Building my portfolio

[ColoradoSkier]

I have been slowly working on my Flickr site to make it somewhat representative of what I think are my best works. If you have a moment, could you take a look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/chesterbullock/ and offer up your thoughts?

I am not yet ready to go with smugmug or one of those kinds of things. I am just trying to get my ducks in a row and see if what I am doing is making any sense.

Thanks.

[OFRD_GRL]

OK just some random comments on the pictures if you're cool with it!

the senior portrait:
the grass in the foreground, even though blurred, kind of catches your eye first.
otherwise its a very good picture


I really like the photography of buildings that you do, as well as the scenery!

Your action shots are pretty good too!

[ColoradoSkier]

Thank you. Comments on pics are always welcome of course.

That shot of him jumping took us about 5 tries before we got a keeper. Stupid slow fps speeds...

[Tiffany]

What is your goal as a photog? Nature/Landscape?

All nice photos, but I really like the nature/landscape stuff you have done way more than the portraiture stuff. You have a real eye for it.

Apparently I have a real eye for taking pics of men/women naked...who knew.

[thenimirra]

LOL....we all have our gifts. ;)

I agree with Tiffany that your landscapes and nature are where your heart and talent is.

[Tiffany]

My gift is a curse...I mean most of the time, sometimes I am ok with it though :D

I have yet to combine Chesters gift for nature with my gift for...other stuff...maybe once the snow is gone...

[OFRD_GRL]

LMFAO nice Tiffany :D

i guess that could be a gift sometimes huh ;)

[Tiffany]

Chester I am working on a site for my "other" work as I want to keep that separate from the photos of kids and stuff...I am reworking a Flickr API plugin to work with WordPress so I can use the cheaper hosting of Flickr, but still have a more professional site.

Once done I can pass it to you if you want to use it.

I have that and a SmugMug plug-in working so am trying to leverage both and figure some things out.

[ColoradoSkier]

See, I'd rather be naked than taking pics of naked people. Especially now that the weight is coming off. :D

I don't know that I have a goal as a photographer yet, other than to make enough money to cover equipment purchases and upgrades. It would be nice if one of my hobbies remained a hobby for a change. But the business degree in me is naturally looking at ways to monetize it.

It seems like people is where the quick money is. I could probably do events, especially a ski event. ;)

But you guys are right, landscapes/ buildings/ nature/ history and macros (inanimate objects I guess) are what I enjoy. I see so many pictures in Flickr that would look SO much better without people in them. If you have the pic, what other proof do you need that you were there?

Thinking on it further, I think a lot of my pictures are similar to my travel habits. I like to go off the beaten path and see things that most people skip past without a second thought (hiking in to a glacier in Alaska instead of driving to a famous one for example). I like to get pics of things from a different point of view. I LOVED "Learning to See Creatively" because of this.

Not sure if there is money in that or not, or if there even should be. But if there is, I guess I will try hard to find it.

Tiff - I'd be most interested in that plugin when you get it going.

[Tiffany]

Follow your heart, money is not a driving force....rinse, repeat.

You can make money from landscapes and all that. You have to find the right client.

Making money off people is a slippery slope...some of the folks I take pics of are never going to make it further than their front door in modeling/acting. I tend to feel bad taking their money so they can realize their dream when I know they won't. Take pics of kids and you can always make money cause mommy will buy every pic you take of little Johnny, even the bad ones.

Follow your heart, let it be the hobby you love, enjoy taking pictures for the sake of the picture, not the $$$ it might bring you.

If you really wanto make money in photography do one of two things....

Become a wedding photographer (would eat a bullet first)
Become Papparazzi in Hollywood

Other than that...it's luck...and really, its all luck.

[ColoradoSkier]

Well, maybe not ALL luck. Connections are good too. Like the baseball league I have been involved with. I know I could make some money there, but that ties back into the kid thing. :D

[Rhino95]

I think your bridge to nowhere is sweet. I think the best way to sell photos that aren't of models/people is to get a decent collection of GREAT...not good...GREAT photos and look into trying to get them into galleries. And set up a website with the option of purchase. That way years down the road someone could still purchase your photo if they happen to be led to it or stumble upon it. However I have heard that it is VERY difficult to both get your photos into a gallery let alone sell them.

photomartiniclub.com is where I'm going to start once I get a decent collection of photos. They do MANY galleries and it's all aspiring local photographers. Great stuff.

[Tiffany]

Well, maybe not ALL luck. Connections are good too. Like the baseball league I have been involved with. I know I could make some money there, but that ties back into the kid thing. :D
I look at connections as luck too. You are lucky to have people in your world that can help you sometimes. That's not a plan, you get what you get unless you are the devil and work that way.

My current subjects all came to me by luck of the draw really. Had one guy who just wanted some pics so he could go off and be a porn star. I looked at his portfolio and felt sorry for him when he told me he had paid someone $500 to take the pics he had, they were horrible even by low budget porn standards (think polaroid shots at best). Anyway, I did it. He was very happy with the shots I did and posted them on his website and the next thing ya know I got folks calling me to do more work.

As far as what you are doing Chester, I would take an afternoon and hit up some offices in the DTC. If you had come in to my office you would have seen a ton of bare walls. Everyone in my building is looking for art work for the walls, but nothing they have found works for them so far. We are going to go and take sepcific pics for the office. A lot of folks are looking for photogs to help them out with that. Gets you some cash and exposure.

[thenimirra]

I think your bridge to nowhere is sweet. I think the best way to sell photos that aren't of models/people is to get a decent collection of GREAT...not good...GREAT photos and look into trying to get them into galleries. And set up a website with the option of purchase. That way years down the road someone could still purchase your photo if they happen to be led to it or stumble upon it. However I have heard that it is VERY difficult to both get your photos into a gallery let alone sell them.

photomartiniclub.com is where I'm going to start once I get a decent collection of photos. They do MANY galleries and it's all aspiring local photographers. Great stuff.

that's cool...I was looking at that group too. I would have gone to their meeting on Tuesday if I wouldn't have been sick. Let me know if you join up.

hijack over.

[ColoradoSkier]

My current subjects all came to me by luck of the draw really. Had one guy who just wanted some pics so he could go off and be a porn star. I looked at his portfolio and felt sorry for him when he told me he had paid someone $500 to take the pics he had, they were horrible even by low budget porn standards (think polaroid shots at best). Anyway, I did it. He was very happy with the shots I did and posted them on his website and the next thing ya know I got folks calling me to do more work.

If I am ever single again, I'll give you a call. :lmao:

As far as what you are doing Chester, I would take an afternoon and hit up some offices in the DTC. If you had come in to my office you would have seen a ton of bare walls. Everyone in my building is looking for art work for the walls, but nothing they have found works for them so far. We are going to go and take sepcific pics for the office. A lot of folks are looking for photogs to help them out with that. Gets you some cash and exposure.

Interesting thought. I know we always turned away traveling art salesmen when I was in the DTC, but you might be on to something there.

Rhino - I'll check into that club - thanks for the link.

[Rhino95]

that's cool...I was looking at that group too. I would have gone to their meeting on Tuesday if I wouldn't have been sick. Let me know if you join up.

hijack over.

Will do.

[rockkrusher]

What is your goal as a photog? Nature/Landscape?

All nice photos, but I really like the nature/landscape stuff you have done way more than the portraiture stuff. You have a real eye for it.

Apparently I have a real eye for taking pics of men/women naked...who knew.

That makes 2 of us.Artistic and fetish nudes of couples is my biggest request and where I make most of my income from photography.

[rockkrusher]

My gift is a curse...I mean most of the time, sometimes I am ok with it though :D

I have yet to combine Chesters gift for nature with my gift for...other stuff...maybe once the snow is gone...

Ah Tiff I know of several models that do outdoor nudes in the snowy landscapes. Even willing to hike in in knee deep snow to the right place.