It’s time to Raise the Bar. There’s not a lot of “photographers”. There’s just loads of people with Facebook pages who charge for snapshots.
- Webster says a Photographer is…
One who practices photography; especially: one who makes a business of taking photographs. - Webster also says that Practice is…
2a : to perform or work at repeatedly so as to become proficient <practice the act>. - Webster says that proficient is…
Well advanced in an art, occupation, or branch of knowledge.
by Gavin Seim: This is not another one of those posts about when you become a pro. Nor is it a post to be mean. The opposite in fact, so read it through if you want the whole concept. I pose this question to get us thinking. Are you really a photographer?
If you want to be an Athlete you train tirelessly. If you want to be a doctor you have to study and then study even more. If you want to be an airline pilot, it takes years. If you want to be a “photographer” it takes all those things as well. Though many seem to ignore that part.
Sometimes I avoid calling myself a photographer these days because the word is so abused. In a few years I think consumers will really start to notice. The digital high will settle and they’ll realize they’re being shammed. Like a doctor, who you find out knows nothing about healing.
I know, we could say “I’m practicing to become proficient” and that makes me a photographer. OK, but that’s not really how it works out there. In other skills, it’s pretty much assumed you’re skilled if you say you’re a…. doctor, lawyer, mechanic, carpenter, baseball player, etc.
In the real world, “practicing to be proficient” also means you’re training. And that doesn’t mean making up your own rules and calling it your style. It means continually exercising your skill to become even more skilled. You don’t just become something because you bought the gear, and you don’t stay proficient without continued practice of your craft.
Now titles don’t make the man (or woman) and there are certainly different skill levels. But I submit that unless you’re reasonably advanced in the art and craft of making photographs, you’re not yet a Photographer. You’re just a snapshooter who’s aspiring. That’s OK, and maybe you even get paid for it at times. But be honest. Be who you are and you’ll learn much faster than faking your way along.
What am I getting at? Chiefly this. The word photographer has been deluded. It seems everybody and his brother (and probably his mother too) gets a camera, makes a crappy website, gets a Facebook page, then calls themselves a photographer and charges people for the snapshots they make which require almost no skill. In so doing they to a disservice to themselves and the client.
I know my headline is a bit bold. I wanted to get your attention. Also my bluntness may offend some because I’m saying something many don’t want to hear. But let me be clear. I’m NOT saying because you’re new you should pack up and go home. But you should understand how much training it takes to be a photographer. The purpose of this post is to make people feel like losers. It’s to look at ourselves and be honest in our assessment. Because if you want to be taken seriously, you need to be a skilled craftsman.
If you hammer in a nail does that make you you “a builder”? If you remove a sliver with a pen knife are you “a surgeon”? If you get a camera are you “a photographer”? I say no. You are not yet a practitioner of the craft that is photography. That takes time. A lot of it, and the standard is higher than ever if you really want to stand out. I even see long time pro’s who are not making the grade. They’re not “practicing” their craft. They’ve become slack, thinking they’re “good enough”.
I’m twenty six and I don’t mean to sound grumpy or bitter. I’m not. I started from nothing and I enjoy helping aspiring photographers. But it seems everyone wants the easy road. No one wants to spend the years of effort it takes to become a craftsman. Maybe I was the same way starting out. But it didn’t work. People think that because they bought a camera and tripped over a few good scenes they’re an artist. Which is why they’re not.
Everyone is making snapshots and even a few good photos. That’s fine, but it’s not rare, it’s not unique and it’s not valued much by society. Millions are made every day and billions will be lost to history as nothing more than trash. You’re friends on Facebook may be supportive and say how great and talented you are. I know that feels good. But I ask again. Do you really know your craft? Are you images following a standard of quality that is far above the snapshooter.
Now if you want to make a living, the business side is a whole different discussion. Photography may be one of the hardest professions to make it in these days and that’s when we come to marketing centric workshops and events like the Wall Portrait Conference. Discussion for another day, but if a paycheck is your goal, along with all this learning you should also be studying business. Become a master at both and you’ll really have something. And if you just want to make photos because you love photography. That’s OK too.
Being a Photographer?
- You have to spend years. It’s taken me fourteen & I think I’m a photographer, but I still have a lot to learn.
- Go learn. Yes it will cost you real money. Be it a school or weekend workshops. Do it.
- Perfection is needed. Because good is everywhere. You need to be better than good.
- A photographer is trained. Just like a baseball player, a doctor, a rocket scientist.
- The bar has been raised. Now that everyone takes photos, you have to be a master.
So, if after all this you can say you’re a trained expert. If you’re work stands above to the masses and shines. If you understand the mechanics as well as the art of making a great photograph. And if you can prove it. Then I say you are a photographer. If you can’t, then be honest and say you’re aspiring or an apprentice. That’s OK for now. In fact you’ll probably feel a lot better being honest with yourself and you’ll learn faster.
Not to all of us of all skill levels. Get out there and practice. Lets keep learning and raise the bar on quality. Good luck… Gavin.
Updated 05/06/11.
I have heard many photographers complain that there are too many people calling themselves photographers for a while. I am having a hard time understanding what the issue is here. Is it a status thing, not wanting to be compared? Almost like being a gear freak having to have the latest and the greatest like that will make you that much better. There are many photographers out there that are great. They never sell a print, never hang in a gallery and certainly never go to workshops or school. They are photographers that are in a stage of self fulfillment, learning and they are unashamed to share what they do and what they see with the world around them. So what that they are great marketers, or have big pocket books to have the so called professional gear. Who is to judge these people, I was published at the age of 14 and work 5 to 6 days a week every week as a pro, but I know that it is not my place. Didn’t we all have to start somewhere? Are these so called “Newbie’s” supposed to stay locked away from trying to gain experience in the market until they meet some definable standard? What is the standard, do we call ourselves photographers because we have cameras, or because we love the art of making photographs.
There is no panel or organization that can tell you that you are a photographer, only you can do that. There aren’t any real professionals (people who get paid) out there that will say that they know all there is to know. There is a constant learning process and a constant growing process every day. What place is it for any of us to judge someone because they are just starting? I am sure there are photographers out there that don’t like my art. However my work has hung in galleries, I have sold large prints for over a thousand dollars. But because someone somewhere doesn’t like my standards does that mean I shouldn’t call myself a photographer. Would photographers really even exist at that point, well I say they do exist and if that’s the case we all had to start somewhere. I didn’t just pick up a view camera and start making perfect plates right off the bat. When I came over to digital I didn’t realize the potential for some time after starting. Let’s not try and chip away at the new kids in town, lets reach out and try and share what we know, starting with humility. I love you all please don’t ever stop trying to become more!
Douglas Lee Coon Photography
After all that you just come off sounding like an arrogant jerk. Most of the stuff with your name on it in your side bar is pitched at the people who will be offended by what you’ve written above.
Everytime I bother to listen to or read the stuff that comes from you I come away with the same feeling. Where does this punk come off being so arrogant?
You may argue that it is confidence rather than arrogance, I’d argue that there is a fine line between the two, and why risk coming off as arrogant?
What this sounds like is the same kind of angered rant that comes from a photographer that has lost a client to someone on Craigslist. In the end what good comes of it?
Nice of you to dilute (not delude) your attempt at a point by throwing in some parrallels. There are plenty of people who have mowed a few lawns and decide to start their own landscaping companies. Plenty of Carpenters that should be laborers. The nice lady that makes cookies for her kids thats tries to turn a buck as a caterer. People have been doing it with photography long before digital came around, and long before you stepped up. If we needed a degree or license to be a photographer then you could compare it to doctors and pilots.
A good friend of mine has been a photojournalist longer than you have been alive, he’s got a crappy website (although he’s improving it now) and a Facebook page and does some side work with portraits and weddings. Maybe he was an arrogant jerk when he was your age, I’ll have to ask him next time I see him.
Keith thanks for your comment. But you’re getting defensive my your missing the point. My goal is not to come off as arrogant and if you really followed what I say you would see that while I work to be proficient and confident, I know I have much to learn.
Sure, this post was meant to raise a few feathers. It says what people are not saying, but are thinking. There’s countless so called photographers out there and because of it the consumers are inundated and could care less most of the time.
You want to you more simple comparisons. How about all these grandmas make cookies and decide to be caterings, but half of them make food that make you sick. The work caterer would get pretty deluded. Lawn mowers. What if a hundred people you know became landscapes and two thirds of them ruined the someones lawn every time they worked.
I used the dictionary as my first example. It stands. Unless you are proficient you are NOT a photographer yet, you are a snapshooter. I’m not being arrogant. I’m being honest. This is the Pro Photo Show blog after all. Meant for pro and aspiring pros. The challenging questions are part of what we do here. That does not mean that I hate aspiring photographers or am trying to discourage the enthusiasts that use the resources I make, (and I made this very clear). What I’m doing is making a challenge. This industry is tough, especially now. If we want to make it the industry to raise the bar and poor quality needs to stop being accepted.
Gavin, I would like to start by saying I meant no offence to you. I respect your work and respect the frustration that you feel. I also didn’t mean anything that I said as a personal insult to your position. I was simply trying to approach your position from the perspective of a professional photographer that does sometimes lose clients to the super cheap race to the bottom price photographers. I don’t blame the photographer that is looking to gain experience at all I blame the clients that go with them looking to save a buck, and frankly they often get what they pay for and wind up with us in the end anyway. This makes our job not harder; it simply gives us the opportunity to educate them as to what to look for in the future. We do this by stepping up our game. Most of the photographers that let client after client down end up as a hobby shooter in a year or they learn, step it up themselves and become a respected part of our community.
I made my point to say that I think there is a misconception here. But I still feel that you missed the spirit of the definitions here.
“One who practices” –“to perform or work at repeatedly so as to BECOME proficient”
My point was that they are taking on challenges and getting out there putting themselves in the market and in the art community so they can get constructive feedback and maybe even some negative feedback from clients that they did let down. Letting down a client can be a learning tool. “Wow these pictures suck!” This can be a real eye opener to someone expecting a client to hand over cash. It lets the artist know that those corners maybe cut were not smart and that if they want to avoid the negative pushback again they need to try a different approach next time. That is the “work at repeatedly” part, not to perform work at a well advanced level from day one. They are trying and practicing, we may think that they are terrible and they may be. But to say that you’re not a photographer unless you are a “Great Photographer” is. I think it can be off-putting in an industry where everyone has a different opinion on what great is.
For example I am not a fan of HDR, I mean so called good HDR. I have made a few and have worked with some very good HDR artists. I haven’t ever posted or shared an HDR that I made because I felt that it was less impressive than the single shot images that I can get without the bracketing and the multiple pieces of software. This is my opinion! I do not think that you are any less of a photographer for using tons of tweaks in multiple programs to get your final image. I love your images they are unique to you and give great insight to what you see through your “eye” that is what I love about them.
Again I hope you aren’t upset with me for just expressing my feelings. I respect what you do. I have become acquainted with many new photographers over the years and have seen how their failures made them grow. They weren’t great they were just,
“performing or working at repeatedly so as to BECOME proficient”
Hey Douglas. Not upset at all. I’m totally open to discussion and not everyone has to agree with me. Thanks for the input.
I still stand on my point though. Which was not to tell everyone they’re terrible, but to get us thinking. I think you’re somewhat incorrect. As photographers, or would be photographers, we have to set the standard for the consumer. If we demand more of ourselves as an industry, clients will start to as well. Learning that by doing a terrible job for someone may be a learning experience, but it’s bad business and not fair to the client.
Part of what I’m getting at here is being honest with ourselves. Saying what we don’t really want to hear. I knew this article would spark discussion. That if we don’t do a great job we’re lost in a sea of photos and while a few friends may tell us how great we are, we may really just be another schmuck, making snapshots that no one really cares about.
Great Photographer may be open to interpretation, but Experienced Photographer is less so. What we have a lot of today are what Ansel Adams describes as, Snapshooters.
I know your work and you make some stunning images. But that took time. The word photographer has been abused. You raise a valid point on the nitty gritty of the word meaning, but I don’t think it changes the overall meaning. You don’t become a craftsman (photographer) by buying the tools. It takes time and energy. A lot of people choose photography because it’s easy. They’re often not working to “become proficient”. They’re working to convince people they are, without actually studying the craft.
I don’t blame a person for trying to become a photographer. I do blame them for pretending to be something they’re not. Thinking they’re a great artists because they took a few nice snapshots. My point here is that there’s countless of those and if we want to be taken seriously we have to be something more. In this digital age, something a lot more. because if we don’t we’re just another person with a camera.
Gav
Hi Gav, I have been following your posts and work for a while now just as a curiosity. But after reading this post, I was in disappointment of your point of view, not sure if I will continue reading future posts. I have been studying photography since I started college 5 years ago, I was very hesitant in showing my work to others, because it was a hobby of mine and my personal art work. But after working as a photojournalist, I got more confident and started getting recognized as a photojournalist and even got a few wedding photography and senior portrait gigs because word of mouth. Family and friends encouraged me to really embrace my gift. So I started interning for several Seattle and L.A. advertising photographers and participated in sweet Seattle and L.A. fashion weekly magazine sets. It was an opportunity in which I embraced and learn a lot about the job market, and most importantly lighting. I started my photography business exactly one year ago with one Nikon camera. I started in the bottom, but what I really wanted was the experience and the chance to really learn. I started doing weddings, seniors and anything I could get hands on experience, yea I did do it close to nothing but it was because I wanted to learn. So does mean its fare for other “pro” photographers to bash on aspiring newbies? I don’t think so. I say lets embrace the newbies and teach them about the essentials of photography. To this day, I am still learning about lighting, technique and fine art. I have several aspiring friends that want to learn about photography there are times that I sit down with people try to teach them about the essentials, at no cost. Learning should be a gift. I think its ridiculous when some ignorant photographers charge so much money for a simple seminar when there are free seminars in Seattle with well known advertising photographers with well set courses. I love doing wedding photography, but my main goal is to become an editorial/ advertising photographer, I am working on my portfolio with a portfolio coordinator to present my work to advertising agencies, but I still so much work to do to be able to present well rounded editorial port. If it wasn’t for those small gigs, I wouldn’t gotten the experience or the confidence I now have. I do, however, understand your frustration. But lets teach those people so called “snapshooters” the essentials of quality photography and let them be, let them enjoy their own art. Idk, its my point of view.
Oveth
Oveth if you follow my work at all you already know that I’m not a bitter newbie basher. Nor, as I was clear, am I doing that in this post. I am coming down on laziness and people saying they’re something that they are not. I’m simply being honest. Trying to challenge people to raise the bar. The market is inundated with “photographers” and the word is becoming a joke.
I admire that you interned and are seeking to learn. That’s the way. But it’s also different than the norm. An astounding number of people are simply picking up a camera, making a business card and deciding they’re now a photographer. They are not. Being a craftsman takes time, energy and training. You don;t just get to decide you are. Not if you want to be taken seriously.
I’ve been writing and speaking for years, trying to help people become better photographers. If telling the truth about this careless mindset that plagues the photo world makes me a meanie, I’m not sure what to say.
Best… Gav
I’ve done a bit of refinement to the text for the benefit of readers. Not changing the idea, but I want to be clear this is not a post to be grumpy. It’s meant to challenge and make us better.
I don’t mind people disagreeing with me, so if you do, I can deal with that. But if it truly offends you, maybe it’s hitting close to home and is exactly what you need. Or maybe you’re just too easily offended. Things that are frank and a little uncomfortable don’t always get accepted with open arms. But that does not make them any less valid…. Gav
Alright man, I understand your frustration on the “newbies” level. Keep up the awesome landscape photography masterpieces.
Gavin, thank you for the post. I totally agree with what you had to say. I also have been in the business for the past 15 years and have watched the industry get diluted to this point of total amature (snapshooter) saturation. I also want to point outthat where the commercial world has held back this wave of amatures the portrait and wedding market is flooded and since about 2004 when the first really good prosumer cameras came out by Canon and Nikon that contract prices began to fall and continue to fall even today. We need to start to re-educate consumes of photographs that price is not everything and they should expect more that just coverage of an event but a full body of great photographs. No matter the setting no matter the venue an pro can photograph anywhere anytime and get great work.
Cheers,
:jonah
Gavin,
Love your post and your point came across clearly. I have been shooting weddings since 1978 and I’m always learning. Knowledge is an ongoing and never-ending joy in life. And I can proudly say that caullouses on my right hand are my badge of honor from the daily shoots. Titles of professional or beginner are not important, it is the PASSION and Love for this business that will get you the furthest. My hours are 25 hours a day, 9 days a week (yeah, I even sleep photography) and I am PROUDLY OBSESSED. Thanks again for you post and it’s back to learning more, again.
Daniel Street
Soulmates Photography
Man if I had a dime for every time some prick said “i’m not being arrogant, i’m being honest”. I remember being 25 though, can’t fault him for that.
Gavin, I agree and understand your frustrations…but I’ve come to the realization that this issue will never be addressed by the world. I’ve dealt with people here in Austin, who think they are photographers because, after 2 months of owning their Canon, and then purchasing PhotoShop CS5, and after I SHOWED them how to process an HDR, they now know how to set exposure bracketing up and process an HDR in PhotoShop. Meahwhile normally exposed photos they take end up looking like dick.
We have PPA, and WPPI, and our WPJA’s…these private organizations attempt to validate us with kudos and awards (even ACCEPTANCE is a validation as far as WPJA is concerned)…and then we can throw their “badges” on our sites so we can show them off to our brides and grooms. But does that make the guy that has been shooting weddings in a photojournalistic style for 25 years NOT a photographer?
Another problem is ANYONE CAN JOIN THESE ORGANIZATIONS! WPJA is the only one that verfies your work by checking your website and ensuring that you shoot primarily in a photojournalistic style…but that’s just weddings. I don’t even have to own a camera or have a photography website to join PPA or WPPI!! Where are the standards there?
What we need is an professional organization that ONLY accepts photographers, from ALL styles, of a certain caliber, who are currently working. Something like Working Professional Photographers Association. Then, we could have one for photographers that just shoot “on the side” or who ONLY shoot for the love of it. I don’t know what we would call that…maybe PPA would just do fine for that, or websites like Photo.net would be their destination.
Until then we will have to accept that photography is an art form and will always be open to interpretation. We will ALWAYS have good and bad photographers, good and bad critics. The ONLY thing that we CAN do, is what we’re already doing: raise public awareness of our developing craft and show our work through social media sites and our own websites. Do that enough and I guarantee our work will be “separated” in the general public’s minds’ eyes! (<—-NICE!!)
I hear ya Everett. There’s no easy solution. Part of the point of this article was to get us thinking and talking. The industry has really done this to itself I think. For my part I can work to produce pieces that stand above the norm when hanging on the wall. The final quality wall print is the one thing most photographers are ignoring.