Reply To: So what classifies a 'real' photographer?

[soaringturkeys]

I see where you are coming from and fundamentally I do agree with you. But there are some factors that separate us and I guess it’s not something that neither of us is right or wrong in a situation. We are just both birthed from different worlds.

 

I agree that although you should learn from your shoot. You shouldn’t look at the shoot as a lesson. I think it’s unfair for the photographer to assume the client will be okay with you learning from making a mistake. In fact I saw what I accomplished last year and decided to take a break this year. I wanted to focus on my film career and bring photography to a bare minimum. I did this because I wanted to get myself ready for the next goal and prepare my photography to reach the next level. I think I probably lost quite a few potential paying clients but in doing so, in honing my skills in private, I think I can start climbing the next hill.

But what I don’t agree with is that the bar should be set so high and in failing to do so they fall in the faux zone. I honestly don’t think that they will fail. I think that they won’t ever get to the point of having a solid income stream from it but for most of them that’s okay. The way I see it is that they are charging fairly and will reach their desired goal. They are great photographers for the target they market to. Do I see them getting published? Well I hope one does. I hope JVendetti becomes successful but reaching out further than their talents and investing more than they can chew is the only time I see them perhaps failing.

More and more do we have photographers who will have this set bar of ‘good’ photography. And I think that’s okay. They will have a good eye and will have lots of popularity on facebook. They will be affirmed by their peers and every soo often will get given a gig that they can charge over 1k for. If they ended up handing their portfolio in to say a National level gig, I don’t think they will get in… but that’s okay. That’s their level that they aim for and i don’t think we should criticise them for that. More and more photographers like this will come in because thats the time we live in. We are in the era of the SLR revolution. Decent Cameras are soo dirt cheap. But calling these people faux is I think a little unfair because they have the clients that see their wage fair.