Another So-Called Professional Photographer

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Eyelight

Senior Member
The term or designation "professional" really has absolutely nothing to do with anything other than they get paid for what they do. Like any other profession (plumber, football player, politician), the tag does not mean better or experienced or knowledgeable or talented.

I'm interested to see if the ProPho in question delivers the results or lives up (down) to Sonic's expectations.
 
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WayneF

Senior Member
Professional just means they charge fees and get paid for the work. It does NOT mean or suggest expert. Would be nice if they were expert, but it doesn't always happen. Some professions have entry exams and standards, but photography is not one of those.
 
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sonicbuffalo_RIP

Senior Member
I guess she is coming over Tuesday to show photos and have us pick out which ones we like. After seeing mine, I'll be glad to see hers finally, and I sincerely hope she did better than how she appeared while shooting. I'm sure she's taken a lot of photos with her....err....Canon equipment....and she was kind enough to shoot some shots of my wife and I with my camera, and had me take a few with hers, as she's my Brother in laws girlfriend. Maybe the photos I took of the two of them will replace that very poor shot sitting on Mother in laws photo table. Now you know the rest of the story...
 
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John P

Senior Member
I get a kick out of these threads.
Last year while at a sizable car show. I had a chance to visit with the paid event photographer. They paid quite a sum to fly him in to shoot the event.
He also booked packages to shoot pinup models at the show.
Keep in mind that this photographer makes a very comfortable living, and is an internationally published pinup photographer.
I had a chance to visit with him while we ate lunch.
What caught my eye was his gear.
An 8 year old Canon Rebel, a mid range zoom 3.5-5.6, two Yongnuo YN-560 flashes, and some cheap Amazon umbrellas.
I couldn't believe it!
When I asked about his gear. His response was that he didn't need a fast lens for pinup shoots outdoors, and needing the whole car in focus. The Camera did everything he needed, and just wouldn't die. His flashes and umbrellas get beat up working outdoors so could not justify paying more, and they work fine.
He made some great points. And guess what. Not 1 person asked about his gear.
Event coordinator or models.
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
Last week I shot an event for the company I work for since the "pro" they normally use was not available. I had a lot of fun and got a chance to give the Tamron 24-70 2.8 a workout. Before the event I looked at our company site to see what the pro had done in the past. I was astonished to see the poor work, shadows on faces (no flash used outside), poor white balance (many yellow shots) and where he did use flash, blown out faces.

For the heck of it I asked our marketing director what he gets paid, $100 per hour and $30 per CD. Now that really is cheap if you consider post processing time, but he is obviously just cropping and they are done. Problem is he doesn't even get the settings right before the shot, and doesn't correct afterwards. I wouldn't put my name on 10% of his work, it was crap!

The funny thing is they think he is great!
 
Browncoat

Browncoat

Senior Member
The path to being a professional photographer:


  1. Buy a BIG camera. Preferably with tax refund or by selling food stamps.
  2. Go home and start a Facebook business page.
  3. Grats. You're a pro.

If someone is willing to pay you money for your photos, you are by definition, a professional photographer. It has exactly zero to do with quality or ability. Personally, I love amateurs who take shit photos. They create a market full of customers who have been burned by idiots who don't know what they're doing. Those people don't balk at price when they see quality.

RE the lens: 85mm and 105mm are the two most popular lengths for portraiture. Moot point.

JPEG has its uses...like for Ken Rockwell fans.
 
Vixen

Vixen

Senior Member
BackdoorHippie said:
Knowing nothing other than what you've told me, I will say this in her defense...


  1. For event photography, and even weddings, it's not unheard of to shoot JPEG. My brother, the 20 year pro news photographer, shoots only JPEG for work because, as this woman stated, to screw around with editing all of these pictures would leave him no time to do his job. In his words, "If you know how to set your camera and get a good white balance, you don't need to shoot RAW and you can get pretty damn good shots straight out of the camera."
  2. 105mm is right in the center of the 70-200mm range that I know many folks use when doing studio work, particularly with live models (as opposed to "sitting"). It's not an uncommon focal length for portraits at all, particularly if you're shooting full frame, and it has none of the potential face distorting problems that can come at wider than 85mm. The fact that "macro" is stamped on the lens means nothing until you focus close - it's just a 105mm.

That said, the proof is always in the results. Until you show me crap coming from her camera I'm more inclined to label you as a so-called photography snob than I am to label her as anything other than professional. Not that I would actually do that. ;)
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I was going to say similar Jake. I was surprised that many "professionals" shoot in jpg and also in auto mode, but they do

One of the marketing comments on the Nikon 105mm macro is that it is great for portrait photos. I've not used mine as such but do use it for other than macro at times.

Having said all that........we all know that there are good and bad professionals in every trade :D
 
Horoscope Fish

Horoscope Fish

Senior Member
RON said:
Horoscope Fish said:
I have to agree... It's not the tools, it's the craftsman...
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That is the absolute truth. But that being said, the craftsman will always pick the best tool for the job at hand. And if you think photographers are fussy about their equipment, you should listen to cabinetmakers argue about the best chisels. And do not even get them started on hand planes or power equipment.
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Having ruined a chisel or two in my younger days, I'm familiar with the arguments. My point is this: Given a set of average tools a Master Carpenter will turn out Master-level work; the apprentice, given the best tools on the planet, will still turn out apprentice-level work. Craftsmen use the best tools they can afford because it makes their life easier.

...
 
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ShootRaw

Senior Member
To me the definition of a pro-photographer is someone who's primary income is from getting paid for consistent quality work..
 
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Rick M

Senior Member
This has been beaten to death in many threads over the years. I think having a certification/licensing requirement to be a Pro would at least weed out a lot of fly by nights. It would not guarantee good work, but at least create a bit of credibility. I know there are professional organizations, but that's not the same.
 
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singlerosa_RIP

Senior Member
I used to shoot nothing but RAW until I got tired of missing shots because my buffer filled up after a 3 second burst. I can shoot until the card is full in JPEG Normal. So if I'm shooting action and I don't know exactly when the action will happen, I might switch to JPEG. I have a 100 2.8 macro, but prefer my 70-200 and 85 1.8 for portraits. Maybe I should give it another chance. :tears_of_joy:
 
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ShootRaw

Senior Member
Browncoat said:
Fixed.

Quality has absolutely zero to do with it.
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Really? Quality work is what professionals do(Over and over)..So called pros that get $$ for a job does not equate to being a pro if the work sucks and the person lacks the knowledge to continually produce professional quality pics...Not sure why you would disagree on that..
 
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