Are photographers still useful here?

[Alesia Schumann]

Broad question:

Are there still people who like to have a "professional" photographer to take and enhance pics of their in-world avatars or creations for either profile pics or other purposes?

I used to run a photo studio where the most commonly used service was to make custom pics for people who wanted better than the snapshots they were able to take. Just wondering if, based on your knowledge, if there is still a need for that kind of thing.

[Charalyne Blackwood]

I just do it for fun

[Rowan Amore]

23 hours ago, Alesia Schumann said:

Broad question:

Are there still people who like to have a "professional" photographer to take and enhance pics of their in-world avatars or creations for either profile pics or other purposes?

I used to run a photo studio where the most commonly used service was to make custom pics for people who wanted better than the snapshots they were able to take. Just wondering if, based on your knowledge, if there is still a need for that kind of thing.

There are usually a few posts in the employment section for people wanting a photographer.  Most people I know do their own or have a friend who does them.  With the abundance of photo tools and backdrop photo places, it's something easy enough to do for most people.

And nearly everyone has a Flickr so they can find people whose photos they like and contact them directly.

Edited May 30, 2021 by Rowan Amore

[Doris Johnsky]

Probably not like it used to be. I do it for enjoyment and for the experimentation in editing photos.  

 

I have made profile photos for people, but so much anymore.

 

More than anything I post photos in here and in groups to get feedback, and exhibit when the opportunity occurs.   

[Orwar]

   Yes, a lot of people still have photographers do everything from profile pictures and family portraits to wedding and event photography. Last I checked, a fair few studios were hiring photographers to their teams too.

   Whilst a lot of people do photography these days, and with the vast array of programs available to quickly filter photos to make them look .. Decent, I guess (???), there certainly is a place for working as a photographer on the grid. Just be aware that you'll frequently find yourself undercut by DIY-types who'll offer to do profile pics for the cost of the image upload.

   Personally I consider myself a happy amateur, and would hate to ruin one of my favourite virtual hobbies by introducing an element of .. People .. Into it. 

[Jordyn McGregor]

3 hours ago, Orwar said:

 Whilst a lot of people do photography these days, and with the vast array of programs available to quickly filter photos to make them look .. Decent, I guess (???), there certainly is a place for working as a photographer on the grid. Just be aware that you'll frequently find yourself undercut by DIY-types who'll offer to do profile pics for the cost of the image upload.

   Personally I consider myself a happy amateur, and would hate to ruin one of my favourite virtual hobbies by introducing an element of .. People .. Into it. 

^^^ This ^^^

I consider myself a "happy amateur" as well and enjoy taking pictures of myself for fun or for my blog posts.  I have also taken pictures for others when asked, no charge, just pay the 10L for each upload.  

So since I like my efforts enough not to require the services of a "photographer", I have always enjoyed seeing how others see my avatar in pictures.  There were times when I would hang out at clubs and be sent pictures that people had taken of me standing around and looking pretty.  

[Rowan Amore]

34 minutes ago, Jordan Whitt said:

^^^ This ^^^

I consider myself a "happy amateur" as well and enjoy taking pictures of myself for fun or for my blog posts.  I have also taken pictures for others when asked, no charge, just pay the 10L for each upload.  

So since I like my efforts enough not to require the services of a "photographer", I have always enjoyed seeing how others see my avatar in pictures.  There were times when I would hang out at clubs and be sent pictures that people had taken of me standing around and looking pretty.  

I paid twice for a professional photo.  Both times, the picture was lovely but they had photoshopped it so much, it barely looked like me.  The thing is, they both do great pics.  I just had no idea how much they edited since I didn't know how the avatars in their photos looked before.  I know how I looked and the end result wasn't me.

[Jordyn McGregor]

14 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

I paid twice for a professional photo.  Both times, the picture was lovely but they had photoshopped it so much, it barely looked like me.  The thing is, they both do great pics.  I just had no idea how much they edited since I didn't know how the avatars in their photos looked before.  I know how I looked and the end result wasn't me.

That is EXACTLY why I won't pay for a "professional" pic again.  I have a couple of times as well and, like your experience, they ended up looking NOTHING like me.  In one, I had extra hair added, my face was rounded out and don't know what was done to the skin tone, but I ended up looking like a chubby, dark, 80's hair band reject instead of the skinny little white girl my avi was.

Edited May 31, 2021 by Jordan Whitt

[Orwar]

6 hours ago, Rowan Amore said:

I paid twice for a professional photo.  Both times, the picture was lovely but they had photoshopped it so much, it barely looked like me.

   I was recently assailed by a "photographer" who send out IM spam via a store group (presumably), advertising his services. I told him off and blocked him, but I did gloss over his Flickr - every picture was the same edit procedure. Morph the skin and hair with sampling from an RL pic, a bunch of filtering, and slapped with the face app smile. I don't know what the avatars looked like before, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be recognisable.

   A photographer calling themselves professional, and charging people, doesn't mean they're any good. 

   Still, there were a fair few people in the portfolio, so I guess it works for him.

[Alesia Schumann]

10 hours ago, Rowan Amore said:

I paid twice for a professional photo.  Both times, the picture was lovely but they had photoshopped it so much, it barely looked like me.  The thing is, they both do great pics.  I just had no idea how much they edited since I didn't know how the avatars in their photos looked before.  I know how I looked and the end result wasn't me.

That's because the people you dealt with were more keen to show their editing skills than to properly capture your avatar.

"Getting it right" is the name of the game in photography, with a good eye and sometimes just a light touch.

 Alright. I'll set up my photo studio again. I think I can fill that little gap between the "upload price" and those who want to dazzle with filters.