I’m Not A Photographer

I got a new camera. Ten days later I am ready to admit…I am NOT a professional photographer.

When I opened my Christmas gift with wide eyes of excitement I envisioned myself making money. I had already researched how I could sell my photos online.

Let me just tell you…it is hard. Very hard.

I submitted five photos on a website for review. It took 2-3 days before the feedback began. It was pure torture. Okay… two measures of torture actually.

1. Waiting…patience is not my thing.
2. Feedback- ouch! They are SUPER honest.

I received an email for each “REFUSED” photo that included a link to the details on why my picture was terrible. Each file was moved to a location with a BIG RED “X” on it labeled “REFUSED”. I stress the word refused here because I just don’t like it. The thought of someone laughing about my stuff makes me a bit ill. Rejection is not pleasant.

• Distorted pixels, image was interpolated, poorly scanned, up sampled, over sharpened or JPG was not saved at the highest quality.

• The image contains a large amount of noise artifacts. Please fix this issue using noise removal software and resubmit.

• processed/ over filtered. Its use for the potential designers is limited because of this, therefore the image has less usage potential under the RF license. Please note that excessive post

• processing such as (but not limited to) noise removal, HDR effect, sharpening, color enhancement, blurring, etc., as well as the use of filters and effects like water ripples, fake sun/ rays, or other “artistic filters” are not recommended. Please adjust the post processing to a high quality level that enhances the commercial potential of your image.

• Poor lighting due to lighting conditions (wrong time of day, dull skies, harsh shadows etc.) and/or camera limitations / Poor contrast or incorrect exposure.

• Poor optical performance due to low lens quality, such as lens fringing, chromatic aberrations, uneven sharpness in focus area.

It reminded me of the verbiage used in legal documents or in a cancellation from an insurance company. Their scoffs cut me pretty deep although I am sure they did not intend for me to be personally affected.

I purchased Adobe Photoshop CC and began watching tutorials on how to implement features to improve my photos.

My brain hurts! 

I am overwhelmed right now!

Today I am NOT a professional photographer.

I CAN improve.

I AM intelligent.

I WILL get a photo “APPROVED”.

Speaking positively in the new year 🙂