Day 11

So, today we are going to talk about perfection. We say that there is a difference between an amateur photographer and a professional photographer. Well, there is. There are a few different definitions of each word, but for this blog, an amateur is either unskilled in the field he or she is partaking in, or doing it for the satisfaction, not for monetary gain. A professional is either showing professionalism in manner while on the job, in the office, etc., or a person who does his activities for monetary gain. So, who out there does shoots for free or for fun? Then that, by definition, makes you an amateur. Who does it for monetary gain? Then you are a professional. Who does it for both? So what does that make us, because I do it for both. I have seen amateurs who could blow area some of the professional work I've seen, and I have seen professionals who really shouldn't be allowed to hold a camera. So let me explain a few things, and then you can form your own judgements. In our world, we deal in perfections. For a model shoot, the model has to be perfect by  modeling standards, the picture has to be perfect, and the editing has to be perfect. If one of those three is off, then the picture is a bust, by peer/professional standard. You say no Shane, that's not true, but ask yourself this, how many models do you see in Elle, Vogue, Marie Claire, that aren't 5'9? Very very few. Name one if you can. I know of one but I'm not telling. How many of those pictures of those models in magazines are crap? Again, very very few. How many of those pictures are photoshopped badly? Again, very very few. In a wedding, the poses have to be perfect, the photog....perfect, the editing....again, perfect. All of these perfects, and every one of them has to match up perfectly, no lines showing, nothing askew. So now ask yourself this, how many of those types of photos have you done? Mine are not in any magazine, but let me tell you, I have done some perfect picture, I mean PERFECT. But how many pictures have I taken in ratio to those perfect pictures? Maybe one in 100, and I am being generous to myself. Oh, maybe half of those are great shots, but they fall below perfect. How about you, how many have you done? We go through so many pictures per shoot that it's insane. If it were film like in golden days, WOW, think of the amount of money wasted! Again, if you don't agree with me, try doing a no look, 2 shots per pose, photo shoot. When I mean no look, I mean no checking that view screen to see how you did. If you are good, then no need to check your work, you already know it. I have stopped checking my work because I think it ups my game, makes me more aware of my style and my lighting. Between not looking and only having so much space on my card from shooting in Raw, I think it's making me really good. But I still take 4 or 5 shots of the same pose, and only about 2 of those are up to MY standards. I can pose someone quite well, my eye for poses has gone up considerably, and my photoshop skills have gotten much better, thanks to CS5 Extended, tutorials and my sister, who is a photoshop guru. The girls I shoot are not perfect. Some of them have everything but height, but I do have a few that are the complete package as models go. But do I consider myself a professional? Yes, outwardly I do. And I think my current work speaks for itself. But inside, where it really matters, no, I'm nowhere near a professional stage in my life. I look at pictures I did a year ago and think, OMG, what was I thinking and why didn't Donna take away my camera and cut off my trigger finger? I won't be a professional until I can look back a year from now and say, I thought I was good then? I'm 10 times better than I was! But I'm going to hope the same thing next year. So I do great work, sometimes perfect, I have great photoshop skills, I have great models and poses. I have great family and friends who tell me what they honestly think, and I have a decent camera. I sometimes get paid for the work I do. Sometimes I shoot just for the love of it. So what does that make me? Maybe a little of everything and a lot of nothing, but in the end, who cares, I'm living, I'm shooting, I'm helping people reach their dreams and preserve their memories, and sometimes making a little money for it. In my book, that makes me something more than a professional, though I'm not sure what that is. So what about you, deep down, where only you can see, what are you?