Some advice please

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pingu

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Edit My Images
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Was going to tag this onto the professionals thread but thought better of it.

I am at the moment at best a "lucky" amateur. Lucky in that I know the subject of my shots (dogs) very well and that I have managed to get some nice pictures.

My learning to date has been by trial and error and I probably get about 1 shot in 20 that I am happy with.

I want to move on a bit. I have invested in some decent glass and I want to do it justice. I am also quite expierenced with photoshop and other image editing progs

My utlimate aim is to start doing dog portraits.

However I am aware that there is a fair bit to learn before I even think about charging people for pictures and am looking for guidence as to where to start.

My only experience of a camera club was loads of people arguing about what kit was best and basically showing off how superior their knowledge was to everyone elses. Not much interest in helping others develop their skills. So am a bit wary of doing that again - plus I dont think I would be welcome back to the one I went to :D

Anyhow... I learn better from hands on rather than from books and will now shut up and await your suggestions :)



kit is:

40d, 70-200 L, 24-105L nifty 50, plus some tamron lenses and a 430ex
 
tbh i find it very difficult to get pictures of people, it just doesnt interest me.

i am happy to spend a long time waiting for the right shot of a dog doing something that captures its character but the thought of doing the same with a person just leaves me .. "meh".

landscapes and wildlife though I could spend days just waiting for the shot to appear quite happily
 
Try to make sure you keep your shooting disciplined and selective. Learn from the 19 out of 20 you dont like and prevent yourself as much as possible from falling into the same traps.

I have no experience of our canine friends however have many years experience with equine shots and feel patience is a real virtue with all animals (especially those with a human on top)

I did once have to photograph 4 pedigree bulls for stud cards that were used for trade adverts and flyers. It took 2 days and I took only 4 rolls (10 shots per roll). Each roll had at least 4 usable shots.

I understand you have to take shots to learn the nuances of any trade/skill and you are right to shoot lots of pics. However, dont overdo it. Sometimes its good to stop, stand back, analyse, and plan/restrategise. In many ways you have to treat it as a job rather than a passion.

From what I've seen you have a lot of the skills already, coupled with knowledge of your subject and it is really a matter of fine tuning, coupled with confidence and a willingness to keep trying to improve (which you already have otherwise you wouldn't be here)

Good Luck and keep posting pics - we love to see them.
 
Couldn't agree more - adapt and critique.
 
why not sign up on some dog forums and offer to do some photos for prints, or go to some dog shows and practice taking pics there - people love having a nice photos of their pets - i know i would which is why im trying to improve my photography
 
Great idea. You could also try to shoot around a self set theme (say preparing a dog for a show) and try to document it with pictures showing also what makes that dog special.

When I was starting I did a project around a young rider preparing herself for her first point to point. We showed the less glamerous side, mucking out, as well as schooling, tack preparation and so on.

It culminated in a portrait shot of horse and rider and action shot taken during the race. The fact that it sold as a story with Horse and Rider is good but irrelevant to what I learned during the process.

It also helped get me known, albeit at a local level only.
 
hi if it was me I would build a small website, go to dogshows and take lots of pics, give cards out on the day ( or pay to go in the progamme) with the website on asking people to look and see what they think water mark all pics and give people the option to buy. my wife goes to dogs shows and she had some pics done at one which were put in a paper and she bought a couple of pics from the person as well.
 
you could approach a dog home/shelter ie battersea dogs home(obviously one around liverpool) or kennals and see if you could take some dog portraits for free to build up a portfolio. good luck
 
sorry to harp on but I'm still stuck.... anyone got any ideas regarding the problem i was having with Photoplus magazine's cover disc? (see earleir in thread) Thanks :)
 
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