Is it going to keep on ticking?

So, in response to the five inquiries I sent out to companies that seriously pay their photographers like $100 for weddings, all work and prints included (I thought, I might have enough skill for that), I already received three responses.

Email #1:
*_()##,

Thank you for your email.

I trust we will get busier soon, but the last two weeks of January we only have a few weddings, not enough to pay our Office rent.

Our usual pay for Photographers is $100.00 for area 1, and $150.00 for area 2, and $350.00 for area 3.

Your photography is awesome. Hope we get busy enough to see your work soon. We'll keep your contact number on our Photographers List.

Wow, that is so nice. I responded that I would love to be kept on their list and appreciated the quick response. I just kept thinking, that was so nice of the owner.

Ego check=still intact, feeling good

Today, I received
Email 2:

Thanks for your introduction. We do have other photographers on Oahu but it's always nice to have more resources. I've looked at your blog site and you seem to have an eye for it - one suggestion would be to not over-do the dutch angle thing.

As a professional photographer myself, I've found that it's not so much the technical as it is the personal. Getting the right mood out of your subject is everything. Getting them to smile naturally (without asking them to) and capturing the love between them.

I'm going to make a vendor sheet on you to keep in out files. Please send back the info below. Nice talking to you!

Oh, that's nice. I guess the second paragraph is in response to me saying that I want more experience to keep learning. How nice of him to give me a little lesson. The "dutch" angle thing made me laugh cause I do the angle shot way too much. I can't help it. Those photos look way more appealing to me than up and down subject photos. It makes it interesting to me. I brooded a little but, heck, he's right about the too much angle shots...and he said nice things.

Ego check- still good

Then later today, I got

Email 3:

Thanks for your inquiry regarding becoming a photographer for my company. Well, first of all, I'd like to say is that your style of photography is much better than what I've seen out there, but you still have a ways to go when it comes to implementing photography techniques. It's probably because you don't know when to apply effects....or are just doing shots which look cool, but don't do anything to add to the story telling of photographing.

I'd like to give you a few tips here:- photographing is all about storytelling.... A few things about story. Story is king...and story equals conflict, and then resolution. So right now, I'm looking at your shots, I don't see any conflict in any of your shots. There's no nervous brides, there's no nervous groom. There is no romance in the posing, there needs more intimacy in the shots. Here's what I mean:

This is conflict...... to shoot these pictures is not just a matter of luck. If you see children there, get ready for their reaction when the bride and groom kiss..- you have way too much "dutch" on your shots. Dutch means "camera tilt" Too much dutch implies NAUSEA to pictures....just the right amount of dutch implies "motion." So you usually only want a little dutch when couples are kissing, or walking towards the camera. Less than 45 degrees....the close you get to 45 degrees the more nausea you start to imply. Plus, use if very sparingly.... Try to keep that horizon level for most shots..-

Lastly, I am seeing too much portrait shots, when you should actually have more landscape shots than anything else. Most amateur photographers will shoot more portrait than landscape shots because they don't know what to do with the extra space on the left and right of the frame...... Well, the truth is you don't have to do anything with it...other than to compose the background with the foreground. When you shoot portrait shots, you only have to really worry about the foreground...shooting landscape, makes you think about both...So a little dutch can imply a little motion...it works in this case because the water is moving...if the water wasn't moving, I would probably shoot it flat.....Dutch really works well in walking shots....But don't forget about shooting regular shots.... and in landscape....using the background as a way to fill the space to the left and right...or vice versa...What I call the master shot...... not many wedding photographers shoot this. Remember you can always crop

Right now, you are shooting with way too much dutch shots, and not enough landscape...that's basically about it.....

About partnering with me. That may be a possibility if your skill level comes up to where I would love it to be. You have the potential of being a great photographer, possibly even a better one that myself.

Ouch. At least he ended with a positive remark...nothing better than potential, huh? There's a lot of pictures he included in his email that I won't transfer over. Proud part of me says, I like my pictures waaaay better. He had some weddings in the exact same spot and most of them looked like any snapshot out of some point and shoots. He had three on his website that I really really liked so I know he can do good work. So, maybe, this is a part of the dropping the pride and trying to learn from a professional. I'm part of a forum where I thought the photographers were brutal but, this is definitely the first time I got a good few kicks to the pride. Sigh, let's take his advice and learn.

Ego: whoa, took quite a licking...