Are Pros Supposed to Know All?

In2daBlue · Apr 13, 2009

bchalifour said:
In my opinion it is not the equipment that makes the (good) pro. It just helps and is a sign of how much the pro cares for the quality of his work. There is no reason why a pro could not shoot with a D90 (I have in fact seen some do it even though it is definitely not the most rugged camera but ruggedness needed has to do with the type of photographs one takes). As for a 18-200 mm for most of what the daily (local) press used, or even class group pictures a pro could easily get away with such an equipment without any problem. I'd rather have a pro work for me with that equipment than a newbie with a D3x, a 24-70 and 70-200 f 2.8 !:hug::

Yes, but. I don't take class pictures for schools and can't speak for those shooters, but I can tell you that living in a professional photography world I do not see any pros using a D90. I am not saying, and I want to really reiterate this, I am not saying a D90 can't take professional photos -- as it can -- but professional photographers are not using a D90 as their main body (or as their second body for that matter).

Now, I know there may be some pro photogs out there making a living selling photos who use a D90 and I am not saying that it's impossible. But, I have shot all over the world and across many different venues with photogs from little weekly newspapers to large national magazines, to wedding photographers to real estate shooters and none of them were working with consumer gear.

Again, I am not trying to imply that a professional couldn't use a D90 to get fantastic quality photos, but I am saying the professional photogs aren't using D90s to take their professional quality photos.

The only exception I ever saw from this was in 2003 when a National Geographic photog I ran into in Northern Africa was using a D70. He said he was using it because of its small size and portability but he was very frustrated with its limitations and was on the hunt among other photogs there for a spare film body he could lend out.

Sw1tchFX · Apr 13, 2009

Professionals don't know it all, they know enough to do their job.

Professionals do the professional thing: Stay consistent and reliable throughout their work, and do what the client requests.

If a professional is going to do...headshots. Corporate headshots. Everyone's pictures is going to look the same. Same color, same contrast, same lighting, same background, no matter how many people they might be shooting. And they'll all be sharp and in focus.

If they can't keep that, they're not a professional, because those are amateur mistakes.

A professional knows how to run their own business and can crank out business models and bids fast and accurately. They keep track of finances, invoices, receipts, and back all their work up. If they can't do that, then again, amateur mistakes.

It's more then f/stops and shutter speeds. When you're a professional, those are the easy parts.