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Recent Portrait - use for Portfolio?

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:56 pm
by shutterbug
There has been so many post on the recent "Portrait Workshop", heaps of lovely images :wink:

My questions is, would you using these images in your portfolio?

Example 1. If one of you guys are starting a portrait business, would you use the images you captured in this "Workshop" in your portfolio?

Example 2. Just say it is a "Bridal Workshop" Would you use the images in your portfolio to show potential clients?

Vince

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:59 pm
by gstark
Vince,

If the images are of a satisfactory quality, why not?

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:14 pm
by shutterbug
Would you tell your potential clients it was from a "workshop"

What i am trying to say, is it ethical to use an image you captured at a workshop?

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:28 pm
by johnd
shutterbug wrote:Would you tell your potential clients it was from a "workshop"

What i am trying to say, is it ethical to use an image you captured at a workshop?

Hi Vince,

I don't see the need to tell anyone an image is from a workshop, or not from a workshop. I don't see the difference. It's your image, you created it, end of story. There are some great images from this workshop and I'd be proud to use most of these in my portfolio if they were mine.

Cheers
John

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:34 pm
by Yi-P
Workshop or not, as long as the image came out from your hands and you pressed the shutter to get that photo, its all yours and no need to say anything else.


Probabbly we should ask whether we need aprovals from the models to get their pictures running around the internet, or as portfolio.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:37 pm
by gstark
Vince,

You raise an interesting wuestion, with a few different facets. On the surface, I would say that if you made the images, then I don't have an issue with where the images were made. My experience is that nobody has ever (AFAICR) asked me about the source of an image. If it's a bride, for instance, nobody has ever asked if the image was made at a wedding or at a workshop.

I'll even take that a step further: you may have staff wirking for you, shooting weddings or whatever on your behalf. Is it ethical for you to include their images - shot on your film perhaps, but absolutely on a specific commission from you - in your portfolio?

Or in their portfolio?

I see that in both of those instances, the answer would be yes: they are working for you, and you are proud to show their work alongside your own, as examples of the work that your studio is able to produce.

And the work remains their handiwork, so yes, if they wish to include it in their own portfolios, and if you are comfy with that, I would have no issues there.

But ....

Shooting at a wedding workshop is perhaps a little different from shooting at a portrait workshop. At a portrait workshop, you're still shooting ... portraits; at a wedding workshop, you're not actually shooting a wedding, are you?

Is that perhaps where you're seeing the potential ethical issue?

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 3:41 pm
by gstark
Yi-P,

Both ladies are aware that their images will be posted on this forum, and Dee has already voiced her approval of the images that have been posted. She's actually here, right now. :)

I don't think we have any issues there, and Dee has also voiced her opinion that she would have no issues about using any images that she might have shot on Saturday in her portfolio.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:50 pm
by shutterbug
Some good points Gary :wink:

Lets say you are attending an International Famous Portait Potographer seminar/workshop on available light portraits. At this workshop you also captured some images on the side.

You want to be a portrait photographer.
You just started your business.
You use the images you captured at the seminar/workshop in your gallery?

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:56 pm
by MCWB
shutterbug wrote:You use the images you captured at the seminar/workshop in your gallery?

Hell yes, provided that such images are representative of your work! However if they're not, e.g. if the pics look so good due to some fancy lighting setup and you only have on-camera flash, then maybe not. ;)

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 4:56 pm
by shutterbug
Another question regarding wedding images people capture in the public of wedding couples using there powerful tele :wink:

Would you use these in your portfolio? and show to perpective clients?

Vince

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:02 pm
by shutterbug
Just to clarified, I am NOT talking about the Portrait workshops dslrforum is running, I think they are great and everyone gets to play and experiment.

I mean a workshop/seminar (portrait, weddings...etc) where you pay top dollars.

Vince :wink:

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 5:44 pm
by gstark
shutterbug wrote:I mean a workshop/seminar (portrait, weddings...etc) where you pay top dollars


I happen to think that what we did on Saturday was worth top dollars. :)

For everybody's edification, the room we used ws made available to us by a friend who runs a spiritual healing center, and this room was a paret of that facility. The room is normally rented out on a commercial basis, but because our event was free to our members, I was asked whether the participants were prepared to consider a donation to the centre.

I indicated my belief that this would not be an impediment from our perspective, and those who attended were most generous in their donations, which Christina has thanked me for.

Ok ... back on topic!

:)

Vince, I would think that, if you believe that the work is typical of what you are able to produce, then I would have no issues with including it in my portfolio.

I think that may be the crux of this question: are you ordinarily capable of producing similar images? If the work is representative of what you produce, then I think that regardless of the source, it's ok to include it in your portfolio.

But if it is not representative of your work, then you will have an issue at some future point when it comes to you having to reproduce that style of work.

Let me try to put this in a different way. Clearly, some of who were there on Saturday have some lighting equipment that helps us to produce the sorts of outcomes that we're seeing from Saturday's shoot. Further, nothing that I showed was particularly complex or difficult. Anyone who was there should be able to easily produce similar results now that they have seen how this can be done.

And hiring the gear to help them achieve the outcome remains a valid option too, doesn't it?

Getting back to your question, if what you're doing at a major event demonstration is something you're able to easily replicate, then I don't think I'd have an issue with including this work within my portfolio.

PostPosted: Mon Sep 18, 2006 6:04 pm
by MCWB
gstark wrote:Getting back to your question, if what you're doing at a major event demonstration is something you're able to easily replicate, then I don't think I'd have an issue with including this work within my portfolio.

Indeed! Basically your portfolio says to people, "This is the sort of stuff I (can) do". The only issue IMHO is when you're including an image the likes of which you cannot ordinarily produce.