Reply To: So, AM I a photographer or fauxtographer?

[IHF]

That’s all fine and good eyedoc, but what if she wants to actually try her hand at making a living from her photography, instead of just under the table hobby income?  What if she’s questioning her skills and work because she wants to better her photography, and continue to get better and better?  What if she actually wants to be successful at this, and support her family?

Your way of thinking will end her up out of business before she even gets started.  She’ll burn out, start to realize she needs to raise her prices to compensate for all the work she does, and to help her business grow to the point where she can quit her day job so to speak.  But, it won’t work.  Why? because she is unable to offer anything more than what the new girl down the street can that charges much less.  I’ve seen this play out thousands of times.  It’s so very sad to watch.

It’s the classic path of a faux.  Jump in too quickly, sell on the cheap, try to raise prices to get to the point where they are making enough to stay afloat, only to burn out and quit.  NO I don’t want that for her.  I don’t want that for anyone who wants to succeed in photography wether amateur or for money.  The fact that she came here to ask THE question means she actually cares about this eyedoc.  What you said will make her feel better momentarily about what she is doing, and I understand your point of view and way of thinking, but in the long run, it’s detrimental to her photography and possible future business to think this way.

Your way of thinking is GREAT for people who push to sell to aspiring photographers (they make fat cash selling this way), it’s great for Aunt Sally to say because she loves her niece/nephew and wants to encourage and doesn’t know better, but it’s not good for fauxtographers to hear, unless you are selling, or wishing them to fail.  I know that this is not your intentions.  Your not selling, and you don’t seem the type to wish failure on someone, so I can only assume you are taking Aunt Sally’s stance.  Not only are well meaning words like this what start faux businesses to began with, but they are what keeps them going long after the tog realizes they put more in than what they get out financially and physically and emotionally.  It’s this way of thinking that perpetuates the problems that fauxtography causes.   I know you meant it to be “nice” but, it just isn’t.