I love seeing new photographers emerge into the competitive atmosphere to take their chance and try to make it. I love meeting them, learning their dreams and goals. I love helping them and offering guidance if they seek it. Giving back and keeping the field alive is rewarding and I had helping hands when I was getting started as well who stressed the importance of passing it forward.

So my number one Pet Peeve is…..

Photographer’s who view everyone with a camera as competition.

I can not tell you how many events I have worked or just for fun events I have attended with my sister and family where a photographer has tried to claim exclusive shooting rights or bully other shooters into not shooting or sharing their work because of a multitude of craptastic reasons.

I am talking public events where anyone can attend and photography should be free game to anyone there. Not private events.

I believe this happens because photographers are largely insecure, they see others as a threat to their income, and will quash it if they can. Truth of the matter is no photographer is perfect, 100% flawless in their shooting, we all make mistakes. Some photographers have more natural talent than others and the fact is there will always be someone out there somewhere who is better than you. Learn from them and grow.

I have been a professional photographer for 10 years. I can not tell you how many times others have tried to bully me at events (I am young, these are older photographers who do not know me or my experience level and see me as new.) My recipe for this is to casually agree that I want sell my images and bow to their demands, then I attempt to out shoot them and release those images watermark and royalty free. At one event I had three male photographers attempt to bully me and that’s how I handled it.

Yeah, no one got sales. I am sure it hurt their overhead but the next event I found myself at with them, they apologized and after years of occasional running into them we now trade tips and tricks. It took blowing one day of their hard work to get them to knock it off. Now this won’t work for everyone, I had the skills to back up my plan, I was aware of who those men were and their level of work. I knew it would make them angry but I had been in that field 6 years longer than the most experience man trying to bully me into not shooting.

So for those starting out meeting the same just keep shooting and practicing. Do not let other professional photographers keep you down after all they all started where you are now.

My Second Pet Peeve as a Photographer…..

Photographers starting out over using vignettes!

First, I know you are here because you are learning, new, or just curious what drives me crazy. This isn’t meant to be insulting to anyone, we all start somewhere and maybe you are guilting of using vignettes on half or more than half your photos perhaps this will help you grow past vignettes.

Just so everyone knows this is a guilty trait of all beginners. Guess what I did it when I was starting out too! So I can’t condemn you but I do strive to educate you.

First, vignettes are cool they make a photo look artsy and its easy to control when you don’t know how to edit or have editing software or perhaps haven’t found your true photography and editing style. But they are most commonly associated with the new photographer crowd, not just new photographer but free photographer.

I see them a lot in wedding photography where the bride and groom had a strict budget and didn’t hire a long time professional. Nothing wrong with that but without looking at composition, clarity, vibrancy, or posing to determine a photographers skill level we first flip through and seek how many vignettes exist. Personally for me I see more than three and I know they are new and learning and I usually don’t have to look for any of the above mentioned criteria.

The best way to move away from vignettes is to invest in editing software, photoshop, lightroom, something. Then watch youtube videos and learn some basic editing it will pump your game up a lot. Drop the vignettes will also help boost your level as well.

But like I said we are all guilty of doing vignettes at first. Learn. Grow. Crush the photography game.

As a photographer I do have more than two pet peeves but I thought I’d go with the two most recurring ones. I do hope something in this spoke to you all.

As always Stay Safe. Stay Healthy. Stay Six Feet Apart.