The Five Marks of a Professional Photographer

“I have some friends who want to be professional photographers. I know it’s pretty much about having the right equipment to be a good photographer–I mean there’s some skill involved, but it’s mostly equipment–so how much will it cost them to get the right gear?”

No joke, I was actually asked that question by a DJ at a client’s wedding I photographed. My gut reaction was to launch into a discussion about how wrong that question was, but I didn’t want to argue with the client’s DJ when I had plenty of other things to do. Still, I inwardly cringed at that thought…didn’t he realize he was basically saying my worth was the dollar amount of my equipment?? Sigh.

Please, if you’re an aspiring photographer, banish such thoughts from your mind immediately. As my astute PhD-candidate husband would say, a turkey with a PhD is still a turkey. Same goes for a turkey with $10,000 of camera gear.

Still, the question got me thinking about what defines a professional photographer. I mean, everyone has a camera these days, and I often see guests at weddings with gear as nice as mine. While there are photography degrees out there, no one has to pass a board or obtain a specific license to be a pro. That’s me, after all. I never went to school for photography, and yet I’m a professional. Sure, I suppose the simplest definition would be anyone who gets paid to take photos is a professional, but again, I think that’s too vague. You might pay your friend $20 to take some photos of you and your kids, but they don’t ever get paid to shoot for anyone else. Are they a professional?

So, as my mind pondered the question, I gradually formed a list (what? me, a list??) of The 5 Marks of a Professional Photographer. I’ll list them first then briefly explain them:

1. Innate talent and creative ability to visualize and compose beautiful photographs.
2. Technical knowledge.
3. Practical experience.
4. Quality equipment.
5. General business professionalism.

1. I listed innate talent as the first mark because I think any professional photographer needs to have some level of ability that isn’t entirely learned. Of course, this varies widely from person to person–every photographer has a little different take on the world than the next. If they have no level of creativity and rely entirely on another’s work to copy, then I’d say they’re not professional. (Of course that doesn’t mean photographers aren’t inspired by one another…I certainly am, but I also have my own ideas).

2. A professional needs to know how their equipment works and how to handle different lighting, locations, and circumstances.

3. Simply put, reading a book is never quite like the real thing. A professional has done this before.

4. Yes, equipment is important–a professional does have the tools they need to get the job done.

5. A professional runs their business with the same general standards of any other business out there. They honor contracts, return phone calls, provide excellent customer service. I think this last mark really distinguishes advanced amateurs from a pro. An advanced amateur may have all of the above qualities, but they are not serious about running a business.

That’s my take on it. Tomorrow I will actually share my list of camera equipment because I am frequently asked about it, but I had to preface it with this post first. It’s not just about equipment.

And since every post should have a picture, here’s one of Phipps Conservatory I took on Saturday. I just love the cool blue sky and snow!