Rona Cox's Grand Portrait Competition

[Matt]

' Photo Start Up', the correspondence course for proficient photographers wishing to start their own Wedding and Portraiture business, run by Rona Cox, has just launched its new web site. To celebrate this and the training courses birthday, Rona is running a 'Grand Portrait Competition' until the end of June. It's open to both members and non-members and prizes of memory cards, sticks and prints are 'up for grabs'; details of the course and the competition are available by visiting www.photostartup.co.uk .

 

[Yv]

Matty, My firefox wont open that link directly, says its got mhtml in it? :shrug: Got the website anyway, buthtought I better let yo uknow

 

[Marcel]

Link works now

 

[cjnicolai]

Sorry to say it, though -- the level of photography demonstrated by the instructor is really not good. Lots of lighting problems in both the natural and studio portraits.

 

[Gilly B]

Sorry to say it, though -- the level of photography demonstrated by the instructor is really not good. Lots of lighting problems in both the natural and studio portraits.

Do you know, I thought the same when I viewed her site this afternoon. There are some harsh shadows in some of the posed images one would expect a professional photographer to get right, or at least don't use those images to promote a training course or display in galleries. :shake:

 

[Bronica]

Hi, it's me, the person that runs the course. It's a business course not a photographic course as such, this forum site is like commiting suicide, don't think I shall bother again! Many photographers/members have found the course useful and I'm not telling you how to take photographs; which to some extent is ruled by the time allowed, the locality and equipment, especially at weddings and up to the photographer at that instant. Social photography is just that, not a time for experimenting with your photography, but making your clients feel at ease, enjoy their time with you and getting the job done, that includes taking the optimum photograph for the occasion. The photography may not always be perfect, and I don't pretend it is, I'm taking pictures for clients not photographers!

Regards
Rona

 

[CT]

Don't take it too personally Rona. As you quite rightly point out, photographers are looking for things the client wont. It's easy to be hyper critical about someones else's work - there's some excellent stuff in your gallery there - the odd unfortunate shadow in one or two but who hasn't had those?

 

[hypnotic]

Hi, it's me, the person that runs the course. It's a business course not a photographic course as such, this forum site is like commiting suicide, don't think I shall bother again! Many photographers/members have found the course useful and I'm not telling you how to take photographs; which to some extent is ruled by the time allowed, the locality and equipment, especially at weddings and up to the photographer at that instant. Social photography is just that, not a time for experimenting with your photography, but making your clients feel at ease, enjoy their time with you and getting the job done, that includes taking the optimum photograph for the occasion. The photography may not always be perfect, and I don't pretend it is, I'm taking pictures for clients not photographers!

Regards
Rona

Calm down Rona.

I cannot see where anyone has insinuated that your course is not usefull.

You may be taking pictures for clients and not photographers .... But why should that not mean not getting the best shot possible?

Criticism of our work is something we all have to live with, good or bad.

 

[cjnicolai]

Hold on a minute.

I have no doubt that many aspects of the course are very useful. However, I see that you are advertising that you teach lighting as well, and I see a lot of lighting problems in the work you've included as examples on the mentoring site.

As you've said, part of social photography is indeed taking the optimum photograph for the occasion. But being a professional means knowing how to make any lighting situation work, and work well. I agree that it's not easy to do this where weddings are concerned, but that's one thing that separates the great photographers from those who get by. On the other hand, professional portraits should ALWAYS be well and effectively lit, whether via natural or studio light.

As hypnotic said above, criticism of our work is something we all have to live with. I'll take that a bit further and say that when you begin teaching and getting paid for it, you have to expect people to look even more critically at your work. It's not enough for an instructor to say, "It doesn't matter if the quality of my work is great as long as my clients like it." You may be taking pictures for clients, not photographers, but you are teaching photographers, not clients.

If it helps any, I've been teaching photographic workshops for several years and hold myself to the same standard.

- CJ

 

[CT]

I have to say - of all the photos in your gallery Rona, the portrait of the two dogs with that hard shadow is really asking for it - especially when it's in a completely controlled environment, and you're using it for an instructional advert effectively.

Don't take umbrage - learn by it.