The Difference Between Amateur and Professional Photographers
Professional photography November 3rd, 2009
Hiring a photographer can be a daunting task. Here is an article to help you know what to look for in a professional. Look for a PPOC member and keep this information in mind when you need to hire a photographer.
Reprinted with permission from the Virtual Photography Studio
It seems as if everyone with a camera is setting up shop and marketing themselves as a true professional. But can everyone with a camera be a professional? Can you command professional prices just because you love taking photographs?
The answer is a definite no.
Lots of people love photographing nature, but there’s only one Ansel Adams.
Lots of people taking portraits, but there’s only one Annie Leibovitz.
So what is the difference between an amateur and a professional? How do you know when you’ve reached professional status?
- You think like a professional. Amateurs want a photography business to give them a reason to buy more camera equipment. Amateurs want a photography business to keep them busy when they want to be busy – not on a full time basis. A professional loves capturing images, and sharing them with as many people as possible. They love to be busy doing what they love – and making a good living at it as well.
- You think of yourself as an entrepreneur. Yes, there’s more to a photography business than photographing. There’s production. And marketing. And paper work. And emails. And promotion. And sales. An entrepreneur loves growing a business, with photography as your passion, product and service – not the other way around.
- You make it a goal to improve. You take your camera everywhere. You’re the one at the party behind the lens of the camera. You also attend your local photography meetings; buy videos and training materials to improve both your photography and business skills; and hire coaches to make you better at building your photography studio.
- You spend time studying other photographers work, and try and improve your own photography by following examples. An amateur loves what they do, and thinks there is no room for improvement. But a professional knows the education will never stop. There’s always room for improvement.
- You create your own style. Everyone starts out imitating a mentor photographer. I remember taking posing guides from some of our favorite photographers (David Ziser, Clay Blackmore, Heidi Mauracher) and imitating poses and images produced by greats like Denis Reggie. But once we moved into professional status, we created our own style. The posing comes naturally. The fun is always there.
It’s always effortless, and it shows in the images.
- You know your stuff. There’s no more thinking about each image. You automatically know when you’ve captured the perfect image. It’s all about having fun with the client, pulling together a professional image for the client to see, and knowing everything will fall into place perfectly.
- You’d do this even without the money. Photography is something that is inside of you, no matter what. You love doing it, and find any excuse to photograph. But you also know that as a true professional, you can command a high fee. It comes with being a professional.
Popularity: 28%
January 11th, 2010 at 12:21 pm
I’m pro, but I still have a few things to learn. lol
March 2nd, 2010 at 2:46 pm
Good information in your posting, I saw a report on television last week about this same thing and since I am going to be married next month and the timing couldn’t have been better! thanks for the info!, I have bookmarked, thanks Jacob Albano
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:24 pm
Thanks Jacob, glad you found it helpful. Remember to use the “find” feature on our blog to find a PPOC member in your area http://www.ppoc.ca/find.php and please tell other brides and grooms if you like too. There are Facebook and Twitter share buttons on every post, so feel free to pass it along.
March 2nd, 2010 at 3:24 pm
You may also find this post helpful: http://www.ppoc.ca/blog/2010/02/22/budget-wedding-photographer/