I'm still learning how to do portraits. I don't harbor any ideals that I'm going to make a living as a photographer but I still want to improve my skills -- for myself. I offered some friends my time to take some portraits of them and their families if they'd like. I'll give them CDs vs. making any prints myself...I'm not equipped to do anything like that. So, my question to you...did any of you do this when you were just starting out...to build a portfolio and practice your skills? What did you learn from it that I should know? What would you do differently if you started this over again? Am I being really stupid to do this?
Never think yourself stupid for trying something... its not trying anything that makes us stupid.
not a pro so cant give you advise. on that score.. just wanted to say.. go for it and enjoy yourself...
I took a photography class where it was a bit heavy on the portrait assignments. What I did was ask my friends if they would not mind posing for me in an element or location that suited their personality. For my friend who loved music we went to a used record store. For my friend who volunteers at the park we took her photos there. That way they were more relaxed and would appreciate the uniqueness of the photo. I printed the photos out at walmart and framed the photo to thank them for their time, but I also really enjoyed trying something new.
I learned that your friends will most likely help you out if you do not charge them. Also I took about 100 photos each because one was bound to turn out that they would like.
I agree with @nikkers never believe that trying something new that causes no harm is stupid and go for what you think will make you happy or new experiences that help you grow.
I did it! I'm still a beginner, so it wasn't that long ago. What I learned was that it is ALOT of work, not just the shoot (which is exhausting and wiped me out), but also the editing!! I didn't expect it to take me as long as it did, especially with daily stay at home mom duties to attend to. Basically, I learned that the fee photographers charge covers a lot of hours and energy, and it's not easy work, and now I don't flinch when mentioning my rates. I also learned it's more physical than I thought it would be. Oh, and that I have tons to learn, but if I stick with it, I improve every time.
When I completed my course in Intermediate photography I created an event on Facebook and invited people to make an appointment with me for a free session of about 30min or so. The response was amazing and I learned so much!
A big thing that I learned was to not do stuff for free because then everyone will expect you to continue doing it for free and not take you seriously. Or at least make it clear that it's a once-off thing to improve your skills 'during summer 2011 only' or something like that, and say what you will be charging after the event.
Also, the editing was A LOT more work than I thought. Especially since we were not allowed to do any editing at all during the course.
Another thing I learned was to not just shoot on continuous hoping that one of them will come out okay. I started to pay attention to the settings and took more 'accurate exposure' shots. (getting it to zero on my DSLR) and then after a while I learned that sometimes its okay to 'over/under' expose...
And once you have an idea in your head of how your photo should look (a concept or type of lighting, anything) DON'T GIVE UP ON IT! Even if you didn't get it right the first or fifth time, keep at it. You learn something new every time you try! WE ALL STILL DO!
@marinda I completely agree. Don't do it for free. People expect a lot from a free photographer. And they don't take you seriously, like Marinda said.
Here's what I would suggest: start with charging a sitting fee. Even if it's just enough to cover your gas. You can build from there. If you decide to share the images on a cd with them, watermark your images. There was a conversation yesterday about watermarking. I'll see if I can find it for you. Last bit not least, if they want the image without a watermark, order the print and charge them for it. Use mpix.com to order prints. Mpix quality is 100x better than walmart or walgreens, and definitely worth the extra money.
@sweett That's an awesome link. I'm going to bookmark it!
@marinda You're right. I'm making this a TOTAL ONE TIME DEAL so that I can just "play" for them. Beyond that I will not be doing anything free. But I just wanted them to help me figure out if I even have any talent for this. I am seriously a newbie...as newbie as they come. I just am not sure about placement of subjects, etc., and I look at it like they're doing me a huge favor because I'm not sure about posing anyone, where to do them, etc. So that's why I'm only asking really, really close friends!
@laceyjogautreau Editing really takes that long? What do you use? I know it can take a lot of time...I'm using Lightroom and I really love it, but with a ton of images maybe it will take a lot, lot longer than I think it will.
@brumbe I am considering a portrait course at the community college. I did take a wonderful workshop from a professional photographer here. I learned a TON from it. It's the reason behind this idea in the first place...to play and have fun and learn a bit.
Thanks everyone for the wonderful ideas and tips!!
Terry, it takes me a while to edit. I use Photoshop Elements 9. I am sort of a perfectionist, and really get into details in my shots, but what I realized is that as a beginner, I still have alot to learn about just getting those shots right in the first place, so I don't have to edit them a bunch to 'fix' them. The more I do it, the quicker editing gets, but it is still alot of work for me. Especially when I can't really get time to myself at home, and have to work in between my kids needing my attention. :)
I wish I was as brave as you! I want to take pictures of people - especially family pictures, or children's portraits - but I'm shy and awkward (and have Asperger's), so it's very difficult for me.
I wish you luck! I'd love to see how they turn out, if you get the opportunity!
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not a pro so cant give you advise. on that score.. just wanted to say.. go for it and enjoy yourself...
I learned that your friends will most likely help you out if you do not charge them. Also I took about 100 photos each because one was bound to turn out that they would like.
I agree with @nikkers never believe that trying something new that causes no harm is stupid and go for what you think will make you happy or new experiences that help you grow.
When I completed my course in Intermediate photography I created an event on Facebook and invited people to make an appointment with me for a free session of about 30min or so. The response was amazing and I learned so much!
A big thing that I learned was to not do stuff for free because then everyone will expect you to continue doing it for free and not take you seriously. Or at least make it clear that it's a once-off thing to improve your skills 'during summer 2011 only' or something like that, and say what you will be charging after the event.
Also, the editing was A LOT more work than I thought. Especially since we were not allowed to do any editing at all during the course.
Another thing I learned was to not just shoot on continuous hoping that one of them will come out okay. I started to pay attention to the settings and took more 'accurate exposure' shots. (getting it to zero on my DSLR) and then after a while I learned that sometimes its okay to 'over/under' expose...
And once you have an idea in your head of how your photo should look (a concept or type of lighting, anything) DON'T GIVE UP ON IT! Even if you didn't get it right the first or fifth time, keep at it. You learn something new every time you try! WE ALL STILL DO!
Here's what I would suggest: start with charging a sitting fee. Even if it's just enough to cover your gas. You can build from there. If you decide to share the images on a cd with them, watermark your images. There was a conversation yesterday about watermarking. I'll see if I can find it for you. Last bit not least, if they want the image without a watermark, order the print and charge them for it. Use mpix.com to order prints. Mpix quality is 100x better than walmart or walgreens, and definitely worth the extra money.
Check out this link about watermarking your images
@marinda You're right. I'm making this a TOTAL ONE TIME DEAL so that I can just "play" for them. Beyond that I will not be doing anything free. But I just wanted them to help me figure out if I even have any talent for this. I am seriously a newbie...as newbie as they come. I just am not sure about placement of subjects, etc., and I look at it like they're doing me a huge favor because I'm not sure about posing anyone, where to do them, etc. So that's why I'm only asking really, really close friends!
@laceyjogautreau Editing really takes that long? What do you use? I know it can take a lot of time...I'm using Lightroom and I really love it, but with a ton of images maybe it will take a lot, lot longer than I think it will.
@brumbe I am considering a portrait course at the community college. I did take a wonderful workshop from a professional photographer here. I learned a TON from it. It's the reason behind this idea in the first place...to play and have fun and learn a bit.
Thanks everyone for the wonderful ideas and tips!!
I wish you luck! I'd love to see how they turn out, if you get the opportunity!