I used to be quite a regular lurker here. I was particularly obsessed with the outstanding work of a few of the wedding photogs in particular, and loved reading through the feedback and constructive criticism to build up my own knowledge from the backseat. My husband does a bit of paid photography work, so I\'ve got plenty of nice equipment at my disposal, and have a reasonable grasp of the basics.
Lately I\'ve been thinking more and more about actually giving photography a real go, with the aim of ultimately taking on some paid work myself. I did my first shoot a couple of days ago for free, in exchange for models who were willing to take plenty of direction and wait patiently while I fiddled around and ummed and ahhed a lot. I know this is kind of a no-no (doing free work), but I don\'t feel like I have enough technical expertise to produce good results on a reliable basis (and in fact, I would prefer to be producing excellent results, not just good ones). I was fairly pleased with what I achieved (which is what has me all excited), but I can already see tonnes of areas I need to improve, and there are no doubt tonnes more areas to improve after that that I\'m not even aware of.
I guess I\'m hoping for some advice from the pro photogs. I don\'t need photo critiques, as I think I am self-critiquing fairly well at this stage (though if you\'re really keen on throwing up a few suggestions, I won\'t mind). [Edit: Actually, I would love some constructive critique of my editing.] Rather, I\'m wondering if the pros could tell me when they started charging, and answer whether they would do anything differently in that respect if they were starting out again.
Looking at other pro websites from my local area, I think my photos compare reasonably well, but then I need to remind myself that I had very willing, cooperative subjects who would happily repose until I got the shot I was after (though in some cases I was too embarrassed to keep going) and excellent conditions. I\'m not comfortable yet with Manual mode. I have relied heavily on Aperture Priority until now. I also have no knowledge at all of flash photography.
I\'m obviously excited to keep practising, and I don\'t want to charge anybody for something that\'s not up to scratch. On the other hand, I\'ve seen people charging for very poor shots, and I could really do with the extra income, so maybe I should just jump in? Then I look at people like Lisa Holloway and think I should really just give up now.
Clearly I\'m very torn here. I\'d really love some sound, honest advice. Thanks so much.
