photographic annoyances

so i was just looking at some threads on doa and, in a couple of them, people were talking about their photography. one person said their photos weren't "professional" and apologized. i assume that the reasoning is that the photos have no backdrop or setting aside from the kitchen table, etc. do people not realize that their photos aren't actually professional unless they are themselves a professional photographer? do people not realize that professional means that it is your profession? your job? seriously. snapshots are okay when you just want to show something off. photography is a hobby for most people. within the bjd hobby it is an attendant hobby. you don't have to take pro style shots. hell, most of the photos that people think of as professional aren't really all that close in my opinion.


anyway, the correct terminology should be "professional looking" if you want to use the word professional to describe it, or you should be talking in terms of setting and background and formal portraiture of the pictures. i am aware that most people in the hobby taking photos have never taken a class on photography, much less read much of anything on the internet about it. again: it is a hobby. people can be amateur photographers. there are rankings that can be applied. however, you're not professional unless you are, in fact, a photographer either as a full time living or as an artist (ie: show in galleries and sell originals/prints - and i do not mean that you have sold a print or twenty through devart).

the other thing that rankled and prompted me to rant here is the use of post-editing. yes, there is a post-editing thread on doa. yes, i have posted to it. yes, i do post-edit some of my photos to get specific effects. no, i do not post-edit every photo. yes, i have applied post-editing in a darkroom with actual photographic techniques. in fact, my first post-editing was done using traditional methods and not a computer program.

that being said, i cannot stand it when people are heaped upon with praise over a photo that, without any editing, is at best mediocre. i strive for photos that can stand on their own and where the only post-editing is resizing - not cropping mind you, just simply resizing of the original. from experience i know how much post-processing can occur in order to get certain looks - or what filters or pre-programmed tools can be used to obtain the desired effect. i do not feel that a picture can be judged entirely based on the final result - and yes, i am aware that a lot of professional photography has post-processing done to it.

however, looking at photos where entire things have been altered or removed makes me somewhat sick. quite a few times where things have been altered or removed, the person could have fixed the item or "issue" with a little patience. i mean, seriously, big gob of hair sticking up? don't remove it. try taking a few minutes to fix the wig. seriously, much easier to fix a wig than to have to constantly edit out that unruly bit of hair that you can't get to stay down. there's plenty of safe products out there that can help. mind you, wig issues are just the example i am using here, there's plenty of other things that i have seen done.

frankly, when you take a photo, take the time to set it up so that there is less post-editing needed. aim to not have to do any edits beyond resizing. learn some techniques. if you take consistently dark photos, figure out why. do you need to fix your aperture or f-stop? should you use a reflector? a diffuse filter on a flash? is the white balance on your camera off? if you are constantly using a blur to soften the edges of your photos or to direct the final focus, maybe you need a different filter to use on your lens. if you crop your photos consistently due to having too much space or not a tight enough photo in the first place, then maybe you need to study up on composition. perhaps you are using the wrong focal length? if you have a variable lens, it's easy enough to take a minute to play with it to get the shot tight like you want. if you are using a fixed focal lens, then perhaps you should invest in several different ones so that you can make use of the different possibilities each focal length offers.

if all you ever do is post-editing to your photos to get them presentable, then all you are showing people is your ability to use a computer program to alter images.

photos should be able to stand on their own prior to any post-processing. what makes a photo good is the effort put into the photo when being taken, not the effort that goes into altering it. i have nothing against people who are satisfied with their post-edited photos - i have some of my own that i like better after post-editing - but i do have something against people feeling like they have to post-edit to get a good photo. when someone is talking about photography and states that they feel the merit of a photo is how much time is spent on the post-processing with an emphasis being basically "the longer the editing takes, the better the photo", i have to seriously wonder how much they know about photography in general.

in the end, i don't care how crappy or good your camera is. i don't care if you have a degree in photography or are learning on your own. what i want is for you to make an effort to better your photography, not your editing skills. most of us have digital cameras, so it's real easy and it doesn't cost you a ton of money or time to work on your techniques and actual photographic skills. if you had to take photos using actual film, i bet that you'd take the time to learn since each photo would cost you. don't be lazy! remember that old saying? "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." take it to heart. please. what matters in the end is your own skill. having a fancy top of the line camera with flashy lenses doesn't make your photos better. having a graphics program and knowing how to use it doesn't make your photos better. having taken the time to set up your subject, made sure that your camera settings are appropriate, and to properly frame the shot make more difference and create a better photo all around.

make yourself a better photographer. don't apologize because your photo isn't up to professional quality or standards. don't blame the camera (unless, of course, it really is on it's last leg). don't blame your lack of a good graphics program. better your techniques. better your skills. take a class. read manuals, books, and blogs to learn new things. if you aren't satisfied with what you can do, the only thing to do is work at fixing it. after all, how can one improve if one does not try?