New UK Photographer

marcusp13 said:
I feel it's quite ridiculous how some people have been arguing for days over the correct term of the use "UK Photographer". If people took as much time working on their photography skills as they do arguing on this forum, I think everyone on this forum would be an amazing photographer (not saying that there aren't a lot of incrediblie photographers already using the forum).
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Hear hear!

I'm an admin who bans people, but it isn't my profession :wave: :D
Nice to see it's now sorted, but stop with the nitpicking arguments, and get back to talking to each other with a bit of tact, thought and respect.
 
Marcel said:
Hear hear!

I'm an admin who bans people, but it isn't my profession :wave: :D
Nice to see it's now sorted, but stop with the nitpicking arguments, and get back to talking to each other with a bit of tact, thought and respect.
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I thought we had?

The last 3 pointless posts have just re-raised the issue :cautious::naughty:
 
neo2810 said:
I thought we had?

The last 3 pointless posts have just re-raised the issue :cautious::naughty:
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Marcel said:
Hear hear!

Nice to see it's now sorted, but stop with the nitpicking arguments, and get back to talking to each other with a bit of tact, thought and respect.
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;) and as for the rest of the post I was talking in general. Call it a general warning to everyone if you like.
 
At 14 I was calling myself all sorts, its what teenagers do. I was the Vice President for a Model Rocket club :LOL:

Call yourself what you want.
 
This thread is certainly funny... but at least it seems to have been sorted now... Thanks for your backup guys, and comments are really appreciated - it's interesting to see everyone's views.

andrewc said:
Personally I would drop calling yourself a UK photographer - its misleading. You're UK based certainly, but if your preferred genre is cityscapes or landscapes I'd call yourself a landscape photographer.

I'd call myself a motorsport photographer as that is where my interests lie.

Your website needs a consistent theme, seems a bit muddled at the moment, and I gave up waiting for the thumbnails to load - thumbnails should be tiny pictures that load almost instantly.
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I'm still kind of deciding what sort of photography I should focus on - I live in London so I can get some great urban shots, but I often go on trips around the world like recently to China and Italy, where I might get some great nature shots...

I think it does say on my website that it's currently under construction. Thanks guys for your support on the website front of things - some great ideas. The text is very cartoony - I just made it quickly in Photoshop so there was something there while I focused on the content of the site, before doing the design and layout.

The thumbnail problem seems to be a constant problem, so I shall work on that and fix it as soon as possible.

AB38
 
OK First impressions of your site:

- Horrible font and the red/pink outer glow is a bit naff.
- "Red blob thing" in the background doesn't work.
- Images take far too long to load.
- There's hardly any content which puts people off coming back.

I'd say go a for simple design with a nice slick gallery and don't launch the site until there's enough content on it to keep people interested.
 
alexbarnes38 said:
I think it does say on my website that it's currently under construction. Thanks guys for your support on the website front of things - some great ideas. The text is very cartoony - I just made it quickly in Photoshop so there was something there while I focused on the content of the site, before doing the design and layout.

The thumbnail problem seems to be a constant problem, so I shall work on that and fix it as soon as possible.

AB38
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As I said in the previous post, the website is still under construction. The logo thing is just temporary, and I'm working on solving the photo loading problem.

I've kept it up and running whilst doing maintenance on it because keeping it live makes it easier to discover bugs etc, as well as having something up there, instead of wasting my money on a domain name.

Thanks for taking your time to look at it though. :)

AB38
 
Hi Alex, firstly well done for your maturity in responding to some of the more critical feedback in this thread (nothing more to be said on this piece!)

On a website specific note I agree with the others that the content probably needs a bit more categorisation, also some of the fonts are horrid :puke:

One other comment (and not sure why this would be) but all your images actually get blocked by my work firewall/security, I have no idea whether this is anything to do with the domain details or what but for some reason it gets blocked as unsuitable material so must be something triggering that?

All the best with your photographic skills development, my eldest son is 16 and he is getting more into photography (sports seem to be his thing) and I would encourage it as at your age anything that keeps you off the video games and out of potential mischief (not implying you would do anything bad ;) ) has to be a good thing (y)
 
nictry said:
Hi Alex, firstly well done for your maturity in responding to some of the more critical feedback in this thread (nothing more to be said on this piece!)

On a website specific note I agree with the others that the content probably needs a bit more categorisation, also some of the fonts are horrid :puke:

One other comment (and not sure why this would be) but all your images actually get blocked by my work firewall/security, I have no idea whether this is anything to do with the domain details or what but for some reason it gets blocked as unsuitable material so must be something triggering that?


Could have something to do with web site title: Deviant Art.?




All the best with your photographic skills development, my eldest son is 16 and he is getting more into photography (sports seem to be his thing) and I would encourage it as at your age anything that keeps you off the video games and out of potential mischief (not implying you would do anything bad ;) ) has to be a good thing (y)
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:L

Hi Nictry. Thanks for the feedback. Which website are you talking about? The one I have made or DeviantArt? If it's DeviantArt, I have no idea as it's not my website... however if it's my website, alexbarnes.me.uk, I shall have a look to see if there's anything in there a filter could pick up as inappropriate, but there's nothing in the pictures like that...

Alex
 
mastertrinity said:
next thing is that neo will say he is not alex barnes and does not live in london, in fact he just some guy who lives on earth:LOL:
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The thought had crossed my mind (in fact do we even know he's a guy?)............(y)

Now drop it, I'm just misunderstood :geek:
 
alexbarnes38 said:
:L

Hi Nictry. Thanks for the feedback. Which website are you talking about? The one I have made or DeviantArt? If it's DeviantArt, I have no idea as it's not my website... however if it's my website, alexbarnes.me.uk, I shall have a look to see if there's anything in there a filter could pick up as inappropriate, but there's nothing in the pictures like that...

Alex
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Not the deviant art one, your own link?
 
Hi Guys,

I haven't been on here in ages! So I apologize for my inactivity.

My website has been completely re-designed with all your tips take in to account - I now have a more slick, simple photo gallery with the photographs separated into galleries according to what the picture is of.

I figured out why some of the images were blocked : some of the photos on my website are linked from Deviant Art and not uploaded directly to my server so they may be blocked because of that. I've since uploaded most of them to my server and there are only one or two images that may be blocked.

I've been out and about all over the place and got some great shots recently which I've uploaded to my website, www.alexbarnes.me.uk if you've lost the link. I'm looking forward to the ash beginning to fall from the Icelandic Volcano, hopefully I'll get some really interesting shots from that - in case you didn't know, UK Airspace has been closed since Thursday and will do until at least 1am on Sunday Morning but this time is constantly changing due to the unpredictability of the ash cloud's path.

I look forward to hearing back from you all and hope that I'm still welcome here!

AB38.
 
alexbarnes38 said:
in case you didn't know, UK Airspace has been closed since Thursday and will do until at least 1am on Sunday Morning but this time is constantly changing due to the unpredictability of the ash cloud's path.
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Think A large part of the world know about this by now :LOL:

Anyway, your site:

First of all, Something which makes me like a site is how stuff is positioned,I'd much prefer a two column site over a one column site(like yours) and that is the first thing that I've noticed about your site..

It just seems that you've bunged a lot of content onto the site and then centered it all.. I think a two(or three) column layout could work better.

Next your contact page(spam doesn't bother me, but it might bother you), Having a contact form instead of your email might be a better idea, it would mean automated trawler scripts that search the internet for emails won't be able to find yours, And you can easily add quick spam protection to the form.

Graphics page is dead, (I'm sure you know this!)

On the contact page you menu positioning is wrong and it moves right up by the logo..

The gallery seems to load very quick(This is my first time ever on your site!) but I really find the java script 'fading' quite off putting, It makes your site lack any colour and I think It would look nicer if they were just normal images and not faded one...

Sorry about being a bit negative but I'm just trying to help!
:)
 
A few small points but otherwise a nice attempt:
1) Front page, last line: change please bare in mind to please bear in mind
2) You should use photoshop more than just to watermark, not heavily, but just to take out any dust or marks on your sensor, which will definitely show up and look terrible if you're printing A1. This does not count as selling your soul to Adobe but saves you from wasting prints.
3) For me, looking at your front page in Safari, there isn't a lot of information but it doesn't all fit into one page, the bottom 1/3 of the photos are chopped off and I have to scroll down to see them
4) Having one logo on the top left and then another above the text confuses me
5) I would suggest changing the way you write your email address - adding a space perhaps, so you don't end up with a lot of spam
6) If you're thinking about photography as a career, I'd decide on a new "brand name" and get a .com since alexbarnes.com is taken. For me, .me.uk for a business doesn't work, for fun it does of course.
7) In people, there is a picture of a drum, I'm guessing this is a placeholder?
8) Good luck! If only I had been sorted enough to get myself a website at 14.


p.s. Sorry if my comments are a bit negative too..
 
14 and trying to earn from something he loves doing. He deserves a pat on the back, and I hope you realise Alex, hard work will pay off - keep at it, keep your spirits high, and always ensure you find ways to keep enjoying what you are doing. There are loads of opinions here, and loads of good advice, when used correctly, will really help you mature as a photographer.

Good luck, and keep away from pesky girls! Focus on the money :D

G.
 
Nice to see you doing something you enjoy and getting something from it. One thing I would suggest, is that you take a minute or two to read through all text on your site, just to make sure it makes sense, for instance "Please bare in mind these are working projects and are therefore may take" small things like this can make a huge difference.
 
Good luck with it all Alex.

I hope you are declaring your sales to the tax man and not just pocketing the moolah ;)
 
He will have £X thousand to earn before he has to start paying tax.....still needs to be declared technically...
 
neo2810 said:
Looks like I've hit a nerve, excellent... I'll add "labelling a pro" to my list of phrases not to be use on a forum full of busy bodies, right next to "how much do I charge for my first wedding" and "I just bought a 400D, how do I setup my business"...

My post was based on a few things, including this from alex website:

"I'm a young photographer who often goes on long walks to capture the perfect photograph. I'm based in London and am responsible for the design, creation and upkeep of my website. I'm now able to sell A1 and A2 prints as well as A3 canvas prints of my photographs. Prices are on my website, but please don't hesitate to contact me if you want one of my deviations printed up and posted to you!"

If you are selling your shots, you are touting yourself as a pro, end of.

Alex, nothing ignorant about my statement at all, and at 14 you should really have a grasp of manners and respect for your elders sonny. :nono:
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I've sold canvases just a few months ago at the age of 15, and I am far from pro. Anyone can sell anything, its a free country :)
 
SamuelHearn said:
I've sold canvases just a few months ago at the age of 15, and I am far from pro. Anyone can sell anything, its a free country :)
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Samuel my man... It's very, very far from a free country, but that's another story entirely. You're about 3 months too late to this party :)

Congrats on the canvas sales (y)
 
SamuelHearn said:
I've sold canvases just a few months ago at the age of 15, and I am far from pro. Anyone can sell anything, its a free country :)
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If you don't have a job, And you made profit on these photos, then technically speaking you are a pro...

A professional photographer is a photographer who earns 100% of his income from photography
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From here

I know it's not technically correct cause you're not paying rent/tax/insurance with your "income" but in a sense it is :puke:
 
Holy thread revival %atman!
 
Thanks for the feedback guys, I really appreciate it.

Will make some adjustments and notify once made. As for tax, I've looked into it and I don't have to pay taxes unless Im over 18 or earning as someone said, £X thousand per annum, which I am far from making!! I haven't had any sales since my artwork went for sale as 8x10" prints at Brick Lane market in November - they were only there for a few weeks though. Long story.

AB38.
 
use landscape format for landscape...and more contrast in some...
they are loads better than any i have taken...i struggle to get what i think yours should look like
 
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