Pictures; Horrible (self) to Great (pro) here on PL, lets better self photography!

[DanO]

Well I have been here for a while and as a budding Pin Up photographer I review many of the pictures on this sight and have noticed a few things. First there are two major categories of pics, professionally  captured and snapshots.  The majority of professional shots look good but of course run from good to great, and so do the amateur pics but there is a very important distinction; the vast majority of amateur based pics, at least what I think are amateur tend to have the majority of them  relegated to the poor end of the spectrum. Many of them are obviously taken with cell phones and many of those in poor sets such as bathrooms, etc.

I say this because ladies, you deserve much better quality photos to show off your assets! So, my questions is; if we could get the various photographers here to start a segment on "How to create you own - Home Grown photo shoot would you be interested? I am a much better adult training instructor than photog but I would certainly contribute and I am sure the pros would too. I think we could help you become much better photographers, is there any interest??

Dan

[DanO]

Granted, what "Art and Soul" says is true, a professional will usually give you the best pics but not always. It is important to remember that just because someone calls themselves a professional doesn't necessarily mean they are good! Check out this video of a professional photographer while this is funny it is not far from the truth these days! Although I consider myself a "budding" Pin-Up photographer I have been taking pictures seriously for 35 years so I do know a thing or two but I am not comfortable calling myself a professional for this genre. All this to say, be careful and do your homework.

If you haven't heard of Model Mayhem before it is something to checkout. This web site is where models, makeup artist, and photographers meet up. Many Photographers are willing to do "TF" work to gain experience or add something to their portfolio. TF stands for Trade For and is usually appended with one or two additional letters; TFCD is trade for CD, or TFP which is Trade for Prints, etc. The photographer gets the experience and owns the pictures but in exchange you get some pics of you. Most if not all will ask you to sign a model release so be sure and read it completely and if you have any questions ask for clarification.

The intent of this thread is to help you take better "Amateur" pictures at home! One thing that might be helpful is to look around your area and see if there are are any courses on photography. My wife took one a couple years ago at a local vo-tech that met one night a week for 6 weeks, additionally, we have a photo club in town that provides a free day of instruction once per month. Nothing can replace personal instruction and it will certainly speed up the learning process.

Just remember photography is All About the Light!

[DanO]

Roxy, the issue with cell phones is the need to make adjustments, I love my iPhone and even have a folder on my website with some pictures I have taken with it but is not a camera. I understand that we still can improve on some things even with a cell phone but it is not my first choice. It works best in daylight and you can get some really terrific results with it but it requires the right circumstances, meaning lots of light. When I started this thread I did not intend to make it into a how-to for cell phones photos but maybe we should start another thread with that in mind??

Dan

[Mark Anthony Lacy]

Here is a page from the first issue of my digital pinup mag UNLIMITED. Hope it helps those aspiring pinup gals out there. But if you really want it done right save your money and book a shoot. ;-)

Check out UNLIMITED

[Miss Martha Rose]

I think thats a plan! caring, i like it. I personally would love tips on how to achieve better photographs as a non-professional. xx

[Rowan {★}]

Great idea!

[The Trousseau]

There is already a forum for photography, so I am not sure what else is needed...?  But it isn't my site, so it isn't my call. 

This is a huge, huge topic.  I agree with Roxy that some cell phones are a great tool for learning composition.  One of the best things about a cell phone is that they don't have fancy gadgets.  You either get a good picture because you composed well, or you delete it.  Classes are okay, but I think the best thing they do is give a bit of confidence.  When you take a class, you get so much information quickly that your brain can't process it all.  It is an over-learning situation set up with the idea that the students will absorb a small amount of the large base of information.  Because there isn't enough time to really practice all of the new information, most students tend to forget most of it.    

The most important thing is the hard stuff.  Take pictures, take pictures, take pictures.  Or, for the models, pose for pictures, pose for pictures, pose for pictures. 

The time consuming part of learning a new skill like photography or modeling is the actual practice.  You have to do it, then learn from the pictures, then do it some more.  If you can get other opinions in on the deal, you are golden.  All one can really use is a tip or two at a time, then practice that tip until you are ready for a new one.  Classes can give a few shortcuts, but the bulk of the practice time is the same. 

One of the best things I ever did for myself was get involved in a series of photo parties.  Several people, lots of clothes, people who wanted to model and people who wanted to take pictures-- all did their best to learn from each other.  It was like a foreign language immersion program for fashion photography.

This is a personal interest for me.  Fashion and its marketing is quickly taking over my life and will soon be my primary job.  In that mix is a photo shoot twice a month with a hired model, sometimes hair and make up artists, a location to scout and sometimes I even take some pictures. I am learning so much so quickly because I am practicing it every other weekend. 

So, after this long comment, I will leave my tip.  Decide what you want to learn next.  Composition?  Styling?  Lighting?  You can't focus on everything at once, so decide which one you want to improve and then go find a youtube video and learn something new! 

 

[DanO]

Trousseau,

 

The reason I posted this here is because it is the models, ladies that post these types of pictures and I doubt if they pay much attention to the photographers forum. Now about the pose, pose, pose proposition you suggest. Having entered my 34th year as an adult training instructor and college professor practice is a key component of learning new skills but only if the practice is correct. You must learn correct technique first or else you just reinforce bad habits. It is imperative that what is learned first is correct because trying to unlearn bad or incorrect habits is harder and more time consuming than learning it correctly first!

 

Mark Anthony Lacy ...Bravo great post! Please post more!

 

Dan

[The Trousseau]

Dan,

You are right-- once bad habits are learned they are very hard to unlearn.  That works for subject matter that has a right and a wrong to it.  I imagine if we were discussing software coding, the right and wrongness of it would be imperative.  Photography and modeling, however, is more art than science.  Learning the basics is imperative, but only to learn when and how to break those rules. Far more photographers are self-taught in the sense that they have received help along the way, but formal classes were not so much a part of the picture. 

Since you asked if your idea was a good one, I gave you my opinion.  I would think that the models are smart enough to figure out that if they want photography tips, they should go into the photography section.  Most of the women on here are fairly bright and could figure that one out.  But it really doesn't matter to me one way or the other what sections are on here. 

You do have me beat in years in education. I have been doing this gig for 32.  Most of those years have been in educational leadership-- that is, teaching teachers how to teach here in California as well as overseas, and also overseeing what they do.  I even did a stint teaching college professors!  Not sure how all that is relevant to a discussion on photography, though.   

--Patricia

[Roxy Tart {PL Team / Comm. Mgr}]

This is a great piece of advice, and I wanted to quote it in case it was missed in your longer post. Pick one thing (like your favorite pose or facial expression) and get really good at it. When you can do it perfectly without even thinking about it, move on. It might take a while, and for a bit your photos might all look alike, but you will grow and learn more, and everything will be well done.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go practice a new expression in the mirror.

The Trousseau said:

  All one can really use is a tip or two at a time, then practice that tip until you are ready for a new one. 

So, after this long comment, I will leave my tip.  Decide what you want to learn next.  Composition?  Styling?  Lighting?  You can't focus on everything at once, so decide which one you want to improve and then go find a youtube video and learn something new! 

 

[Nancy O.]

wow thanks, I'll make sure to check that out (:

Stiletto Sweetheart said:

There are a lot of photographers that don't charge also, or charge very little. So if money is someone's issue for not getting professional shots I suggest getting yourself a Model Mayhem account and finding photographers in your area who shoot TFP. The most I've ever paid for a shoot is $50 and I think all my photos have come out really great.

[SweetLeigh]

Ditto wat Lolita Black said! I would be so into that idea. Fab idea!

[SweetLeigh]

awesome thanks for that!

The Trousseau said:

There is already a forum for photography, so I am not sure what else is needed...?  But it isn't my site, so it isn't my call. 

This is a huge, huge topic.  I agree with Roxy that some cell phones are a great tool for learning composition.  One of the best things about a cell phone is that they don't have fancy gadgets.  You either get a good picture because you composed well, or you delete it.  Classes are okay, but I think the best thing they do is give a bit of confidence.  When you take a class, you get so much information quickly that your brain can't process it all.  It is an over-learning situation set up with the idea that the students will absorb a small amount of the large base of information.  Because there isn't enough time to really practice all of the new information, most students tend to forget most of it.    

The most important thing is the hard stuff.  Take pictures, take pictures, take pictures.  Or, for the models, pose for pictures, pose for pictures, pose for pictures. 

The time consuming part of learning a new skill like photography or modeling is the actual practice.  You have to do it, then learn from the pictures, then do it some more.  If you can get other opinions in on the deal, you are golden.  All one can really use is a tip or two at a time, then practice that tip until you are ready for a new one.  Classes can give a few shortcuts, but the bulk of the practice time is the same. 

One of the best things I ever did for myself was get involved in a series of photo parties.  Several people, lots of clothes, people who wanted to model and people who wanted to take pictures-- all did their best to learn from each other.  It was like a foreign language immersion program for fashion photography.

This is a personal interest for me.  Fashion and its marketing is quickly taking over my life and will soon be my primary job.  In that mix is a photo shoot twice a month with a hired model, sometimes hair and make up artists, a location to scout and sometimes I even take some pictures. I am learning so much so quickly because I am practicing it every other weekend. 

So, after this long comment, I will leave my tip.  Decide what you want to learn next.  Composition?  Styling?  Lighting?  You can't focus on everything at once, so decide which one you want to improve and then go find a youtube video and learn something new!