PHOTOGRAPHERS. ANSWERING THE QUESTION – WHY YOUR PHOTOS SUCK?

We’ve all seen the photographs of photographers who lack skill. They post blah photos of girls that are distorted, out of focus, have flat lighting and mediocre poses. Most of these models have an expression that says they would rather be anywhere else.

There is a very good reason for that. The photographer didn’t have a plan. Piss poor planning leads to piss poor performance. Want to shoot better? Here’s how.

1. Train your artistic eye to recognize what is working.
a. Learn to read the light – direction, intensity
b. Learn to read the pose – does it work and is it flattering to the subject
c. You can’t fix shitty lighting in Photoshop
2. Refrain from trying to make the model look sexy
a. Ass shots are crass shots
b. No crotch shots
c. Models squatting look like they are taking a dump
d. Duck face – I’m not sure who thought that was sexy, but no
3. Learn how to use your frigging camera.
a. ISO, fstop, Camera speed all go together to make the shot
b. Learn about exposure
4. Look at the whole scene, not just the hot girl
a. Check for tree limbs and other junk coming out of her head in the shot.
b. Is the composition correct?
c. If her chest is in focus, but her face is blurry, then get your head out of the gutter.
d. look for bright spots in the background that will pull your eye away from the subject.

Other things to look at
Wardrobe – does it look stupid or demeaning
Hair & makeup – these can make or break a photo shoot
Environment – Don’t let it distract from the subject

I spend hours doing a dry run for a photo shoot on paper. I collect photos of poses to show the model or give direction. I look at the lighting in photos and figure out what I like and don’t like.