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Will Clough

8 Years Ago

How To Start As A New Photographer.

Hi, i was just wondering if anyone has any tips on how to get noticed as a new photographer???
also would you mind checking out my Instagram: https://instagram.com/will_clough/ and give me your thought??

thanks a lot

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Joseph C Hinson

8 Years Ago

1.) Take good pictures

 

Will Clough

8 Years Ago

i meant, what should i do after I've taken 'good pictures'

 

Mike Savad

8 Years Ago

you have to make what you make, stay consistent in quality and style. have an avatar, so people see you faster. you'll need more than 6.

Photography Prints
make sure your images are sharp, this looks a bit soft up close. be sure go give good descriptions, and tags. always describe your images. right now your hidden because you lack an avatar, bio, description and not enough tags.

but to get noticed, you would need really a lot of eye catching work because there are a lot of people with cameras.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

 

Edward Fielding

8 Years Ago

Take even better photographs.

 
 

Will Clough

8 Years Ago

thanks for the points on the bio, keywords etc....

 

Edward Fielding

8 Years Ago

If you are interested in selling to this market you need to create images for the decor market.

 

Mike Savad

8 Years Ago

but in the end its about taking really good pictures. its like saying -- how do i get people to notice that i can walk. that's the level of competition. its more than just taking the picture, you need your own thing, a good play on light. story telling, content, etc.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

 

Diana Angstadt

8 Years Ago

In my opinion having a variety of subject matters helps alot too. This way you can attract the eyes of several different types of interest groups.

 

Colin Utz

8 Years Ago

Would you buy a self-portrait of a total (male) stranger?

 

Sharon Cummings

8 Years Ago

I've sold 5 of my self-portraits, but it's not a photo...It's a digital collage. You need to be super creative, super productive and super good at marketing yourself on and off line.

 

Colin Utz

8 Years Ago

"I've sold 5 of my self-portraits, but it's not a photo...It's a digital collage. You need to be super creative, super productive and super good at marketing yourself on and off line."

... and a female or George Clooney ... 😎

 

Sharon Cummings

8 Years Ago

That was a general statement....not meant to be connected to the self-portrait. ;) It's true that female figures and faces sell better than male, but I do see that changing. There is a lot more male and gay oriented art selling. I also sell pictures of my Hubby's hairy chest and torso fairly well on one other site. For some reason it sells like crazy there.

 

Mike Savad

8 Years Ago

the instagram one shows a lot of snap shots you got with a phone. the light catches on the edges of faces are nice, but not to many have a story. so its kind of wasted. the images seem really random, something anyone can really take. i if i had to say to focus on a subject, i would go with people with good lighting. but there is only so much of that, that would sell. if you can work in a story (the point of an image is what i mean), it may work for you. that's the only real consistent thing you have.

otherwise many of the pieces looks like it follows a college assignment.

but to get noticed, you have to be better than everyone or have that consistent look.

self portraits can sell, but as sharon said, it has to be creative. i've sold i think all of my self portraits at least once. but they were all digital art.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

 

JC Findley

8 Years Ago

Question....

New to photography or new to selling photography?

Two different answers.....

 

Will Clough

8 Years Ago

Both selling and photography

 

Jane McIlroy

8 Years Ago

There's a lot more to photography than holding up a phone and pressing a button. Take a course, read books, study professional work and then practise applying what you've learnt. When you've done all that, you can start to think about selling.

 

Newwwman

8 Years Ago

Great point Jane...the selling part comes last (or maybe never)

 

Mike Savad

8 Years Ago

part of photography is learning how to use light, and how to tell a story with your pictures. looking over your work i'd still focus on your people shots and develop those first. but right now they are just staring blankly into the air or out the window. they should be looking at something at some where - to stand out. i would suggest buying a real camera. a phone is handy and convenient, but it won't give you the flexibility of a real camera.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

 

Edward Fielding

8 Years Ago

When is the last time you purchased a photograph?

What motivated the purchase?

If you can understand why people buy photography then you can begin to create sell-able artwork.

 

Dave Bowman

8 Years Ago

Take photographs, first and foremost, for yourself. Photograph what interests you - don't try to pander to a perceived market. Create images that you enjoy looking at. Style will come over time, as will experience and learning from your mistakes. There are no shortcuts, just time and effort.

 

Newwwman

8 Years Ago

"There are no shortcuts, just time and effort"

I am doing some motivational business posters, can i use that dave?

 

Edward Fielding

8 Years Ago

Time and Effort - the Muses of Success

 

Colin Utz

8 Years Ago

"There are no shortcuts, just time and effort"

... and LUCK!

 

Dave Bowman

8 Years Ago

No problem Robert :)

Thanks Colin - I forgot luck!

 

Will Clough

8 Years Ago

thanks for all the suggestions. just to note that i used Nikon D50 for all my photos this may be the cause of the blurriness due to it only shooting 6.1 megapixels?

 

Abbie Shores

8 Years Ago

It's how you use it, not the camera

 

Joseph C Hinson

8 Years Ago

A lot of my shots here were taken with a 6.1 megapixel camera and they aren't blurry. If they were blurry, they wouldn't be here.

Part of being a good photographer is showing only your best work. Prospective buyers want quality work, not excuses.

 

Mike Savad

8 Years Ago

megapixels is the size of the image the blurriness is the lack of knowing how to use the camera.

it could be that you shake the camera, your shutter is open too long and they moved as well, it may not be focused on anything.

ok so the steps:

1. learn how to use your camera. know it inside and out. understand its limits
2. you can see the shot, but not the story behind it, so learn about story telling in the image. like if a person is looking out the window, maybe it should be raining, maybe they left something outside etc.
3. practice like crazy, learn the style you want to have. maybe its hdr, maybe its black and white etc. i think you should work with people more, maybe street photography is more up your alley.

once you create a style you like, make a lot of pictures and keep it consistent. then in say about 4-5 years, you'll have enough work with a style of your own that people will recognize you. its not an insult mind you, and this isn't sarcastic, it takes a long time to develop your craft up to a level where people recognize its yours.


---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

 

Val Arie

8 Years Ago

Hi Will,

Like you I am new to photography. I read every thread I see about photography and have thus far taken hundreds of photographs...a handful I have uploaded here...most of which are altered beyond what I think of as photography.

At first I thought it would be easier ...not easy...just not as difficult as it is. I thought since I am an artist turning to the camera as a medium would be a no brainer...I couldn't have been more wrong...the camera is the most difficult medium I have ever used. It seems there are more things that can go wrong than can go right...so mostly I have been working with what went wrong and trying to pull a right out of it.

It is obvious to me that taking a really great photograph goes so far beyond pointing a camera at something and clicking the button. I have to agree with those that said time and effort...and of coarse luck will improve the odds.

All that said I love using the camera and when something goes right it is the biggest thrill.

 

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