I have no technical knowledge.. Now give me money please.

[Art of Emotion]

I was discussing photography on another forum, not geared towards photography (the forum itself). It was a discussion on how everyone is getting into photography, making Facebook fan pages and start charging for their photos and call themselves a professional.

This one response stood out to me and honestly really erked me. Please feel free to discuss your opinion on the below quoted statement.

"Bottom Line: If people are stupid enough to hire a photographer without a/looking at their portfolio, it's their loss, and lucky for the "photographer"..."

What do you all feel about the influx in people claiming to be professional photographers? What do you feel about those who skip learning the technical terminology and countless hours you should spend molding your craft? Then go off and charge people for portraits. I'll admit some of these photos look to be about the caliber of a point and shoot. As we all know it's not entirely the camera but what the person does with it that matters. When I say point and shoot I'm just speaking in terms of the finish product quality.

 

[Light Artisan]

I've read about 60 of these threads already... and that's just on this site alone.

Somehow I feel that another one isn't going to change things any more than the others have. The days of the professional photographer having a huge edge are almost over, some serious amateurs looking to make a buck on weekends can do a decent enough job to satisfy someone not wanting to pay $5000 for wedding photos.

Is the quality the same? Some yes, some no... mostly no I would guess - but there are 'professional photographers' who's work is not as good as some amateurs I know too.

Vent away.

 

[Overread35]

In a recession the bottom end of the market is always going to "flourish" especially in a luxury area such as portrait photography. Also you have to remember most of these new businesses won't get off the ground very far - a few shots between friends and such isn't going to net them much of an earner and the low budget prices most charge are not aimed at a serious business with overheads (heck most won't be paying tax ).

 

[white]

mmm, yummy troll bait.

What do you all feel about the influx in people claiming to be professional photographers? What do you feel about those who skip learning the technical terminology and countless hours you should spend molding your craft?

I feel nothing. Some kids built lemonade stands, I drew comics and daydreamed.

The more the merrier. The good stuff always stands out.

 

[Art of Emotion]

I guess for me as a photographer I couldn't charge someone if I knew my photos really weren't somewhat on the professional playing level. I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. Something inside me couldn't condone the quoted line of thinking.

 

[gsgary]

In a recession the bottom end of the market is always going to "flourish" especially in a luxury area such as portrait photography. Also you have to remember most of these new businesses won't get off the ground very far - a few shots between friends and such isn't going to net them much of an earner and the low budget prices most charge are not aimed at a serious business with overheads (heck most won't be paying tax ).

You don't pay tax do you i'm selfemployed and try to pay as little as possible

 

[white]

I guess for me as a photographer I couldn't charge someone if I knew my photos really weren't somewhat on the professional playing level. I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. Something inside me couldn't condone the quoted line of thinking.

Good for you. Some people would rather pay their bills.

 

[o hey tyler]

The more the merrier. The good stuff always stands out.

Not necessarily true. If the market is oversaturated with bad photogs, the potential customers may not even see the good ones.

 

[ChevyBaby]

I always say 'Robert Frank and Richard Billingham had no education and look how rich n famous they are now' i don't think Billingham really studied it at all.

Photography is one of those things everyone can be a part of, unlike science, where you do NEED to actually study intensely to get an occupation.

To me, that's the beauty of photography.

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

I posted in this quality thread.

 

[enzodm]

I always say 'Robert Frank and Richard Billingham had no education and look how rich n famous they are now' i don't think Billingham really studied it at all.

I would say "had no formal education". It is slightly different from not knowing a bit.

 

[white]

Not necessarily true. If the market is oversaturated with bad photogs, the potential customers may not even see the good ones.

Customers with a discerning eye will hunt for the look they want. And the "good photographers" are responsible for marketing themselves anyway. You can't be brilliant and hang your work in a closet and then blame the bad photographers for your lack of success.

 

[jewely]

I guess for me as a photographer I couldn't charge someone if I knew my photos really weren't somewhat on the professional playing level. I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. Something inside me couldn't condone the quoted line of thinking.

Good for you. Some people would rather pay their bills.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA ! :lmao::lmao:
OK so here we go i have a facebook fan page under a "professional" status ,, I am far from that thou , im not into lieing but i need the people i take photos in me to have cofidence that i can handle the photo shoot and not try to lead the sitting themselves NOW with that being said I only charge about 20 over what the prints and the cd cost thats not including my gas or time , soo i can also tell you this i have had that page up for about 5 months and have recieved maybe one or two sittings from it I think that everyone has to start somewhere and with people like me who cant afford school or webpages practing is the only way we will learn and you can only shoot your friends so many times before they think your crazy lol anyways its not a big deal peoples photos will speak for themselves

 

[12sndsgood]

If im looking for someone with a certain level of skill i wouldnt open my wallet until i new they had the skill to get the job done. buyer beware, if you are paying for someones expertise but dont even know if they have any, then who really is to blame?

 

[Big Mike]

Photography is one of those things everyone can be a part of, unlike science, where you do NEED to actually study intensely to get an occupation.

A very good point for this discussion.

You need to be educated and certified (in most places) to practice medicine...or build bridges etc.

And while you can be educated and certified in Photography, it's not a requirement for many of the ways that photographers can make money.

If you can convince someone to give you money for your goods and/or services, that is enough and more power to you. Of course, consumers are also free to choose who they buy their goods & services from, so it should allow the cream to rise to the top, so to speak.