Somebody posted the link this site [ http://youarenotaphotographer.com/] in a thread on here, and I showed my boyfriend. We both had a good laugh at the photos posted. Today, he sent me this one: http://tru-likenessphotography.webs.com/
I'm stunned. So. Bad! Check out the photos they deemed portfolio worthy.
I just thought I'd share in case anyone else wanted to cringe at the terribleness.
It takes all kinds to make the world go round. I always enjoy the humor that "youarenotaphotographer" has to offer. But, who am I to shit on what others may think is good photography? It's such a matter of opinion. And you know, opinions are like......Everybody has one..
I ended up un-liking YANAP on Facebook. I find them to be overly mean most of the time and sometimes the shots aren't really all that bad, but their community jumps all over it. I'm glad it isn't like that here.
@triciaanddazzle i don't want to be mean though i have to agree, my eyes hurt after looking at the photos, i guess at the end of the day it's their clients who they necessarily have to please, good luck with that =)
@ronphotography I guess I'm just mean. I was laughing so hard at pretty much all of them. It just blows me away that people would pay money for photos of that quality.
@smartie That's a great one. I had to admire the sword :D
@smartie Omg! I didn't take time to look through the site. Even while I laugh I'm standing my ground. Everybody has an opinion.......although it may barely matter to the rest of the world. ;)
@mandyj92 You should really take some time to go through these shots. PHOTOSHOP is amazing with editing in your model to be somewhere else in the world. I know, people have their own opinions, but please, this isnt even tastefully done!
@canberrabec i noticed that, so amazingly professional they can't even spell their own name lol,i daren't click on any of the actual pictures,the thumbnails were disturbing enough,i am now giving serious consideration to setting up a glamour shoot business, i reckon i could match some of those pictures easily ;)
Oh my!!! Haha!!! I shouldn't have looked at that link at work... those glamour shots are terrible! They shouldn't be that close to the children's link!!! So wrong. lol
the pregnant lady with the babies face ghosting over her actually scared the crap out of me. The other one with the lady on the dock with what could be silver bottoms going "ahoy matey" just takes this to craptastic.
Cannot say these are the worst, but this photographer may want to work on the lighting of his models instead of focusing on a sunset (which were about the best he can do).
I am loving myself sick being a terrible photographer,its giving me a competitive edge on the 365project because I just casually take bad images and make out its all very artsy tartsy.
Im not a photographer myself (just doing the 365 project because i thought it was a great idea) but even i criinnggeedddd. REALLY badly edited, you can see where they are cut out and slapped on a diff background = S . And they charge $265!!!!!! i could probably throw together better pictures with the camera on my phone and paint lol.
You know, I really find all of this incredibly mean. Maybe some of those people are not great photographers, but did anyone ask their clients if they were happy with the results. Maybe it's not what anyone here would do or considers good photography, but I really don't think people should be mean about it. I am by no means a pro and still learning. I am in shock anytime I get praise on my photography, but I love to do it and I'm going to express myself through it in my own way. I would hope that if someone doesn't like it, they are not mean about it. I just find threads like this very arrogant and hostile. Is it necessary to put others down to make yourself feel good as a photographer? Those websites are just hateful, they are not funny and to make fun of people who are displaying part of themselves but are not what others think are substandard is horrible. Think of it this way, how would you feel if teachers put copies of student work that they thought was bad on a website and made snide comments about it? These people are exposing part of themselves and while a lot of you think they don't deserve to get paid for their work, it's not up to you, it's up to their clients.
"Those websites are horrible"? It's not a joke website. Sorry this thread offended you. If you are going to put your work up on the Internet for the world to see, the work will be critiqued.
Those are not critiques and the comments here are not critiques... snide comments and insults are not critiques, they are just a way people use to try and build themselves up. And, just because someone shares something of themselves DOES NOT give others a right to be snide and hurtful. That's like saying just because a person doesn't live the way you think they should live you have a right to say mean things about them. Bad or good, being snide and mean is not critiquing and it's not helpful to anyone. It's just mean and if you don't have anything better to do than to laugh at others abilities that you see as less than your own, you are being mean.
I also think this is all a little harsh. As a teacher I'm constantly trying to stop students from engaging in bullying and putting others down. I'm all for constructive criticism, but putting people down and laughing them for trying (even if their work isn't very good) doesn't achieve anything.
If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all!
@crickle1969@holly_kate Oh, don't take it so personally. You can tell the photos were just slapped on there, and he claims to give you a professional photograph. Those are by no means professional. That's plain to see. Like I stated earlier, I never claimed to be a professional; amateur at best. But look at it this way, his site is getting a lot of traffic now. You've got to admire the dude. He has to have balls to post this stuff, and obviously he's proud of it. I guess that's what counts.
Oh, and you are not a photographer has to be submitted by the person who took the photograph, or the person who owns it. It's not just by anyone. So those shots are people realizing their work is bad. Nothing mean about that.
@triciaanddazzle Oh I think he totally has balls to post this stuff, so good on him! Which is why I don't think it's nice to ridicule it. Who cares if it's not professional - we're not buying it!
@triciaanddazzle I'm not taking it personal ,it's not my work. I'm just sayin' the comments are mean. It doesn't matter if they 'know' their work is 'bad' it still is not nice to make snide and hurtful comments. That's how I feel about it. This website here is supposed to be about learning to improve yourself, how is ridiculing others improving yourself? Or maybe I'm wrong about that. In any case, I stand by what I say, threads like these are mean. Humor is one thing, tearing people down is another, even if they gave permission to post their photos, so what? I'm done with this conversation now. I've said my peace and I've made myself understood. I don't have any delusions that I will change anyone else's mind. Please don't hold hope you'll change mine. Have a wonderful evening and a great rest of the week.
@crickle1969@holly_kate@triciaanddazzle I can see both sides, buuut, just think about how the photographer the comments above pertain to would feel if he/she stumbled upon this discussion thread. I'd be heart broken! Are the pictures amazing in my eyes, noo. but, to him/her they obviously must be and these comments, although no harm meant by them, would definitely do some damage to the photographer of the site.
I am in no way against/with anybody here, just stating my opinion as all above have in some form or another.
@Crickle I am also a teacher and understand your view, not wanting to plainly ridicule these people. Constructive criticism is useful, but that's not what seems to be happening here.
However, I think what sets this apart from just bullying to be mean is that this photographer is selling him/herself as a pro worth a very high value. Clearly the work is not at par w/ other photographers who would charge the same. I'm not saying it gives anyone the right to make fun of them, but there's something wrong that this photographer does not recognize that his/her work is not up to par.
@crickle1969 I must say I agree with you. I have been reading this post, watching what direction it would take, I came back to find it had gone quite insane with bashing toward them. I personally feel the images are disturbing at best to say they are from a business that takes images, i have a problem calling them pro in any way shape or form, but the level of negativity from this discussion is surprising. We all have seen people that get a camera and decide to call themselves photographers, facebook and other social media sites are a big reason for it in my opinion, and i often want to smack my head and scream "DSLR does not make one a photographer" while smacking them over the head with the Nikon Field Guide.
However... By belittling this person on here, conveys a type of message that this site supports cyber bullying if you think about it. the people on this site are from all levels of experience, cellphone to 'blad. I was under the impression that this site seemed to be geared toward helping all kinds of photographers, new to old, and having fun posting an image each day. If threads like this continue, there is a good chance newcomers to this site will see bashing of work and not want to join, in fear they will be targeted.
look at the number of negative comments toward this site in just a short time. If you were new and considering joining this site to learn of photography, and see that much negative, would you join?
Instead of making fun of the photographer on a site that they may or may not know of, how about contacting them directly, suggesting a few tips to them, or directing them to sites that may help them. if they tell you to pound sand, so be it, you tried to be nice and helpful.
My personal feelings toward the work that is shown and skill set sold show the person might benifit greatly from some better understanding of the basics to say the least, but making fun of all the work when they are not around to defend themselves is a whole different can of worms.
@joi AAAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGHH! IT BURNS!!! And @cchambers and everyone else saying we're being mean, these people are claiming to be professionals. Their work should reflect that. If they're not mature enough to know the difference between a portrait and a pinup, they should find a different business, or at least not charge so much for badly edited photos, or even just say they're not pros. The fact that these people are not just bad photographers, but they charge high prices for their photography, makes it even worse. Really these people are scamming their "customers." As youarenotaphotographer.com says, just because you have a camera, you are not a photographer. You can't buy talent.
I hope criticizing isn't in the spirit of this site. I'm here just for the 365 project, a photo of my life everyday, not to show off any skill I might or might not have. This may scare me off.
I totally agree with @cchambers - while yeah, the photos aren't great I think the negativity is going to scare a lot of people away. I've read that site before and started to get really paranoid that maybe everyone was making fun of my shots too. Everyone has insecurities and stuff like this preys on it. I joined 365 because of its amazing supportive community and positive feedback.
I get that it's funny, but so much negativity is sending a message to new photographers that says "we're going to make fun of you here." I don't think that's what this site is really about.
@cjbabyrn Don't be scared off, criticising isnt the spirit of this site (I hope!!). I've just looked at your photos and they are fab! You have yourself a new follower :-)
@indiannie_jones Okay, now that was mean. No, the spirit of this site is not criticising, and that just crossed the line. No one charges money for the photos on this site, so kind critique is appropriate. Saying "I've seen worse on this site" is completely out of line.
Ok, everybody. I just thought it was a funny site; I wasn't trying to start a big debate or cause trouble. Let's all just move on and continue doing things for our projects as we were before. Let's just end this now before it gets REALLY ugly.
@indiannie_jones i love that people are hating on you for saying the right thing. makes perfect sense to me! this is 365, where everyone's shot is "amazing" or "stunning". ok. done ranting. was that ranting? cuz i can rant. i mean, like, really rant. you have a kind heart. you made a good point. lacy OUT! ;)
I actually don't mind this persons photos, mainly because he's capturing photos that you won't see on a pin up poster, real people with real emotions and real scars, not vogue magazines next months issues. He has guts and those who are posing for him do too.
Versus ganging up like some schoolgirls to talk about how terrible someone's work is and then insisting it's acceptable to do so because they really are *that* bad? I think you have it a bit backwards here.
The spirit of this thread is just mean. If the photos are not to your liking, let it be - finding someone "worse" won't make you any better, so why bother?
Also, several people on here use photography to generate income. If they manage it, then more power to them... being "good" at something isn't necessarily a prerequisite when charging money for it.
Kindness is always the more appropriate route.
Not just when the person can actually see what you're saying.
Why did nobody bring my attention to this argument sooner?!?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
No reason not to call a turd a turd though. And, if the original linked website is even still the topic (screw reading 67 replies at 8:30am), those are some pretty stinky plop-plops. If I add "in my opinion!!!!" does that make it OK now?
There's nothing wrong with having a laugh at rubbish things. And if they did see this thread, they might not necessarily be heartbroken - they might "man up", take it on the chin, understand why everyone's laughing, and improve themselves. Then they'd get some respect.
Don't tell me you've never laughed at Star Wars Kid.
Being nice about absolutely everything you encounter doesn't help anything.
If you bought a thing and it looked shoddy and unreliable and didn't work properly, you'd take it back for a refund. No difference here. Terrible photoshopping, no shadow recreation, no consideration of lighting differences between subject and background - just shoddy workmanship, creating faulty products. Just because some people have low expectations and will accept crap dressed up as non-crap, doesn't make it an offence to actually have a sense of what's decent.
actually, since the definition of "photographer" is a person who takes photographs, either as a hobby or a profession, then yes, just because you have a camera (and use it) then you are a photographer :)
To me though, the difference between a photographer and one who takes photos is....Confidence in yourself! I usually don't feel like I'm a photographer at all but my friends all claim I am. And considering my photos have been used by professional sports teams/organizations, in newspapers and magazines then perhaps they are right? I don't know, I still just call myself more lucky than anything. Which is why I don't charge for my photos. But people *are* willing to pay me. As a matter of fact I had someone that insisted on gving me money. And I eventually ended up taking it. So I guess I can even call myself a professional if I wanted to.
As far as what "these people" are charging and that they are scamming their customers, sorry but to me that is bullocks. One can look through their portfolio and see what they will pretty much be getting. If someone likes what they see, and are willing to pay that amount, then how are they being scammed?
Yeah, I just signed up and was getting ready to post my own photos... (half of which are blurry, camera phone messes) I didn't realize I risked being criticized for my lack of professional training. I thought this site was just a fun place to have "a year in the life of me", through photography. Amateur or not... Knowing my photos may be made fun of, I've decided to opt out and cancel my membership...
@kasandra Honestly - look around at 365. No one here makes fun of anyone here. If you ask for help, numbers of people leap to your aid. It is a very supportive, encouraging, educational place. What some people are laughing at about the website in question is what virtually all of us would agree are photos by a person who is CHARGING for their perfectly horrible photo editing. Really people - learn to make some distinctions in life and not worry so much that you're going to get hurt if you play. @kasandra - please post away - you'll find here all the support and education you can take. It's IS nice to be nice - but putting that stuff out for sale is just asking for an honest response.
Oh,I'll give you that one. I can be fine with people being criticized when they're charging, I get that... But it's not always the talent that's being criticized. Plenty of photo comments on there are criticizing the actual people in the photograph. I didn't realize that only beautiful people made nice photos... That's my biggest issue...
@kasandra I'm not criticizing the people, just the photographer claiming to be a pro. He just has a lot of unflattering photos, terrible editing and bad lighting. Hey, I do self portraits, so definitely not everyone has to be beautiful to be in photos.
@triciaanddazzle Understandable... Definitely not saying anyone in particular was criticizing the people. And I don't think anyone on this thread did (not going to lie, didn't read everyone's comments)... Just a few comments on the site made me feel bad... (yep, I'm an empathetic sap...) I'm over it, had my moment to vent, and all is well in the world of "Kasandra", once again... :)
@kasandra negativity really isn't what this site is about -- this thread is just a blip and I think people probably just didn't realise how their making fun of X people could make Y people feel rubbish too. I can't wait to see your first photo!
@kasandra trust, the atmosphere on here towards the people on here is nothing like it's been in this thread towards that site. Everyone's super nice to each other on here.
@triciaanddazzle if you want to close this thing down you can delete your original post.
I still think the picture of the girl posing on the moon with the earth in the background is hysterical and I don't care if people think I'm mean for laughing at that concept because it is funny, but i'm sorry if I hurt anyones feelings :D
@kasandra - I've used this site before & it's an incredible tool for photography & documentation, whether you are considered "good" or not by others. It's really disappointing to see how harshly people criticize others. Some people may just be starting their journey with photography & if they read these comments, it could totally set them back or discourage them immensely (like yourself). We weren't all great at first.. you'd think people would realize that but I guess ignorance is wherever you go. Hopefully you reconsider & partake in this project for yourself - don't worry about others.
@sinkingships We're not criticizing people on the site, especially beginners. It's just plain silly of this man to claim he's a professional with these types of shots. Plus, he's been at it for over a year, just by the dates he posted the photos. I just thought it was funny that he would consider these professional. I just think everybody needs to lighten up a little and laugh. This wasn't intended to hurt feelings, just to laugh a little. C'mon. A picture of a girl slapped on the moon isn't funny?
LOL - it is not even a matter of opinion, there IS such thing as bad photography/bad photographers, it is not entirely subjective, this site is an example of that haha!
mind you, they now found their mistake and corrected their website name from tru-likness to tru-likeness, did some from this thread told them? snitch!
i had a second look at the website and seems the poses of the models are more of a seductive nature (may be for their husbands or boyfriends?) but if you know that your seductive photo would be put up online, would you allow it? My favorite so far:
@eyebrows thank you. You've made a beautiful point, and exactly the one I was trying to make. It's fun to laugh at things like this, and although there is a point where you can go too far (like making fun of the people on 365), they put their work on the internet. That means it's free reign.
I stumbled across this guy on fb. And i assure u I don't feel bad about saying things about his work. He claims to have been in the industry for 15 years. If this is the case then he deserves all the criticism he gets.
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@smartie That's a great one. I had to admire the sword :D
This has to be my second favorite shot! Some Granny Bum! http://tru-likenessphotography.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=124183428
It's BEGGING to be made fun of.
LOL... I was looking at this fishnet pic : http://365project.org/canberrabec/365/2011-08-31 and then clicked the fishnet pic you linked. ... Some difference in the glamour scale :-)
@canberrabec
thats awful- the photoshop into different scenes is so obvious and fake.
i cant believe they charge that much for that work.
@triciaanddazzle @mandyj92 @mallocarray @ronphotography @smartie @janmaki @tjramutkowski @eyebrows @mjkthorpe @wadey
Because you'd have to be stonefaced to like it :D (sorry couldn't resist. I'll behave now)
@altadc I just want to say, really? Really? The moon...really?
Actually someone should send the link to that site to the YANAP people.
um.
I like how the only testimonial they have has typo's and is written by Lisa "Stonefaced" Lyons.
Cannot say these are the worst, but this photographer may want to work on the lighting of his models instead of focusing on a sunset (which were about the best he can do).
Sure hope he is not on this site.
@lisjam1 I sure hope it's a joke!
@sallycheese I thought the same thing. I was like psh. *I* could do *that*.
@sudweeks I sure hope it's a joke!
@cazink That one is definitely a favorite of mine...if you can have a favorite.
@brumbe I am with you. The glowing baby face also scared me.
is just awful!
Bow-chica-wow-wow...
If you can't say something nice, don't say it at all!
Oh, and you are not a photographer has to be submitted by the person who took the photograph, or the person who owns it. It's not just by anyone. So those shots are people realizing their work is bad. Nothing mean about that.
I am in no way against/with anybody here, just stating my opinion as all above have in some form or another.
My conscience told me to.
However, I think what sets this apart from just bullying to be mean is that this photographer is selling him/herself as a pro worth a very high value. Clearly the work is not at par w/ other photographers who would charge the same. I'm not saying it gives anyone the right to make fun of them, but there's something wrong that this photographer does not recognize that his/her work is not up to par.
However... By belittling this person on here, conveys a type of message that this site supports cyber bullying if you think about it. the people on this site are from all levels of experience, cellphone to 'blad. I was under the impression that this site seemed to be geared toward helping all kinds of photographers, new to old, and having fun posting an image each day. If threads like this continue, there is a good chance newcomers to this site will see bashing of work and not want to join, in fear they will be targeted.
look at the number of negative comments toward this site in just a short time. If you were new and considering joining this site to learn of photography, and see that much negative, would you join?
Instead of making fun of the photographer on a site that they may or may not know of, how about contacting them directly, suggesting a few tips to them, or directing them to sites that may help them. if they tell you to pound sand, so be it, you tried to be nice and helpful.
My personal feelings toward the work that is shown and skill set sold show the person might benifit greatly from some better understanding of the basics to say the least, but making fun of all the work when they are not around to defend themselves is a whole different can of worms.
just my insane thoughts.
I get that it's funny, but so much negativity is sending a message to new photographers that says "we're going to make fun of you here." I don't think that's what this site is really about.
So I suggest people play nice.
Oh, sorry - I thought this was a roll-call.
Also manek, I love your sense of humour.
Wear it with pride Al ;-D
Versus ganging up like some schoolgirls to talk about how terrible someone's work is and then insisting it's acceptable to do so because they really are *that* bad? I think you have it a bit backwards here.
The spirit of this thread is just mean. If the photos are not to your liking, let it be - finding someone "worse" won't make you any better, so why bother?
Also, several people on here use photography to generate income. If they manage it, then more power to them... being "good" at something isn't necessarily a prerequisite when charging money for it.
Kindness is always the more appropriate route.
Not just when the person can actually see what you're saying.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
No reason not to call a turd a turd though. And, if the original linked website is even still the topic (screw reading 67 replies at 8:30am), those are some pretty stinky plop-plops. If I add "in my opinion!!!!" does that make it OK now?
There's nothing wrong with having a laugh at rubbish things. And if they did see this thread, they might not necessarily be heartbroken - they might "man up", take it on the chin, understand why everyone's laughing, and improve themselves. Then they'd get some respect.
Don't tell me you've never laughed at Star Wars Kid.
>Being "good" at something isn't necessarily a prerequisite when charging money for it.
Some people think it certainly should be, hence the laughing right here.
Don't tell me you've never laughed at an idiot sticking an enormous exhaust on a shit car to try and make it sound faster.
If you bought a thing and it looked shoddy and unreliable and didn't work properly, you'd take it back for a refund. No difference here. Terrible photoshopping, no shadow recreation, no consideration of lighting differences between subject and background - just shoddy workmanship, creating faulty products. Just because some people have low expectations and will accept crap dressed up as non-crap, doesn't make it an offence to actually have a sense of what's decent.
:)
To me though, the difference between a photographer and one who takes photos is....Confidence in yourself! I usually don't feel like I'm a photographer at all but my friends all claim I am. And considering my photos have been used by professional sports teams/organizations, in newspapers and magazines then perhaps they are right? I don't know, I still just call myself more lucky than anything. Which is why I don't charge for my photos. But people *are* willing to pay me. As a matter of fact I had someone that insisted on gving me money. And I eventually ended up taking it. So I guess I can even call myself a professional if I wanted to.
As far as what "these people" are charging and that they are scamming their customers, sorry but to me that is bullocks. One can look through their portfolio and see what they will pretty much be getting. If someone likes what they see, and are willing to pay that amount, then how are they being scammed?
I still think the picture of the girl posing on the moon with the earth in the background is hysterical and I don't care if people think I'm mean for laughing at that concept because it is funny, but i'm sorry if I hurt anyones feelings :D
You're a professional - buy your domain name!!
i had a second look at the website and seems the poses of the models are more of a seductive nature (may be for their husbands or boyfriends?) but if you know that your seductive photo would be put up online, would you allow it? My favorite so far:
http://tru-likenessphotography.webs.com/apps/photos/photo?photoid=136529526
and did you notice the guestbook? wow so many fans, hope the owner of that business didn't write it himself..hihi
http://tru-likenessphotography.webs.com/apps/guestbook/
lighten up you guys! =)