I watched a video a while back about No BS Photography Advice and many of the things said in that video really spoke to me. Especially because I have made many of the same thought connections in my 13 years as a photographer.
One of the first things this photographer; Evan Ranft, leads with is how professional photographers do not care what kind of camera you are using. He specifically mentions brands but I personally will take it further with just camera. I cannot tell you the number of events, during travels or just general chats I have had with other professionals where what kind of camera we have or brand we use literally never comes up. In general we just do not care about what a professional is using, full frame, crop sensor, old model, or newest on the market.
We may get lens envy but for the most part professionals do not care about the brand and camera; yes we have our personal preferences but we will not judge what others choose to use. For professionals most of us believe the best camera is the one you have with you and that the camera is a tool for creation nothing more. In fact I once meant a professional who said you can hand a professional a toy camera and they will make great images, that the camera doesn’t matter but a passion, ability to see an image, and ability to bring that image to life matter more than how expensive the camera in your hand is.
The only people who ever ask me what kind of camera brand/model I am using are the non-professionals, some ask because they are curious but many because they truly believe whatever answer I give some how reflects my ability to be a professional in the field. They tend to hold the belief that the camera is the most important part of creating a great image rather than the skill and ability of the person wielding it.
He next goes into the level of work necessary and how most non-professionals dip out because they don’t realize how much work it takes. I am not sure I agree here, I find photography inherently easy but I was an artist for 10 years prior to switching to photography which I have now devoted another 13 years to growing and achieving in.
I definitely know my art skills made photography easy for me because I understood composition, and creating for a client and viewer, not just for myself. I think the most difficult thing that requires a lot of work is the business of photography. Most photographers fail because of their business skills not their art skills. That being said business is hard to learn and constantly changing and evolving so it is never something you will 100% master.
Directed Center Image I turned in for my College course… It received a 98 (excuse the quality I couldn’t find the original file and pulled this from Facebook.)
His third point is composition; which is the bread and butter of photography. He seemed to be saying that most people who fail at photography do so because they just do not get composition nor truly have what it takes to learn it.
Composition is something that is easily learned and can be picked up simply through viewing others work; however, his point is valid. Professional photographers are the ones who understand composition, they understand it so well they know when to use it and when to break the rules surrounding composition.
Wowing images come from everywhere. I had a photography instructor who once told me that direct center composed images are almost impossible to achieve correctly because the balance is hard to maintain and that is why photographers will use rule of thirds pretty much exclusively. He also mentioned that he would fail anyone who turned in a direct center image which I took as a challenge and did anyways.(You can see image above).
I wasn’t a professional yet when I took that class but I had a very long history in the arts. I rely heavily on that background and you will find most professionals constantly study and work their craft. They are dedicated and that dedication is what Evan was not so subtly pointing out as to what makes or breaks a photographer.
Following up on my last thoughts above, Evan finishes with fundamentals which are the building blocks of professional photography. You have to know the basics to grow. You have to know the basics so you know when to break all the rules and take risks.
Taking risks is what makes it art. Taking risks and breaking the rules is what separates an amateur from a professional. Having that confidence that you know what you are doing and you want to stretch the limits will push you to a new level but knowing the basics so you can build will let you achieve that professional look sooner.
I found Evan’s video interesting. If you are interested in watching it click here.