Reply #19 - July 03, 2007, 02:47:40 PM
I am pleased to see so many responses to this thread- it is an old question but it always generates some interesting philosophies, ides and even contradictions. There is nothing wrong with being a renaissance man or woman- people that are quite good or even “professional” at various disciplines- why not. One talent or passion need not necessarily detract or distract from another and sometimes different things can harmonize very nicely with one’s main profession or source of income.
In my own case my interests in electronics, food preparation, music, graphic arts, repairing and designing my own lighting equipment and even preparing advertising and copy-have helped me serve my customers better in commercial food photography, building sets, designing printed matter, doing audio visual and multi-media presentations and in-store and trade show displays - besides- I can serve up one heck of a roast beef! I don’t need to call in a contractor every time I need to fix something at the house or the studio- that can save me time and money- ever try to get an electrician or a plumber to come in on time? You’ll have an easier time getting in to see a brain surgeon, His Holiness the Pope, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Chief Rabbi of Israel- all at the same time in the same room! If I have excluded any other religious leader, please forgive me- just add them to the list- feel free! If you want add the Queen of England, the President of the Unite States and the Prim Mister of Canada to the mix- just go right ahead- you won’t be far off!
Sometimes it is good to do “something else” once in a while to give your mind a rest and come back to the photographic day job somewhat relaxed and renewed- perhaps with some new ideas and thoughts.
Practically speaking in plain English; a professional is someone who known exactly what he or she is doing in the chosen field or specialty, does not hesitate or become flustered in the course of his or her work and acts in a competent and ethical way. Of course, the work should be of such a caliber that customers will be willing to pay for his or her services on an ongoing basis so as to enable the professional to make a decent living from his or her labors. This however, is the tip of the iceberg if you want to completely examine the philosophy of professional there are many more concepts to consider. Here are some to ponder:
A true pro never will never take on a job that is beyond his expertise, equipment capabilities or scope of services without fully informing his or her client what the limitations are or if other personnel need to be called in- such as food stylists or aerial specialists.
True pros have to have a good grip on the business aspects of his work in order to maintain good customer services and stay in business long enough to complete all pending and ongoing assignments. This means to have the know how in price structure, profitability, costing out jobs, working with employees and sub contractors and business management and sales methodologies in general. Under quoting and pricing lead to all kinds of unmitigated disasters which can kill you business like some kind of fast acting poison. What goes on behind the scenes, in your business, can affect you professionalism just as positively or negatively as what you have displayed in your front window or on your web site.
Your gracious behavior when you at weddings and special events and your willingness to help each and every client- even the difficult ones- adds to your professionalism and you image just as much as doing good work. I have heard people say “The photographer I hired has golden hands and golden eyes- every image was perfect but if I knew how much intrusion he was going to inflict on my wedding day, I would have never hired him (her)”! You do not want to be that photographer!
About professional associations- To some degree, Rob is right- they can stunt one’s creativity and artistic growth and instead of encouraging being unique or different the can tend to MANUFACTURE a whole tribe of “one note” photographers and “idol” worshipers. My idea in suggesting affiliations with such groups is that they CAN help aspiring professionals to take SOME direction rather that floundering around for years as to costs, fees, pricing an even furnish some information as to what are minimum standards that the general public will accept as decent work. Many associations do foster self improvement and technical education and artistic values as well. As for stepping out of the box, looking at things differently or just being more creative and original- this is really up to each individual photographer. Talent can be developed but not necessarily book learned or taught. Some folks are leaders, pace setters, innovators and artists while others may not have theses traits. Some people just want to take decent acceptable pictures and some want to create art even out of mundane subjects and events. Some photographers are emotionally involved with their subjects while others are happy to be good observers and documentary photographers/artists.
I am not one to dictate what anyone should do with their professional life, how to approach their photography or even WHO should be considered a professional. On the other side of by brain, I WOULD like to se a little more of a professional standard applied, if for no other reason that I have, for nearly 50 years earned a decent living from my craft and hate to see it totally diluted by incompetents or folks that don’t, at least, do a fair, ethical and decent job for the people. That kind of thing makes it more and more difficult for sincere workers to earn a fair dollar. It is as simple as that!
I am always willing to teach some of this to people who want to learn. Some folks prefer the “School of Hard Knocks” which includes master classes in business failure, financial turmoil, client disappointment, lawsuits, complaints, bad publicity and even bankruptcy. Some of us do learn that way but there is a lot of pain involved and why endure pain?
The biggest part of being a professional is knowing what you are doing, delivering what you promise and being fair and kind to you clients. What percentage of your income is derived from photography, when you do your photography- by night or by day, is really your own business and nobody has the right to tell you what to do or restrict your activities as long as everything is on the up and up!
That’s more of my take on the matter!
Ed (S)
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Ed Shapiro
The Hintonburg Studio
Suite 201 78 Hinton Avenue North
Ottawa, Ontario CANADA K1Y 0Z8
613-792-4837 Email:
edshapiro@rogers.com
