way that they continue to evolve is to conscientiously make time to work on a personal project. The very first photographer that I was BLOWN AWAY by when I started my journey made the statement that, "...my personal projects provide the fuel for my commercial work." (Or something really close to that...his name is Ming Thein, check him out!) It is during your personal projects that you can experiment, stretch yourself, and stumble upon new techniques, preferences, poses, etc. that will directly impact your quality and enjoyment of your day-to-day paid work.

Since you shoot portraits/weddings, etc., maybe you should set aside some time each week to camp out at a local coffee shop/wine bar/whatever and just take some "street" style B&W photos. Or, schedule a camping trip or long drive through the forest somewhere to take some landscape/nature photos. Or, take some time to master a new technique (double-exposure, longer exposures, etc.) that might provide a unique new look to a "game" that you've nearly mastered.

Another note, I've heard it said that Eric Clapton used to force himself to make a mistake during his solos in order to force himself in a different musical direction. I'm not saying to mess up client photos on purpose but the photographic version of this might be to somehow place a restriction or a limit on your approach to a client shoot. For example, you are GOING to use some sort of lighting mod in EVERY shot, or you aren't going to use non-natural lighting at all, or you are only going to use one specific lens, etc. (Not saying that these are great examples but you get the idea...hopefully?)

Regarding resources, others have mentioned Creative Live video classes. Another resource is Kelby Training. You can also check out workshops. Maybe instead of spending $300-600 on another lens, take that money, hop in the car and take a long weekend trip to a workshop by David Hobby (the Strobist guy), Zack Arias, Ming Thein (when he's in the U.S.), or anyone else you would really like to learn from...

Those are going to be my techniques once I get to the point that I am consistently excellent with my photos...someday!

 

[Gary A.]

Shoot and display the Full Frame.
(This is not about the camera but about composition)

The first person I read/heard of boasting of this technique was Henri Cartier-Bresson. He never cropped his images in the darkroom, only in the camera. Henri even filed out his negative carrier to show the non-exposed borders of the frame, (clear on the negative, black on the print). I filed out my negative carrier and worked to attain a similar level of competency. This training of dumping images which were not cropped successfully in-camera went a long way to improving my photography. This simple process of fine-tuning the composition also lead me to be more conscience of my settings.

There was a time in my photographic when I was able to consistently shoot and print only FF. Over the years I have let my skills drop but I am striving to get back to that level.

Good Luck and Good Shooting,
Gary

The Black Borders