Please Support

[Rattus]

I am an amateur photographer. My aim in life is to become professional
currently i am in need of inspiration and support

i would really appreciate it if you could support me by liking my facebook page
www.facebook.com/pages/Toxic-Photography/110016385776533

or by following my Deviantart
http://talktothehorizon.deviantart.com/

Please any support is awesome

[ScottM]

Welcome. Maybe you'll participate and learn from and share with people here rather than just redirecting to your own site on first post?

[Rattus]

sorry
i guess you assume most people have a facebook
this does seem like quite an interesting website and i intend to visit regularly

[ricktas]

Most people on here will not 'like' a facebook page etc, just cause someone asks. We tend to 'like' something, if it is deserving of being so.

Getting X number of likes is not going to make you a better photographer, lots of hard work, business skills etc, will! And to be honest (you need people being honest with you when it comes to turning photography into a business), your photos on your FB page are not going to get you much praise on sites like AP. You have a long way to go before you are going to get a WOW, from members here.

So start posting photos, read the critique and feedback, and learn from it. If you take it all on board, learn, and apply yourself, then you will progress and can start looking at starting a business.

Might sound harsh, but it is reality of being a photographer professionally. You MUST be able to take superb photos under any conditions, every time! Support is not about how many 'likes' you get.

[Kym]

Read this first...
http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/showthread.php?73305-Becoming-a-Professional-Photographer

Then start posting images here, get feedback; also enter competitions and join a local camera club, but above all develop your skills so your images rock!

[I @ M]

A very good way to start looking "professional" is to be able to spell correctly.

Sharing does not have an e in it.

That is the first thing I noticed in your about section on your facebook page. Sorry, but needless to say, I stopped looking at that point.

[Kym]

Sorry, but needles to say, I stopped looking at that point.
Well done Andrew :p :lol2:

[ScottM]

Join in Rattus, you'll find this site extremely useful, but it is a community of photographers who contribute of all skill levelswith beginners, amateurs, and professionals.

Rick made some good points about FB, likes, experience and learning, and posting and CC-ing others. It's the best way to learn. As he said, it might sound harsh, but AP thrives on contributions from all. This was why I jumped initially and said not to redirect to your external site especially on first post. Many people here have external sites, but they're not 'pushed' onto other members, they're secondary to participating here.

So join in and post some photos here and see others'!

[atky]

Hi Hope you have not been scared off I can't spell either but have managed to get a few things published both stories and images (paid). Looked at your images on FB and I saw every thing that could be wrong with images. Before you start to think I don't need this grief I think you do. You say you want to be a professional photographer sorry but don't think I can see any one wanting to hire you at the moment and not for some time. You need to learn a lot and work hard on a lot of things.
I would love to be able to make a living from photography but I'm not good enough at to many things to make that step. The things I think photographers need to be good at are
Business
Self promotion (networking)
People skills.
Taking criticism
Develop a thick skin
Taking photographs (not snapshots). In lots different fields
Im sure the list is longer but that enough to start with.

[Rattus]

Most people on here will not 'like' a facebook page etc, just cause someone asks. We tend to 'like' something, if it is deserving of being so.

I understand that its why i came specifically to a website dedicated to photography
I merely wanted people to have a look at some of the photo's there so i wouldn't have to re-upload them
and if they liked it then they can be updated with more photo's that i upload

atky, Thanks for the advice :)
I @ M, Didn't notice that thanks for pointing it out
you all have good points

[Kerrie]

Hi rattus

The idea of this site is to post photos for critique by professional, amateur and semi pros.ie members.

The reason it's best to do it here is that others learn by what others say to you about your photos.


We grow as a community.

the other advantage of posting here is that if you are noticed and favored by anyone who sees your work, there is a forum here where you can post links to your own site, and people can find you.

I'm looking forward to seeing your work if you decide to post.

:th3:

[Mark L]

....... its why i came specifically to a website dedicated to photography
I merely wanted people to have a look at some of the photo's there so i wouldn't have to re-upload them
and ......
um "i would really appreciate it if you could support me by liking my facebook page"
"website dedicated to photography" relies on us getting involved and participating in some way.
If you don't "re-upload" then I'll never see any of your images.:confused013
You can create a signature here that includes a link to other places that have more of your images, then if I happen to see things that you post here that appeal, then I may go and have a look.
Anyway, welcome aboard Rattus, I do hope you become an active member here. There's plenty of sharing and learning to be had.:th3:

[jev]

have a look at some of the photo's there so i wouldn't have to re-upload them
One of the first lessons to learn for any photographer that wants to "turn professional" is that professional photography is service-business. It is up to you to make it easy as possible to your customers to find you, to get to know you. Imagine a door-to-door bookseller that doesn't bring the encyclopedia's he's selling but requests his customers to go into the city to check out his store. It just doesn't work that way.

It sounds pretty harsh but since your (assumed) audience is here, show your work on the forum or don't bother to ask at all.

[Tommo1965]

A very good way to start looking "professional" is to be able to spell correctly.

Sharing does not have an e in it.

That is the first thing I noticed in your about section on your facebook page. Sorry, but needless to say, I stopped looking at that point.


judging by some of the facebook images and her blog Rattus is only a youngster ..might be a good idea to not to sound too harsh or get on too many soap boxes...perhaps look at that rather than a few misspelled words !

[I @ M]

Tommo, the OP asked for advice and I offered some, they in turn took the advice as just that.

They also stated that they wished to become "professional" and as far as I am concerned being a "professional" indicates that they wish to make it their full time money earning occupation and if they wish to present themselves in the best light in business then spelling and grammar in general reflect the said "professional" ability.

I am NOT on any soap box and to me the age of the OP is relevant to the degree that the younger they are the better placed they are to learn early to modify their ways in order to succeed.

There is a lot more to being a "professional" than purely the ability to capture images.

[arthurking83]

I understand that its why i came specifically to a website dedicated to photography
I merely wanted people to have a look at some of the photo's there so i wouldn't have to re-upload them
and if they liked it then they can be updated with more photo's that i upload

......

you don't necessarily have to re-upload your images again.

I also have a dA account and before AP had anywhere to upload images too(the gallery), I used to link my images on AP from dA.

It's quite easy to do.(sounds easier than flickr anyhow)... open any image in dA and rightclick it and select 'copy image location'

Once you've done that, you simply paste(rightclick->select 'paste') the link currently residing in memory into the URL link that opens up when you use the image loading icon in the reply box toolbar.

If you're using a browser with tabbed browsing ability this is a very simple way to post to AP.

dA is not a good site to post too if you want deeper analysis of your images/technique/processing style. 99.9999% of comments are of the "Wow" and "I love it" type.

You will get some of those types of comments here too if the image is worthy of them, but in general you will get a deeper reason for why the image is liked, or not.

[MiniFighter]

Rattus, firstly... :gday: and welcome to Ap.

As most have mentioned above, this is by far one of the best places for learning, and going by your opening post your keen to learn.
Jump in, post up some of your pics and let the members here offer you advice and feedback on your images. That will be the best way to learn and hopefully by taking this on board you will one day reach your goals and dreams.

I had a look through your blog and FB page, there are some good photographic ideas there, unfortunatly most just do not have the final result. To me they all seem a little like "shoot from the hip/candid style" images.

Maybe...start again here:)

Jump in here (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?4-Introductions) and introduce yourself. Let us know a bit about yourself and what gear your using etc et.

THEN

Jump in here (http://www.ausphotography.net.au/forum/forumdisplay.php?104-New-To-Photography) and post up a few pics. Feedback and direction from guys and girls that have been doing this for years and years is better than 100 likes on your FB page.

Good luck and hope to see you in the forums :th3:


Wayne.

[Tommo1965]

Tommo, the OP asked for advice and I offered some, they in turn took the advice as just that.

They also stated that they wished to become "professional" and as far as I am concerned being a "professional" indicates that they wish to make it their full time money earning occupation and if they wish to present themselves in the best light in business then spelling and grammar in general reflect the said "professional" ability.

I am NOT on any soap box and to me the age of the OP is relevant to the degree that the younger they are the better placed they are to learn early to modify their ways in order to succeed.

There is a lot more to being a "professional" than purely the ability to capture images.


Im sorry Andrew..but your first reply to the OP came across as ridicule,

sorry but thats the way the text reads on my monitor....perhaps im mistaken

[arthurking83]

Hopefully not going to far OT here, but Tommo, that's simply your point of view, and if you hold that point of view consistently across every aspect of CC, then that is your choice.

BUT CC is simply CC and it's generally defined as constructive criticism. Whether that be in a thread about images or in a general thread about 'professionalism' makes no difference.

I saw Andrew's reply as CC, so that the OP can learn more about what others would like to see from a professional ... and spelling is important if you are to have a website announcing yourself.

Fair enough this is only in a casual post about not really all that much, but you have to start somewhere, and it's best advised to break bad habits before they get the better of you.

That's my interpretation of Andrew's reply, which is markedly different from yours.

What's humorous (to me) about this particular topic you just raised is that I tend to behave more like Andrew when it comes to browsing 'professional' web sites.

Last night I went searching for the two entities that are at the centre of the copyright debacle currently happening in the UK.

The two companies at the centre of the row are called New England Teas(the copyright infringer) and Temple Island Collection(the infringee)

had a few minutes looking around the infringer's website to see what the fuss was about(but I found nothing) and then clicked on the link to the infringee's site and held that page for about 15 sec, befroe I closed it.
On that site, where the image at the centre of the row is located is a line that reads .....


" Gifts inspried by the famous red London bus. "

I was so inspried .. that promptly closed the page.(sorry but that's just the way I am too).

I have no professional web site, and don't really have any plans to do so either, and I have a very limited gallery up and running at the moment, but that was set up about 4-5 years ago and never updated since it was created .. I have no speeling errors on that gallery because I am petty about such a simple topic, even tho I didn't need to be.

In a reply I allow myself leeway .. a lot of leeway as I generally muck something up .. usually the word muck! ;)(one day I'll get it right tho).

Not a very inspring reply I know, but that's just my point of view.

[Mark L]

In a reply I allow myself leeway .. a lot of leeway as I generally muck something up .. usually the word muck! ;)(one day I'll get it right tho).


If we were on FB I'd like this, but since we're here :lol:

[fess67]

I have to agree with Andrew's POV on this one.

Facebook is IMO more about quantity than quality - if I get 1000 likes it is good....who cares why they liked it, Facebook is a popularity score.

I looked at the OP's images. Most are typical fun shots documenting the life of a 15 year old, nothing wrong with that and they are for the most part fun. They should be taken as fun but are a long way from being a budding professional.

A couple show promise in a photographical sense and I actually really liked to one that used lens zoom. Very well done.

However, as for 'like me'...nah, earn it with effort and participation and let the likes generate themselves.

[Wandapics]

Hi Rattus Good on you for having a go. There is much that can be learnt on this site especially in the tutorials.
I am a member of Lismore Camera Club. If you would like some more information about the club then please send me a PM with your email address & I will send you a program & info on where & when we meet.
Enjoy your photography.

[Erin]

Looks like Rattus is gone... but being the DA freak that I am, I had a look at her gallery there. There's some surprisingly good stuff (IMO) and the kid's got talent. Just needs practice to develop her style a little more. I added her to my watchlist. :)