Once upon a time, if you were getting married, needed a family portrait, or some manner of event documented it was easy to tell if a photographer was a true professional and not just a weekend hobbiest. Using film was difficult, expensive, and left little margin for error. To find paying customers one had to pay for advertising, location and overhead. To be a professional photographer took time, training, and investment. Because of these factors the number of people making their way in the world making a living at photography was low.
Starting in about 2005 things began to change. Up until that point serious digital photography equipment was prohibitively expensive. At $2,000 and up for a camera alone only those serious about it would make a go at being a pro. Slowly but surely the entry cost for digital photography began to come down. New software and more powerful computers allowed for a higher level of photo editing after the image was captured. Low cost, simple websites, and Facebook fan pages made it easy to tell the world about your new profession. Then after the great financial collapse in 2008, millions of unemployed, looked around, saw that they owned a camera, and decided that they were a professional photographer.
Now, you may be saying 'who cares as long as they simply take good images'? Good question. Listed here are several reasoned explanations why it will matter:
Digital has made it possible to have no more expense if you take 1,000 pictures as opposed to 36. Inexperienced and unskilled photographers will usually take the "spray and pray" approach. Out of a few hundred photos they will sometimes manage to get a few good ones. Of course these are the only ones that they will put on their website. That may be fine for a family portrait that can be redone relatively easily. However, what if it is your wedding or some other one time event?
How do you know if you have a professional? Answer, ask to see an entire shoot. Not only the cherry picked profile pictures. A genuine professional will not have a problem with this demand. If image quality is inconsistent, keep shopping for a photographer.
Not everyone is honest. The Net has made it easier for photographers to advertise. It's also made it easy for individuals to steal their pictures. There have been cases of entire web sites, about me pages, and portfolios that have been copied and passed of as their very own work. Unsuspecting clients only find out after it is too late that the photographer they hired was not as skilled as advertised.
So how do you know if you have a pro? Answer, ask to see a printed portfolio before committing to paying your hard earned money. While it is easy to steal images off of the web that will show up fine on a site or email, those files aren't going to make a decent print. If they can't show you a good quality enlargement, move on.
Contingency plans. Many beginning photographers will have one camera. Maybe a couple of lenses. Their kit tends to be pretty sparse. Rarely will they have any form of equipment or liability insurance. Very often they will also be operating without a business license or pay taxes. So why does any of that matter? In my 20 years as a wedding photographer I cannot tell you how many times I have had my primary camera, lens, flash, memory card, etc fail. Every time I simply switched to my backup and kept right on working. Imagine what would happen if I had only one? Because I have insurance the loss of a camera due to theft or damage, or the liability of a light stand hitting mom, or the tax man showing up at my door won't put me out of business. Without those protections they probably would. Now, imagine that you have already paid a deposit and your photographer is bankrupt and can't photograph your wedding?
How can you know you have a professional? Ask to review their business license. Find out if they have backup gear. Do they have insurance? Do they have a backup plan if they're sick or injured. Finally, have it written down. A contract is always required. It protects them and you. A genuine professional won't are having issues with this.
I'm in no way against people learning photography and becoming a professional. I learned, practiced, and honed my craft for years before charging people money. Ultimately, bad photographers passing themselves off as a pro makes it harder for good photographers to earn a living and stay in business. That isn't good for anyone.
Starting in about 2005 things began to change. Up until that point serious digital photography equipment was prohibitively expensive. At $2,000 and up for a camera alone only those serious about it would make a go at being a pro. Slowly but surely the entry cost for digital photography began to come down. New software and more powerful computers allowed for a higher level of photo editing after the image was captured. Low cost, simple websites, and Facebook fan pages made it easy to tell the world about your new profession. Then after the great financial collapse in 2008, millions of unemployed, looked around, saw that they owned a camera, and decided that they were a professional photographer.
Now, you may be saying 'who cares as long as they simply take good images'? Good question. Listed here are several reasoned explanations why it will matter:
Digital has made it possible to have no more expense if you take 1,000 pictures as opposed to 36. Inexperienced and unskilled photographers will usually take the "spray and pray" approach. Out of a few hundred photos they will sometimes manage to get a few good ones. Of course these are the only ones that they will put on their website. That may be fine for a family portrait that can be redone relatively easily. However, what if it is your wedding or some other one time event?
How do you know if you have a professional? Answer, ask to see an entire shoot. Not only the cherry picked profile pictures. A genuine professional will not have a problem with this demand. If image quality is inconsistent, keep shopping for a photographer.
Not everyone is honest. The Net has made it easier for photographers to advertise. It's also made it easy for individuals to steal their pictures. There have been cases of entire web sites, about me pages, and portfolios that have been copied and passed of as their very own work. Unsuspecting clients only find out after it is too late that the photographer they hired was not as skilled as advertised.
So how do you know if you have a pro? Answer, ask to see a printed portfolio before committing to paying your hard earned money. While it is easy to steal images off of the web that will show up fine on a site or email, those files aren't going to make a decent print. If they can't show you a good quality enlargement, move on.
Contingency plans. Many beginning photographers will have one camera. Maybe a couple of lenses. Their kit tends to be pretty sparse. Rarely will they have any form of equipment or liability insurance. Very often they will also be operating without a business license or pay taxes. So why does any of that matter? In my 20 years as a wedding photographer I cannot tell you how many times I have had my primary camera, lens, flash, memory card, etc fail. Every time I simply switched to my backup and kept right on working. Imagine what would happen if I had only one? Because I have insurance the loss of a camera due to theft or damage, or the liability of a light stand hitting mom, or the tax man showing up at my door won't put me out of business. Without those protections they probably would. Now, imagine that you have already paid a deposit and your photographer is bankrupt and can't photograph your wedding?
How can you know you have a professional? Ask to review their business license. Find out if they have backup gear. Do they have insurance? Do they have a backup plan if they're sick or injured. Finally, have it written down. A contract is always required. It protects them and you. A genuine professional won't are having issues with this.
I'm in no way against people learning photography and becoming a professional. I learned, practiced, and honed my craft for years before charging people money. Ultimately, bad photographers passing themselves off as a pro makes it harder for good photographers to earn a living and stay in business. That isn't good for anyone.
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