"P Stands for Professional" or does it?

[robbins.photo]

Well after reading all the way through this I'm left with the following:

"A stands for A hell of a salesman".

 

[Vtec44]

I can't neither confirm or deny if the figure is real

I'd hope that if J. Simpson turned around and sold a couple of his images to a magazine for 1.5 million, that he either
A) Got a cut of that
or
B) Charged a lot more than 15K for that wedding

He shoots weddings for non-celebs too. Plus celebrities usually buy the copyright outright so obviously that will be a lot more than 15k and NDA ... I hope lol

 

[W.Y.Photo]

Dude's (Buissink, that is) definitely got an eye and a sense of timing. Flip through the portfolio for more than a few seconds.

Still, it IS more about making contacts and running a business. It's always more about running a business. Photography itself is a distant second. And within that, anything other than pressing the button at the right time from the right position is a distant, I dunno, 119th.

I am fascinated by your plan to destroy the local wedding photographers, though. I think you might find it a trifle ambitious.

It's interesting to here him talk about that in the video. Provided that he's coming from a place of incredible success, he is quite animated about the notion that business has to be secondary to the photography, and that the money will "somehow follow." I can't say I buy it.

As for my ambition, I'm not looking to displace the quality photographers in my area. More that I'm looking to make it a bit harder for soccer moms who just picked up their DSLR's to get contracts. I've got a stable job shooting full time currently, so I can spare my weekends doing cheap shoots if it means keeping the cameras out of those people's hands, and fewer ruined wedding shoots.

Well he makes a good point to say that the business has to be secondary if you really think about it. To make an excellent photograph you need to be very involved with your artform, though I really appreciate the paint roller analogy made earlier I am going to use it to make a point here: Photography is much more than painting a wall, it is an artform and an artform requires more than just skill. It takes passion, drive, and creativity to create a truly exceptional photograph. A person who is so focused on the business side of photography cannot pour the amount of effort they need into their actual image making. With most professions (like a house painter's) the business absolutely comes first as all they need to be is skilled at painting a wall, they can show up with their tool in hand and do their job, they just need paint, a wall, and their tools; but with us it takes a lot more than being somewhere and having our tools for us to do our jobs well.. wouldn't you agree?