callmebeardy":c5111 said:
First of all, let me say that I didn't call you out just to pick a fight. I'm the type who will only offer my opinion when I know that my opinion is backed by research and experience. I've been studying photography longer than you have been alive. I consider myself an "avid amateur" photographer, even though I have done a few gigs for pay. I have also been involved on the processing end for close to a decade. I've processed everything from disposable cameras to work from REAL pro's. I have, almost literally, seen it all.
I'm glad that you're interested in photography, but you obviously still have a LOT to learn. There's more to photography than point and shoot. There's framing, The Rule of Thirds, lighting, F-stops, apertures, shutter speeds... on and on. Yeah, you have that Canon Rebel which will do most of those things for you, but you haven't mastered it all quite yet. Even a fully automated dSLR is only as good as the photographer behind it.
If you aspire to be a pro, great (although I'll warn you, it's not the best way to make lots of moolah). You need to start with some basics. If your HS offers a photog class, TAKE IT! Local community colleges often offer photog classes, even to younger folks who are still in HS. Short of that, stock up on some tried and true photography books. "Understanding Exposure" by Bryan Peterson is a must-have for photographers. Also a book such as "The Basic Book of Photography" by Tom and Michelle Grimm is an excellent reference. Read through books like that and you'll be amazed at the stuff that you didn't KNOW that you didn't know. Also, read your camera's manual. It, too, contains a wealth of information.
A note on perception: If you had said, "I'm a teen interested in photography..here's some of my work," I would have thought that these pics were a decent beginning effort. But when you say, "I'm a pro," and submit these same pics, then I think, "These are pretty dang pitiful work for a so-called "pro"!"
My overall point is, I'm glad that you're interested in photography. It's a great skill, combining artistic and scientific elements. And one that's falling to the wayside with the digital technology. But don't come on here and say you're a pro when it's screamingly obvious that you aren't...even to the untrained eye, but especially to the somewhat trained eye. :wink:
PS: I enjoy looking at your pics either way.
