I know I'm new to TPF and all, but....

[Rekd]

I take this somewhat personally. (Not necessarily in a bad way, not in a good way, it just kind of hits home in my situation.)

I'm not new to photography, and I certainly get paid for some of my stuff. (No, not weddings.) But, as the OP stated, I got, as my first DSLR, a 7D. It was meant to replace a Sony DSC that I've been shooting motorsports with for several years.

Yeah, I could take some good shots with the inferior equipment, and considered myself a professional photographer. Once I started shooting with the 7D and the kit lens, I quickly realized that I am NOT a professional and even though I had the equipment, I knew very little about it.

If I were to run into the kind of response:

doesn't it piss you off a bit that so many people think they can buy an expensive camera and bam, they're automatically at your level?

I would surely have left and never came back. As it turns out, the amount of help I've received here directly and indirectly has clearly taken me to the next level.

Yeah, when I first joined I thought I was good, but I quickly realized how bad I am and have tried to make myself better. With the help of some very experienced photogs here I've moved along and learned more in the last 4 months that I've learned in the last 45 years. I use Auto mode about half the time now, and try to use it less and less all the time.

I'm glad I wasn't run off when I was a "complete n00bie", because I would never have gotten to the "just a n00bie" position that I'm at now. Thanks to the bigtwinky's of this forum for taking the time to help me. I hope you don't leave because of the Rekd's of the forum.

I wonder if a set of forums for members with >100 or 200 posts would help...? That way, those of you offended by n00bies could just hang out there and not bother.

 

[Vicelord John]

On the flip side, I have trouble with all the know-it-alls who think because they are better, they are above us beginners. Granted, I've only run into a couple of those people since I came on here, I think they are almost as prevalent as the ones who think they can be pros just because they have lots of money to buy equipment.

I'm having fun with my "cheap" camera and just taking the shots I like.

 

[Felix 222]

As you probably know, nearly all forums have members like that.

 

[mostly sunny]

I did just buy a 7D and asked asked about Jpeg or Raw. I have no desire to take pictures of anything other than meeeeeeeee, or my family. = ) (More me than anything)-

I do ask questions here.. and I could google it.. But there are some terms I don't know.. How could I of google DOF, when I didn't even know that the "look" I was trying get was called DOF. KWIM? So, while some questions may be dumb- For me, I REALLY don't know. Also, I refer to my manual ALL THE TIME. The thing is greek to me. I still have no idea how to turn my flash off when I don't want it to flash.-- I have had my camera 2 months now..

 

[Weaving Wax]

A little harsh maybe? If you don't like the beginner threads. Don't post on them, plain and simple.

 

[TJ K]

I did just buy a 7D and asked asked about Jpeg or Raw. I have no desire to take pictures of anything other than meeeeeeeee, or my family. = ) (More me than anything)-

I do ask questions here.. and I could google it.. But there are some terms I don't know.. How could I of google DOF, when I didn't even know that the "look" I was trying get was called DOF. KWIM? So, while some questions may be dumb- For me, I REALLY don't know. Also, I refer to my manual ALL THE TIME. The thing is greek to me. I still have no idea how to turn my flash off when I don't want it to flash.-- I have had my camera 2 months now..

Sounds like the thing you want is bokeh. The flash part just don't shoot in auto and you should be good Tv, Av, P, and M won't flash unless you tell the camera too. GL
TJ

 

[mostly sunny]

I did just buy a 7D and asked asked about Jpeg or Raw. I have no desire to take pictures of anything other than meeeeeeeee, or my family. = ) (More me than anything)-

I do ask questions here.. and I could google it.. But there are some terms I don't know.. How could I of google DOF, when I didn't even know that the "look" I was trying get was called DOF. KWIM? So, while some questions may be dumb- For me, I REALLY don't know. Also, I refer to my manual ALL THE TIME. The thing is greek to me. I still have no idea how to turn my flash off when I don't want it to flash.-- I have had my camera 2 months now..

Sounds like the thing you want is bokeh. The flash part just don't shoot in auto and you should be good Tv, Av, P, and M won't flash unless you tell the camera too. GL
TJ

YES, YES bokeh is what I want. = ) I can get it "a little" with one lens I have.. But DARN UPS when are you going to get here with my 50MM 1.8 lens? My box from B&H is out for delivery. I am afraid to go to the bathroom- I don't want to miss my UPS dude..

:blushing:

 

[Shelly1204]

Wow, this thread became quite popular since this morning!

Just to clarify, as some of you seem to have seriously misinterpreted. I am not bashing "Noobs". I myself am a noob, and I find myself at home in the beginner forums. A place where "I like to shoot X, what, in your opinion, is the best lens to pair with Y body?" type questions find a home. And the people who respond to these questions offer invaluable advice and personal opinions to beginners based upon their experience.

What I was commenting on, was the fact that so many people seem to decide that they're going to charge people money before they even learn how to use their gear. It's like reading Hot Rod magazine and holding yourself out as an auto mechanic. or knitting a scarf, and passing out business cards advertising yourself as a fashion designer.

It's a strange phenomenon that's not often seen in other professions. I've noticed it at an alarmingly unusual rate on photography forums. It makes me chuckle every time, and I was wondering how the regulars on the forum felt about it.

 

[TJ K]

I did just buy a 7D and asked asked about Jpeg or Raw. I have no desire to take pictures of anything other than meeeeeeeee, or my family. = ) (More me than anything)-

I do ask questions here.. and I could google it.. But there are some terms I don't know.. How could I of google DOF, when I didn't even know that the "look" I was trying get was called DOF. KWIM? So, while some questions may be dumb- For me, I REALLY don't know. Also, I refer to my manual ALL THE TIME. The thing is greek to me. I still have no idea how to turn my flash off when I don't want it to flash.-- I have had my camera 2 months now..

Sounds like the thing you want is bokeh. The flash part just don't shoot in auto and you should be good Tv, Av, P, and M won't flash unless you tell the camera too. GL
TJ

YES, YES bokeh is what I want. = ) I can get it "a little" with one lens I have.. But DARN UPS when are you going to get here with my 50MM 1.8 lens? My box from B&H is out for delivery. I am afraid to go to the bathroom- I don't want to miss my UPS dude..

:blushing:

I know how that is i'm like a OCD freak constantly looking to the front door checking to see if anyone is at the gate. Thankfully the dogs usually alert me

 

[William Petruzzo]

Personally, I feel like the forums are actually divided up nicely. Probably the vast majority of the 'Photography Beginners' Forum & Photo Gallery' forum are the kind of threads you described. But, that number goes way down in the beyond the basics forum. I rarely go through the beginners' forum, only because I often feel like I'm repeating myself. But sometimes that's what we need to do. Even the greatest photographers in the world didn't get there by themselves and as tedious as it is sometimes, we should still take the time to help people out.

As for going pro, sometimes people have delusions of grandeur before they realize what is really involved in what they're suggesting. I once was convinced I was going to start a commercial maintenance company on the notion that I knew how to mop a floor. Of course, it didn't take even a whole conversation with someone in that industry before I realized that the undertaking I was considering was much, much larger than I thought. I think when it comes to professional photography, a lot of people have the same realization here on this forum. The repetition might be aggravating--kind of like the Christmas songs in malls--but you can't blame them for dreaming.

But, regardless of all that, the landscape of professionalism in photography is changing dramatically. And although to be successful you need the chops, where you begin and with what questions, are not the same as they were 6 years ago. We should keep that in mind.

 

[Derrel]

Wow, this thread became quite popular since this morning! >SNIP>
What I was commenting on, was the fact that so many people seem to decide that they're going to charge people money before they even learn how to use their gear. It's like reading Hot Rod magazine and holding yourself out as an auto mechanic. or knitting a scarf, and passing out business cards advertising yourself as a fashion designer.

It's a strange phenomenon that's not often seen in other professions. I've noticed it at an alarmingly unusual rate on photography forums. It makes me chuckle every time, and I was wondering how the regulars on the forum felt about it.

Shelly,
Yes, your observation is quite keen; the photography field has had a HUGE expansion in the number of beginning photographers who have established small- to medium-sized businesses. The New York Times did an article a couple of years ago, in late 2007 IMMSMC, commenting on the huge influx of "moms with a camera". According to one source quoted in the NYT article, a very substantial majority of these new photography-related business are started by women, many of them mothers, and often centering around baby and family photography. A common naming convention among a substantial number of these so-called MWAC businesses is to use a simple pairing of the photographer's name + photography. As in Mary Smith Photography,etc.

I'm not trying to pick on MWAC shooters unfairly; I know a few, and they are all dear, sweet people, and two of the three I know best are actually pretty good shooters, with clean, sharp, direct styles and no-bull**** attitudes and pretty clear visions about how to shoot family photos.

According to the New York Times article, the proliferation of affordable d-slr cameras is one of the things that has spawned this huge influx of newcomers suddenly becoming "photographers"; no longer are professionally-capable cameras out of the reach of the average consumer, and now there is no need for expensive consumables like film and proofing.
On the "guy-side", I see a lot of men who try their hand a sports photo businesses, as well as family portraiture stuff. Twenty years ago, being a "photographer" meant one thing, but the barriers to entry have been lowered by a substantial margin, so hundreds of thousands of people have flooded into the marketplace, often with very little, if any, training or education.

 

[Vicelord John]

People will figure out they are not pros when they don't make any money.

We are making this conversation harder than it needs to be.

 

[Shelly1204]

People will figure out they are not pros when they don't make any money.

We are making this conversation harder than it needs to be.

I agree. But the thing is, they ARE making money. At least, some of them are. I'm not noticing this phenomenon on just photography forums. I'm a lawyer and I'm in court almost every day. At least 2 or 3 times a month I'll see a photographer on the docket, being sued for ruining someone's wedding. It's always a very sad situation, and it makes me wonder how someone can NOT realize that they don't know what they're doing?

 

[Vicelord John]

People sued for "ruining a wedding?"

Thats pretty funny. I would hope people would be smart enough to build a contract explicitly outlining that they cannot be held responsible.

And yeah, some people are making money... hell, I've made money, but not even close to enough to pay the bills and quit my job.

 

[Shelly1204]

People sued for "ruining a wedding?"

Thats pretty funny. I would hope people would be smart enough to build a contract explicitly outlining that they cannot be held responsible.

There are some responsibilities that you cannot simply "contract" out of, despite the wording. Unfortunately most people do not come to that realization until it's too late.