The Professional Photographer
Abandon all hope ye who dare enter
here
Welcome to the land of the obsessed. Most amateurs feel
the obligation to try their hands at becoming professionals. They (we) generally
do this for two reasons. The first is the love of photography, and the romantic
notion of being able to make a living at something we love to do. This is
an affliction shared by photographers, musicians, actors, artists, and most
other people who are involved in what most people consider to be creative
or artistic hobbies; though nearly any hobby from gardening to metal working
can be turned into an art form by an inspired enthusiast. The second is the
realization, generally arrived at while looking at magazine ads, and comparing
them to one's own vacation photos, or latest efforts, that "my work is better
than what I see most pros doing." The dream tends to pan out into several
distinct fantasy scenarios, as can be seen below.
The Dream
For National Geographic:
The pilot banks the seaplane, one more time around the
mountain. He picks out a small river flowing through the jungle, on which
to land. I check my gear, paying special attention to my camera bags. I have
checked at least a dozen times already, but I am nervous. These landings are
never easy, and there are things living in the river. I try to take
a cue from the guide, and relax, noting that the biologists are even more
nervous than I. After having had me spend months in the Middle east, National
Geographic has sent me to the heart of the South American jungle. It is said
that there are creatures here that have never been photographed, cataloged,
or even seen by man.
As a famous fashion photographer:
"Come on dear, give me a big smile. That's
right, just like that." Click whir. "Okay, now turn the other way, hold your
hand out, look right down into the camera, oh beautiful!" Click whir. "Hold
it, let's get make up in here, there is a smudge on your lip." I sit down,
and reload my cameras, while the makeup, and wardrobe people tend to the model.
I recheck the lights, and consider adding a couple of props. In truth, the
background is pretty stark. I can always airbrush some details into the scene
latter, but that costs money, and takes time. It might be easier to do it
the old fashioned way and use some props. The model is ready now, waiting
for me. I have worked with her before, but this may be our last shoot together.
She will soon be leaving modeling to start an acting career. She smiles, and
I nod my head. We are both ready. I motion for her to start to move sideways,
and stretch out her arms. She looks into the camera, and I release the shutter.
As a savvy news photographer:
It is illegal to have a police scanner in a car, but
lacking one, I would certainly have missed most of my best photos. I am on
my way to one now. According to what I hear on the scanner, four men have
tried to rob a local tavern, but botched things, and are now standing off
the police by holding several patrons hostage. Tactical units are being dispatched,
and I may actually arrive before they do. I see flashing lights ahead of
me, and turn, making a big circle around the place so that I might come in
opposite the police. I park, grab a camera body loaded with high speed film,
and put a long lens on it. There are no other newsmen on the scene, though
I know that they must be on the way. One of the robbers makes a break for
it, and is wrestled to the ground by several officers. Another, kicks the
door open, and raises a shotgun, but he too is overpowered. I capture both
incidents on film. The tactical officers now arrive, and their appearance,
decked out in military gear, with automatic weapons, is sufficiently intimidating
to convince the remaining two members of the group to surrender. I record
this event too, just as some other news teams are arriving.
The reality
Portraits
I am sitting in the Wal-Mart store, looking at my watch,
and seeing that I have three hours to go yet. A child of about eight, sits
in front of me, and refuses to look at the camera, no matter what I do. I
have tried clapping my hands, making faces, and even sticking a quarter to
my head, and asking if anyone has seen the quarter I dropped. All to no avail.
The boy's mother is looking at me impatiently. She also glances at her watch,
and wants to get home. I do hope to get a good picture, otherwise I have wasted
forty five minutes of my time. I am only paid if the customer buys pictures.
The more they buy, the more my commission. If no pictures are bought, I have
worked for free. The child look sat me, opens his mouth, and begins to scream.
Weddings
The bride's uncle keeps on getting in my way as I try
to shoot a photo of her first dance with her new husband, and her last with
her father. In the meantime, a very unattractive girl has been flirting with
me, and seems to think that a wedding photographer is a sort of a special
wedding guest, who can spend all night talking and eating with her (unfortunately
some wedding photographers seem to agree). The church was very dark, and the
pastor did not permit the use of flash during the ceremony. I opened the
lens, and manually set the shutter speed, purposely underexposing the film
to get the shots. The lab will charge me extra for pushing the film, and
some contrast will be lost, but I am pretty sure the pictures will be acceptable.
In the meantime, some distant relation of the bride has just ruined my shot
of the garter toss by stepping directly in front of me to take his own picture
as the bridesmaid caught it. I am glad I brought a lot of film; there will
be many ruined shots.
Advertisements
I have been sitting at this guy's house for fifteen minutes
already, waiting for him to show up. He is paying to have an ad placed in
order to sell his car, and I have to take the photograph. I am paid $25 for
each ad I photograph, and can often get five or six done, on a good day. On
a bad day, where the people don't show up, or where they come late, I am
lucky if I can do four. Lately there seem to be more bad days than good ones.
The really reality
"Good evening sir, may I take your order?" That's right,
most of us will probably not make a living, even an unsatisfactory one, as
photographers. Like musicians, actors, artists, and others who try to make
a living out of creative pursuits they love, most photographers will need
a day job. There is another route, however, though it does not offer the
possibilities of glamor, prestige, and wealth for which some would hope.
This is the professional route, involving school, a regular paycheck, and
a normal career. This type of photographer does medical photography, some
commercial work, portraits, aerial and survey work, and may eventually work
up to the traditional news, fashion, and travel photography.
It's getting to the point where even for the less desirable
work in weddings, circulars, and low end portraiture, some sort of training
or degree is desired. In large part, this may be because so many professional
photographers are only half aware of what their job really is. While so many
of us dream of travel to exotic locations, winning awards, photographing
beautiful models, or making the front page, we often overlook the two sides
of photography as a profession.
Photographer:
Do you know what an F-Stop is, or what is meant by high
contrast and low contrast? Do you know what a fast film is, or what is meant
when saying that a lens is fast? Are you aware of the significance of 18%
gray, or what is meant by depth of field? The list of questions could go
on and on, but the real question is, are you a photographer or just a person
who takes pictures? While there is certainly an important artistic and creative
side to photography, there is also a technical side. With so many new features
and automatic systems being crammed into today's cameras, many people think
that there is little reason to be technically astute, or to develop an understanding
of the principles of photography. These people are wrong.
Professional:
Do you show up for work on time every day? Are you able
to interact with people in a professional, buisiness like way? Do you get
the job done, even when unforseen events occur? This is by far, the most
common cause of failure in professional photography; many photographers are
simply not prfoessionals, and do not conduct themselves in a professional
manner. They show up late or miss shoots entirely, they bully models, argue
with clients, and often do not prepare properly. Rather than viewing photography
as a profession, they see it as a way to make a living without having to
work. These people are wrong.