You got my attention........

[Patrice]

Regardless of what anyone here says I think your first image in your original post is great. That image caught my attention immediately. I keep going back to it and discovering various small elements in it that were not immediately noticeable. I also like the sepia like rendering you first presented. We see so many images here that are just so 'oh well'. Just another car, just another bride, just another tree, yours is different.

I don't care about what many others deem to be technical flaws, so what, sometimes an image is striking simply because it breaks the mould.

Thanks for sharing it with us.

 

[KmH]

I think I should just note that my goal is Not to become the typical photographer; posing, studio, ect..... I am working toward only doing natural light photography, and getting those candid natural every day moments. candid shots are my FAVORITE!! This can be tough with children though as they are constantly moving but I know It's something I can work on. And as for my lens, yea the 50mm 1.8 was given to me, no way can I afford anything else. My husband and I have 5 children and he is currently laid off but my dream lense is the 85mm 1.2 I have been drooling over this lens for some time now!! I would also like to eventually get the Canon 5D Mark II but considering my financial situation by the time I can afford it there be a better one out there!

Would you like to know what we call photographers who say they are "natural light photographers"? We call them photographers who don't know how to use flash!

Some term them fauxtographers. Quit looking at Facebook.

Just what you need. A f/1.2 lens. :thumbdown:

You don't understand, because you have no clue. The typical today photographer is a "natural light, don't/don't know how to pose, don't/don't know how to light, don't have a studio" photographer. That pretty much defines the vast majority of today's one-on-every-street-corner, entry-level, retail photographer that essentially has an illegal business, no technical or artistic skills and little if any desire to ever do the work needed to acquire those skills.

But the churn at the entry level is massive, because only 1 out of every 40,000 of those "natural light only, candid, natural, every day moments, don't/don't know how to pose, don't/don't know how to light, don't have a studio" photographer's actually make any money. Most of those types of retail photography businesses are supported by other income. For a short time anyway.

Today, the 'uses strobed lighting, knows how to pose, has a studio' photographer is in the decided minority, and are about the only photographers around that have a viable, ongoing, actually makes a profit business.

Here is some reality for you. For a full time retail photographer, that has a legal business, to make minimum wage after all the business expenses and personal helth insurance, retirement monies have been paid, needs gross total revenues of between $100,000 and $120,000 a year. That's about $8250 to $10,000 average per month - month, after month, after month.

Well more than 1/2 of a retail photographers time is spent doing business tasks like accounting, developing marketing and promotional plans, networking, drumming up new business, maintaining a web site/blog/social networking, etc.

 

[MTVision]

Edit 1


Edit 2

 

[GeorgieGirl]

None of the edits work...IMHO...its a recovery. Great idea for comp but its just not working no matter what the edit is...maybe focus on what the exposures need to be and any flashes and modifiers need to be going forward. Th shot is being editied to the nth dregree, but none of it is really working. It was a meh option from the start for an edit.

OK so hate me....

 

[Elizabeth30]

I LOVE the first edit!!! I still wish the signs remained. I think the orange cone is more distracting then the signs. I second edit is nice too but I love the toning in the first one! Thanks!

 

[Elizabeth30]

Thank you so much!! I have gotten a lot of good info coming here but I still want to maintain my own style.... you know? I don't want to do things the "technical" way. I know there is sooooo much I still need to learn and work on but some things are better when they are different.

 

[MTVision]

I LOVE the first edit!!! I still wish the signs remained. I think the orange cone is more distracting then the signs. I second edit is nice too but I love the toning in the first one! Thanks!

The first edit is the one I liked as well. I didn't bring it into camera raw - I just did a levels adjustment to set the black point - I did try putting a haze on it with levels but it didn't look right. Then I used a color boost action that I made and that was it. The 2nd one I added an orangish colored haze on top of the stuff I did in the first edit.

I just wanted to see what it would look like without the signs - I know you liked them. If you were going to crop the way MLeek did then you'd have to at least get rid of the street sign because it would only show a small part of it.

 

[MLeeK]

Edit 1


http://www.flickr.com/photos/crazy_beautiful_megan/6686981411/

This one is definitely much more my style than the over saturated look too. LOVE how that turned out!

 

[GeorgieGirl]

Thank you so much!! I have gotten a lot of good info coming here but I still want to maintain my own style.... you know? I don't want to do things the "technical" way. I know there is sooooo much I still need to learn and work on but some things are better when they are different.

You win.

 

[MTVision]

Thank you so much!! I have gotten a lot of good info coming here but I still want to maintain my own style.... you know? I don't want to do things the "technical" way. I know there is sooooo much I still need to learn and work on but some things are better when they are different.

Exposure wise should be done technically perfect to get the best result. Then you can always edit it creatively and it will come out much better then if you start out with a poorly exposes image.

 

[Mach0]

I like the first one but as pointed out, get the screen calibrated. Have you thought about a reflector? They are pretty handy and relatively cheap. Also, a flash can also help some. If you aren't fond of a flash, I suggest a reflector.

 

[MTVision]

This one is definitely much more my style than the over saturated look too. LOVE how that turned out!

Glad it came out ok color-wise - my monitor still looks blue to me!

 

[MWC2]

I actually like the first one but the editing kills it for me. I gave it a go, I'm no professional but this is what I came up with.

Original & My Edit

Your Edit & My Edit

I removed the fire hydrant, one stop sign, a sign on one door, the red light, the power lines running thru the couples heads, the orange traffic cone, & leveled the horizon slightly. Then did a levels adjustment, two curves adjustments, a colour boost, added a slight haze and a really slight adjustment to warm it up a little.

 

[Elizabeth30]

Just what you need. A f/1.2 lens. :thumbdown:

You don't understand, because you have no clue. The typical today photographer is a "natural light, don't/don't know how to pose, don't/don't know how to light, don't have a studio" photographer. That pretty much defines the vast majority of today's one-on-every-street-corner, entry-level, retail photographer that essentially has an illegal business, no technical or artistic skills and little if any desire to ever do the work needed to acquire those skills.

I completely disagree! Little to no artistic skill? I think soooo many photographers have a GREAT artistic skill but lack knowledge on the same things I do like exposure and processing, ect.... but still a good moment captured can be awesome without the skill. I LOVE every day snap shots like this one - and I'm you are looking at my focus and how her face is in the shadows but that's what makes it so beautiful. I like moments being cature as they are, not set up and performed. I want natural memories preserved, not forced poses of my children. You may call these simple snap shots but I think they are beautiful and i know so many other moms that would pay someone to just hang out around the house snapping everyday moments for them to have a life time!

But the churn at the entry level is massive, because only 1 out of every 40,000 of those "natural light only, candid, natural, every day moments, don't/don't know how to pose, don't/don't know how to light, don't have a studio" photographer's actually make any money. Most of those types of retail photography businesses are supported by other income. For a short time anyway.

Today, the 'uses strobed lighting, knows how to pose, has a studio' photographer is in the decided minority, and are about the only photographers around that have a viable, ongoing, actually makes a profit business.

Here is some reality for you. For a full time retail photographer, that has a legal business, to make minimum wage after all the business expenses and personal helth insurance, retirement monies have been paid, needs gross total revenues of between $100,000 and $120,000 a year. That's about $8250 to $10,000 average per month - month, after month, after month.

Well more than 1/2 of a retail photographers time is spent doing business tasks like accounting, developing marketing and promotional plans, networking, drumming up new business, maintaining a web site/blog/social networking, etc.

I'm sorry but you don't become a concert pianist over night, BUT it's starts with talent. You can be taught how to play all you like but it won't make you the best!! Practice will make you better but without talent, you will never be able to hear the music and make it flow like someone with natural talent.

 

[Elizabeth30]

I actually like the first one but the editing kills it for me. I gave it a go, I'm no professional but this is what I came up with.

Original & My Edit

Your Edit & My Edit

I removed the fire hydrant, one stop sign, a sign on one door, the red light, the power lines running thru the couples heads, the orange traffic cone, & leveled the horizon slightly. Then did a levels adjustment, two curves adjustments, a colour boost, added a slight haze and a really slight adjustment to warm it up a little.

I like it! I'm missing the street sign but the hydrant gone looks good!