Professional Photographer: Misconceptions by Amateurs

The misconception and what I have to admit is sheer ignorance of some amateur photographers leaves a professional photographer with a disdain for thoughtless comments.

It has been the experience of this author and professional photographer to hear the unfounded complaints of some amateur photographers who think their images are just as good as a professional because they have a pro-DSLR camera. Among professionals, we see the flaws of the statement not as a threat but one of ignorance concerning the profession of photography.

The misconception lies in a statement such as the following:

“...with all those great 'amat'' photographers (i'm amat so no offense guys) that are in the friends circle and willing to do it (wedding photography) as a gift or for cheap.”

I have seen these amateurs shoot a wedding for free or for a cheap price. And the results speak for themselves. One couple complained, “We'd never recommend him” after most every shot was under-exposed and very poor posing. The weekend photographer who thinks they can shoot a wedding because they have a prosumer camera is analogous to owning a two-prop turbo charged airplane and yet has very little experience in piloting a single prop aircraft. For the bride and groom it's “crash and burn” and no recovery.

The same amateur goes on to claim, “The era of the pro with all the gear that allow him to do a job that the random people couldn't realize with their gear is over since everybody can buy a prosumer dslr and make great picture , and/or enhance pictures on lightroom or photoshop and make them looking great.”

This is incredulously ignorant.

It's not the camera that makes a good photographer. And attempting to adjust poorly posed images or candid snap shots can never be made “great” with a post-processing application such as Lightroom or Photoshop.

A professional photographer, one with experience and knowledge of their craft, specializing in wedding photography and portraits, knows the composition, posing, lighting, and techniques required to make a “great” wedding photograph. The weekend amateur, with his relatively expensive DSLR has no idea what he or she should do. The results often prove the difference between the professional and amateur.

I went to a wedding recently. The Bride's Dad had a friend, retired from the Telecommunications industry who had bought himself a Canon 5D Mark II and an expensive lens and flash unit, and put a sign on the door announcing himself to be a professional photographer. It was his first wedding. And, photographically, it was a disaster!

The first mistake was showing up only at the time of the ceremony, missing ALL the preparation shots. The Bride was furious. The second mistake was having no backup equipment, no backup camera, no backup flash, no backup lenses.

His inexperience showed from the onset. Standing in the middle of the isle throughout the entire wedding, blocking the view of the families and friends is against wedding etiquette. He never asked the pastor whether he could use flash. He had his expensive DSLR set on high-sequence framing. The first shot of a sequence would be properly exposed with the flash. But the next 4-6 shots of the sequence were all underexposed because the flash unit could not charge that quickly.

Posing the Bride and Groom, the group shots and the hand shots were poorly set. And he didn't shoot any formal settings. The Mrs. nudged me and demanded, “Go over there and help him out!”

“What am I going to do? Take his camera and shoot the wedding for him?”

I revisited this so-called professional's website and he has shot only this one wedding and no others. So much for an amateur who thinks that an expensive DSLR will cast him in the role of a professional photographer.