# katoboe.com



## katoboe (Oct 21, 2016)

Hi everyone! I am a budding photographer and want to expose my website through this Forum!

I am new to this Forum and would appreciate the exposure and advice on establishing my new photography business.

Please visit my website: katoboe.com and let me know what you think.
Please know that I am eager for the exposure and feedback on content and subject matter.
Please contact me on my contact page and please spread the word!

Thanks!

Kat


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## The_Traveler (Oct 21, 2016)

Kat,

IMO, you are not yet ready to charge for your work. 
Your photographs are not well done and the website looks very amateurish.
I'm sorry if this is painful to read but I could not honestly say anything more positive.


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## tirediron (Oct 21, 2016)

Moved to the appropriate forum.

While Lew's post is rather blunt, I agree completely.  Your images may be fine as personal snap-shots, but they're not close to being 'professional' IMO.  My suggestion would be to take the business side of things off-line, and work on the basics.assuming you already have the necessary licensees, insurance, business plan, etc take 4-6 months and spend it working on learning posing, composition, exposure and post-processing. 

Concurrent with that, I recommend the following changes in your website:  
-New bio pic; the current one is out of focus and poorly composed; if photography is supposed to be your trade, what does this image say about your abilities?

-Lay your 'site out so that people don't have to scroll vertically.  People are lazy, if they don't see it right away, they probably never will.

-You have less than 3 seconds to 'hook' a potential client.  Your home page gallery has a bunch of pictures of leaves; if I want a headshot, what is there on that page to hold me?

-Payment information doesn't belong on your bio page

-Almost none of the images you are displaying currently belong on a professional 'site

-Your home page has multiple repeats of the same image.

This is not to say that you can't do this; you can.  We all started at the same point, but it's important to recognize that no more would you buy a hammer and set yourself up as a finish-carpenter, owning a camera and loving photographer doesn't make you a professional photographer.  Take the time, learn the basics!


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## Trever1t (Oct 21, 2016)

katoboe said:


> Hi everyone! I am a budding photographer and want to expose my website through this Forum!
> 
> I am new to this Forum and would appreciate the exposure and advice on establishing my new photography business.
> 
> ...




Hi Kat, 

You aren't the first, nor will you be the last to buy a camera and become an instant professional. You're in the right place IF you WANT to learn. 

I do have a question for you. Why do you think you can charge for photography services? What do you offer? You're admittedly a beginner, don't you feel you should be experienced and capable with your equipment before charging? I really would love to hear from you on this as I've never taken the time to ask previously.

I did look at your page and your work. 

I'll tell you something about myself, I started out a while back, was involved in professional event, wedding and portrait shoots but decided I wasn't good enough, capable of delivering what I thought my clients deserved and now shoot purely for my enjoyment and love it. 

Please do feel free to click the Flickr link in my signature below


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## katoboe (Oct 24, 2016)

The_Traveler said:


> Kat,
> 
> IMO, you are not yet ready to charge for your work.
> Your photographs are not well done and the website looks very amateurish.
> I'm sorry if this is painful to read but I could not honestly say anything more positive.



Thanks so much for your reply! I have already made some changes to my site and recognize that I have a lot to learn. I am in the process of adding some better shots to my site and have taken down the payment portion. My plan originally was to do some freelance work once I save up for a better camera and use the website as a portfolio. I designed the website myself, because it is the cheapest way to go, for now.

Photography may end up being just a hobby for me, but I am very passionate about it because I enjoy the creative aspects of this art and want to learn all I can about this work.

Do you know of any free training or have any other suggestions for my moving forward?

I appreciate your time!

thx,

Kat


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## The_Traveler (Oct 24, 2016)

There are literally tens of thousands of videos on specific subjects but perhaps you need a more general approach at first.
There is a whole vocabulary and concepts to learn and the learning process is never over.
IMO, the two best ways to understand pictures and how people see them is to start posting individual images here and getting feedback and looking at other people's posted pictures and the responses they get.

When you come across vocabulary or concepts you don't understand, that will provide direction for learning.

and these may help:

11 Tips for Beginning Photographers - How to Start Taking Pictures

Composition and Critique - understanding a photograph


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