newbie here... got a question

Jazmyn76

hey all.. tidings from North FL. i'm new to the site here, and had a few questions that i'm not seeing already asked. maybe i'm 'too green', but i thought i'd just jump in and ask..

while i've had a passion for photography my whole life, and have been taking pictures of and for people and places for a while now, always keeoing it in the back of my head and heart that i wanted to do 'this' more as a permanant fixture in my reality.. my cameras were never really great. being piss broke will do that, eh?
so anyway, my family just all pitched in and got me the Nikon D80 for my bday last month, and i've had a few shoots since then along with the various pics of my family and 3yr old for practice and learning on the Nikon. soooo, more people are asking about a portfolio where they can see my stuff and style, which led me to smug mug. however, after creating my page, i'm sort of mixed about having pics up that are really so much different in quality next to the newer pics from the Nikon.

would you be the photog-snob and only post on a site for others to see the pics of the better quality pixelation-wise? or just put some of the fav's up that are really showing in and of themselves of the shoot and moment, regardless of the pixelation/noise?

<<all ears>> for responses, and TIA!

du8die

Jazmyn76 wrote:

hey all.. tidings from North FL. i'm new to the site here, and had a few questions that i'm not seeing already asked. maybe i'm 'too green', but i thought i'd just jump in and ask..

First off, welcome. You'll find a lot of people here who are willing to help sharpen your skills!

so anyway, my family just all pitched in and got me the Nikon D80 for my bday last month,

Is your family looking to adopt? I'm 31, and need a 400 f/2.8. And I'm a nice guy.

would you be the photog-snob and only post on a site for others to see the pics of the better quality pixelation-wise? or just put some of the fav's up that are really showing in and of themselves of the shoot and moment, regardless of the pixelation/noise?

I think the answer to this question depends on what your intentions are. Are you a hobbyist, or do you want to make money with your d80? If it's a cash thing, a portfolio is all about selling yourself ~ your eye. Only post your absolute best stuff. If you've got ten "OK" shots, and one killer shot, I probably would only post the killer shot. Now, if that killer shot was an accident (you look at your screen and say "How the heck did I come up with that"), then I don't think I'd stake my reputation on that, and I'd go with the 10 "OK" shots.

If you're a hobbyist, and just want people to see what you've got, then the pressure is a lot less. Post whatever you want.

Could you post a link to your gallery? I'm sure some people would like to take a look at what you've got, and be even more specific.

Good luck. Thanks for asking the question. I hope my response was helpful.

d8

Jazmyn76

thanks! i'm wanting to take this and make something more of it. not just a hobby, but i'm also not quitting my day job anytime soon, if ya kwim?

and HA on the adoption.. it took me a toon of nerve to actually ask them to not get me a bunch of nick nacks and just all go in on this one thing i REALLY wanted and have wanted to a bit now.

yea, i'm really leaning more towards dumping the older stuff and only posting the new, better quality/clarity images, but then i worry that it seems like i haven't been doing this long to have so few. i just need to ramp up my shoots. i know. *sigh* so what would you tell people who want to see the types of shoots you've done to get a sense of your style?

i think this will work.. here's my smugmug link
http://adavispix.smugmug.com/

i tried to pop a blurb about it in the bio.. i'm just not certain of how to state it, or if i want to state it at all, you kwim? i feel more like i'm completely new at this than ever before since getting the Nikon..even tho i've sort of been doing this as a hobby for friends/family for several years now.. heh. i have just decided i really want to make more out of this. it's something i've always wanted to do, so i want and need to do it RIGHT.

ok- i'm babbeling, and i have to get some work done.
thank you for the feedback!

du8die

Hi,

I took a quick glance at your site, and I'm impressed. You definitely have a good eye. Sure, we're always learning, and we're always finding ways to get better, but you're well on your way. There were four shots that struck me as particularly good - meaning, I'm trying to figure out ways to incorporate them into my work...

http://adavispix.smugmug.com/gallery/6609341_iMqVt#421243429_TDeQz
http://adavispix.smugmug.com/gallery/6609341_iMqVt#421244465_xgyTg
http://adavispix.smugmug.com/gallery/6609341_iMqVt#421243588_ABMPj
http://adavispix.smugmug.com/gallery/6609341_iMqVt#421520901_c8pAz

Interesting that three are from the d80 and one is the PNS (Point 'n Shoot). I actually like the one of the boy with the santa hat on the beach as well.

As far as actual image quality, it seems that the d80 shots (boy biting fence, and boy laying down with fingers in mouth) are a little soft (slightly out of focus). That could be because 1) they are out of focus or 2) your Depth of Field is shallow. It shouldn't be at f/5. So I'm inclined to think it's #1 - but that may just be my eyes with no caffiene this morning.

Pixellation usually happens when you make an image really small, then blow it back up again. Yes, there are some shots that are pixellated, but only a few. How much are you doing in Picasa? That may be causing some of what you're seeing. For example, boy standing on beach and boy in santa hat are sharp as a tack, but they're from the Digimax.

A great start. You're well on your way. Don't be afraid to post your shots on here and get feedback. The people around here are (for the most part) very gracious and helpful.

Good Luck

Jazmyn76

wow, thank you! the santa hat and beach back shot were on my slr olympus digital (and my own little SO not camera shy 3yr old when he's at the beach, which we live near). the others, mama wanted that 'soft' look to her pics of her boy (eating the wood chair & fingers in mouth) so i softened them up post shot.

and yea, i do work in picassa a bunch, although i'm thinking i really need to carve out time to really learn my adobe program. *sigh* carving out time is a luxury i have little of. i have noted that with the D80, i actually have very little editing that needs done wrt color- which is awesome!

thank you for the feedback! i value all of the input, and will likely be posting back more questions as i have them!

Jamfore

I am seeing a need for some fill flash. Your placement in most photos is good. You can sign up for a course at your local school for photoshop and possibly get the student version fairly cheep. Free in my case and upgrade later.

Keep Dgrinning. You will learn a lot here. As your shots improve take off a few of the lesser as you go. Another good place to learn is "photoattorney.com" Carolyn is a photographer and an attorney. She has a great book out and a great blog.

Scott_Quier

For whatever my vote might be worth ....
I have to agree with the above - you have demonstrated a very good eye. I think, though that many potential clients are not going to be able to see through some of the technical issues of some of these photos to actually see the quality of the image. I think you need to keep up only those wherein the primary focus of the photograph is either in focus or intentionally OOF. To that end, I think I would pull those with which you are less than happy (I would really pull #31 in your "Sentimental Smiles" gallery as nothing is in focus there.

Trevlan

What I've done with my smugmug is use it as an online storage for my files. I only display my favorites there for the public to see. And I unlist every other gallery. This allows me to post pictures, but not show the gallery when people come to my site.

One other thing, confidence is everything. If you let your potential clients believe that you are a hobbist, they might not take you seriously. I would remove the second paragraph from your bio.

At the end of the day, you have talent. Reading here, getting your hands on some books, and in no time you'll blur the line between being professional and doing it as a hobby.

I obtained my first camera in June of this year, and if you'll allow me to post some pictures for comparison, I'll show you what 5 months of digrin has done.

This is a great site, and you have hundreds of incredible photographers here that are actually willing to explain things and teach you techniques. You have the hard part down, the eye. Learning to be technical and knowing what everything means, will come easy and naturally here.

I recommend you take your hand at a few assignments. Even the pros learn from it.

http://dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=41800