Robert Morra - RGM wrote:
Hey all! About to begin shooting in a new direction and was wondering if what I have done is in part or all worth it or not?

What's the purpose of your portfolio? Why do you shoot? What are your objectives?

K I M I L Y wrote:

What's the purpose of your portfolio? Why do you shoot? What are your objectives?

Was trying to capture true beauty of people whom normally don't see themselves as portrayed in these pics. Only a couple  here are aspiring models, the others are just "someone you know". And the non-model was the clientele I was originally trying to get. Recently I have realized a few things as well as marketing and brand skills need to be worked on.
Hope this helps.

Robert Morra - RGM wrote:
Was trying to capture true beauty of people whom normally don't see themselves as portrayed in these pics. Only a couple  here are aspiring models, the others are just "someone you know". And the non-model was the clientele I was originally trying to get. Recently I have realized a few things as well as marketing and brand skills need to be worked on.
Hope this helps.

'True beauty' is a bit subjective and something one potential client loves might be disliked by another. And it's the client's perspective which matters, not yours (or mine), if you're trying to make a buck.

So far as attracting paying clients is concerned I think you'll always have difficulty unless you work from a commercially appointed studio. Even then it won't be easy. Working from home or in makeshift locations will almost certainly be hit and miss.

For many people who pay for photography it's as much about 'the experience' as it is the images. The imagery itself might appear uninspiring to many of us here. The experience (pampering) is what makes them feel good and happy about their spend.

So far as your port goes it currently looks like a bit of a jumble of different processing techniques you've experimented with - it feels like you're still trying to find your way. So far as the photography itself goes though I've seen high street studios knocking out images which aren't appreciably better than yours technically. If you're shooting regularly the consistency and quality of your images will improve naturally anyway as you refine your product and technique.

I don't think you need to be too worried about what people here think about your images if the public is your intended audience/market. It sounds like you've already figured out that there are other things you need to be concerned about.

I owned and managed a photo studio alongside an unrelated business in the same industrial unit for several years. What sells isn't necessarily what you like to produce. I was lucky in that I wasn't reliant on the studio for an income so it afforded me some flexibility. If you don't have that flexibility then you better be sure it's something you really want to do.

Good luck.

K I M I L Y wrote:

'True beauty' is a bit subjective and something one potential client loves might be disliked by another. And it's the client's perspective which matters, not yours (or mine), if you're trying to make a buck.

So far as attracting paying clients is concerned I think you'll always have difficulty unless you work from a commercially appointed studio. Even then it won't be easy. Working from home or in makeshift locations will almost certainly be hit and miss.

For many people who pay for photography it's as much about 'the experience' as it is the images. The imagery itself might appear uninspiring to many of us here. The experience (pampering) is what makes them feel good and happy about their spend.

So far as your port goes it currently looks like a bit of a jumble of different processing techniques you've experimented with - it feels like you're still trying to find your way. So far as the photography itself goes though I've seen high street studios knocking out images which aren't appreciably better than yours technically. If you're shooting regularly the consistency and quality of your images will improve naturally anyway as you refine your product and technique.

I don't think you need to be too worried about what people here think about your images if the public is your intended audience/market. It sounds like you've already figured out that there are other things you need to be concerned about.

I owned and managed a photo studio alongside an unrelated business in the same industrial unit for several years. What sells isn't necessarily what you like to produce. I was lucky in that I wasn't reliant on the studio for an income so it afforded me some flexibility. If you don't have that flexibility then you better be sure it's something you really want to do.

Good luck.

Thanks for the information. Will take it and hopefully run with it for the better.
Cheer!