I have stared at this post for days realizing that I really need to hit the publish button, but also realizing that what I say may not fall on welcome ears. Sometimes though, your conscience just eats at you and you realize that you will probably think about the post and it will bug you like someone tapping the same piano key over and over again. Did I mention I have an out of tune Baldwin in my house?
Last week I got a phone call from a woman named Faby. The conversation started out as usual, “Hi my name is Faby and I need help with something.” My response was, “Sure Faby, what can I do for you?” Her voice started to get a little bit shaky and she asked me if I could edit some photographs for her. I asked her what she meant by that. She sounded like she was about to break down in tears as she relayed the story of her wedding photos, which were just given to her recently. She asked me if I could brighten up dark reception photos because she couldn’t even see her guests’ faces in them. I explained to her that it’s difficult to bring up really dark photos from jpeg files and even raw files it’s hard to do without it looking bad. Not to mention it wasn’t my work to edit and I couldn’t. As she went on to talk she explained that she hired a woman and in her words, “She called herself a professional photographer, so I trusted her. I thought she knew what she was doing.” My heart sank as I understood why she would think this woman knew what she was doing, after all she had a web site, her photos in natural light looked good and she had professional photographer by her name. Let’s face it, we are in the age of camera phones, instagram, and every imaginable filter you can slap on a photo. With this inundation of photography happening all of the time, 24/7 it begs the question, what qualifies a person as a professional photographer?
Did you know that the definition of a professional photographer is someone that is paid to take a picture. That is all. If you can find someone who is willing to pay you $5 to take your picture, you are now a professional photographer. Scary thought right?
To be a professional photographer you do not have to go to formal training, attend photography school, get a degree in photography, or have a certain number of hours photographing weddings before you can do it on your own. I don’t know of any other profession today where people can pick up some tools and start working right away and claim they are a professional at it. While this is all very disturbing, I do have a point to this.
Most crafts or trades require proper training and apprenticeship. Some jobs require that you get a certificate in that field to show you are qualified. Photography is a little behind the 8 ball on this. There is a test that photographers can take called the CCP exam but it is not required in any state I know of in order to license a photography business but perhaps it should be. And now it’s not enough to know how to take a good photo, but you also need to have photo editing skills in this digital age. Even beyond that, there are many photography businesses now that are simple start ups and they don’t bother to license themselves with the county, state, or the IRS. Why does that matter? Well if you have your wedding captured and the photography business you used wasn’t even a legitimate business, good luck with any recourse if something goes awry. There are plenty of ways to find out if the business you are working with is legitimate and one way is through looking them up on your state corporation commission web site.
Is this post getting long or what? Usually I post short posts. Hang with me a little bit longer 🙂
I am one that believes that everyone should pursue their passion and I don’t want you to mistake my thoughts on this as discouraging others from pursuing this path because that is not at all what I’m saying and if you take it as such, you are missing the point.
My point is simply this, capturing memories for others, especially wedding memories, is a huge deal and a very large responsibility. Picking up the most expensive DSLR will never make anyone a professional photographer. Many photographers, like myself, are self-taught and often go to workshops or take classes from professional photographers in our industry. This is helpful and I encourage everyone that is pursuing photography to find your areas of weakness, know them, and seek out ways to learn everything you can about it so that you can master that weakness and make it a strength. If you want to photograph weddings but you know that you don’t have the skills to photograph with flash photography, then learn about it. Offer to second shoot for a photographer you respect. I can promise you they will help you in your areas of weakness. This is an industry that wants to help up and coming photographers. Is this a competitive industry and will you find those that don’t want to help you? Of course, but the same could be said for any field. At the end of the day, most photographers just don’t want to get calls from regretful brides like Faby, who can’t go back and get those photos redone. They were pictures of her guests and she deeply regrets that decision to hire the “professional” photographer.
If you are an aspiring wedding photographer and you know you don’t know everything you need to handle any kind of photography situation from a dark church, to photographing large groups, to handling the wedding day timeline, then do your future brides a favor and work first to gain that expertise and once you are adequately skilled, then offer your services. Have respect for this craft of photography that so many have worked so hard to learn and love. We do photography not because we think it’s a fast way to lots of money because it isn’t. We do it because we can’t imagine doing anything else. Think about the people you are serving. Think about the importance of these memories and have the humility to turn down work you know you aren’t qualified for until you are qualified to do it.
There is nothing wrong with admitting you don’t know everything and still have more to learn. Guess what? We all have more we need to learn. That’s what life is all about, learning and improving. We all need to start somewhere and that’s okay, I get that and I’ve been there too; we’ve all been there. Don’t be afraid of your weak areas. Be willing to acknowledge them and conquer them; confidence will be yours and the clients you desire will be right there with you. It’s empowering to know you can handle any situation that comes your way.
And with all of that off my chest, go and have a great weekend!
You only said what had to be said. Unfortunately, there are those “professional photographers” who think they are the best and will never do as you suggest. They see it as easy money and have very little morals. I’ve seen them on some of my facebook pages. When they get bad feedback, they change the name of their company and move on. Some never deliver the photos; others are so poorly done. You are one of the best photographers around and I always pass your name along as I know they will be thrilled with the results!
I agree fully with you!! I see a lot of well so called photographers in my area and I’m not saying that I’m perfect or anything. I know there is always room for improvement!!!! However I think that there should be an exam or something in order to be considered a “professional photographer”.
By the way I love your work and you are so creative
Thank you so much Shelly. All the best to you!