The ideas that you learn and study first used to be the norm! But in an online world, it’s scoffed at that they should learn photography before deciding how much to charge.
Real fake, and professional!
In almost any skill industry. If you have LESS than 2-4 years of experience, you’re not work ready. In photography, you also need years of real studying or apprenticing in Photography. You should NOT try to be a professional or expert, worrying about what to charge for your work. You may have telane and some good photos. But you’re probably not ready, and that’s OK.
This is an unpopular opinion – BUT please hear me out. This is advice that will make you better. With 25 years of trial and error, I’ve seen that to get good, you need time to practice without pretending it’s a job and ruining the joy of learning.
Buying a stove does not make you a chef.
So why does buying a cool camera make you a photographer? because we can fake it in Photoshop by using Ai generation to add in the part we missed. That’s not a photo; it’s using someone else’s, while you send Adobe money for the privilege of faking in.
Being a professional or expert in a craft does not mean you simply bought the tools. It means you learned that trade. That this is divisive when in any other trade it’s normal, shows the profession has become TOXIC.
20 years ago, this was a respected profession. Let’s get that back.
The attitude that experience is something to be mocked because you got some great photos or someone paid you is dangerous. These photographers often burn out quickly because they never learn the trade as a whole and respond to any criticisms with scathing accusations of gatekeeping.
When I started, I practiced for over 5 years before I even started charging. This was normal in the early 2000s. I understand there’s no absolute rule here. But in a fix-it-later world, we get offended by the idea that we are not great artists NOW!
Half of the photos in this post have won awards at PPS international competitions. Which is about as tough as it gets. But when I shared this on social media, those same photos were called low quality by those who disagree. Can we no longer have any professional standards? Do we have to accept constant Ai fakers from new photographers as master works because the internet likes them?
“You’re a gatekeeper Gavin” – Its’ subjective
This blog post started as a topic I started on a popular photo group. The new attack is so hard that I would dare to say this. But most of tehir comments lacked any understanding of the elements of a good photo, and there was little desire to learn. Only to self-validate through insults.
Photography today is driven by selling new cameras that convince new photographers they will be amazing because of good gear. It’s helped drive an incredible amount of argument among new photographers that prevents them from learning the craft.
It’s easier to make decent photos than ever and harder than ever to stand out. It could be said that gear is being used as the real gatekeeper. When in reality, the camera matters very little.
Sure, it’s subjective. But there are guidelines. High-level competitions and judges force you to face how great your photos are. Like PPA’s international juried competitions. I was young and arrogant also. I pitted myself against people with decades of experience and got my ass handed to me. I got upset, but when I got over that ego, I learned a lot and pushed harder and eventually became a master photographer myself.
Most viral photos are Ai fakery.
You get more likes in a photo OF your camera than the photos it takes!
Because the viral photos are fake. They are created by Ai or partially created by Ai fill tools like in Photoshop. Yes. Doing any major portion of a photo this way makes it a fraud. You didn’t create that amazing background of a bowing dress. It was plagiarized from a photographer who did.
Real photos matter. Fake AI photos are not photos. But Adobe does not care because they get paid. So we have to demand proof of whether the photo is real. Because
This is not gatekeeping. It wants wanting truth. The time you study is now a hard rule. real photography should be. I share what I know and learn from others. Take the time to learn for real so you become a true expert. Learn the power of a well-crafted photograph. Because the AI bubble will burst.
Gavin Seim
