Very interesting read Carli. I agree you should follow your passion, but not to the total exclusion of advise / direction from trusted freinds / family / mentors.
What I don’t want to happen is me lying on the death bed thinking ‘what if…’ ’cause it’ll be tooooo late then!

best of luck
Noel

I think you are actually talking to people who have a strong interest in photography, not a passion. You might have to re-evaluate your definition of success but it’s virtually impossible to suck at something you are truly passionate about.

I’ve had several teachers who never won an award but their passion for the subjects they taught transformed the students around them. They were very successful in pursuing their passion professionally.

You mentioned a 5′-2″ basketball player never playing in the NBA. That is a pretty narrow definition of success. I submit to you that there are countless short people with a passion for basketball making a very strong living in the NBA. You don’t have to be on the court to eat, live, love and breath the sport…

Come to think of it, a lot of the highly successful people in the NBA shoot pictures instead of baskets.

I think there will always been a gap between true professionals (your “old pros”) and those that aspire to make money with a hobby. It’s true that it’s up to the consumer to navigate the differences, but that’s true for any commercial service.

Ultimately I think a little pressure and increased competition for established professionals is a good thing. It will ultimately raise the bar for everyone.

I think the most recent downturn in the economic cycle has forced many photographers to look in the mirror. The difficult question to be answered (honestly) “Is this a hobby or a full-time job?”

Ultimately, the consumer will help the photographer develop the right answer. The expanding economy will allow those that decide to reclassify their photography as a hobby to chase a passion in another area of interest.

Good read. Very articulate. And exactly how I feel. However, if these “soccer mom” photographers can get hired for their work, that makes them a professional. Maybe they will all go away when the economy gets better. Maybe not. I don’t have the numbers to back it up, but I would think that most of these amateur photogs have a spouse with a separate income supporting (read paying for their equipment, etc). As a single, sole proprietor, I cannot compete with that “business model.” Everything I make, I put right back into my rent and business needs. Soccer moms get to flaunt their stuff, crappy as it may be, and go back to the comfort of their suburban home. It’s very frustrating. But I think what I need to do is do a better job at educating clients. Show them before and afters. Explain to clients that my work is my passion and they are paying for my experience. There is definitely a market for that. Thanks for letting me share. For whatever it’s worth.

Increased competition is nothing to be feared, however people coming into the marketplace and offering to shoot weddings for the price of my insurance alone is not raising the bar. It’s lowering it. I had another pro friend pack it in today because he can make a better living driving a truck.
One comment I read on another forum last week typifies what’s happened. “So long as you point the camera in the right direction and get the exposure within a stop or two, there is nothing special about shooting a wedding”
One day quality will be recognised above price and it is up to us to some extent to drive that.

I feel torn on this idea. On the one hand- I totally understand and even agree a little. I think there are a lot of people out there who don’t really know or understand photography, but they buy a fancy new DSLR, and some photoshop actions and think- “Oh Hey!- I’m pretty awesome- I should charge money for this!” They don’t know what an f-stop is, they don’t know how to expose an image properly, etc. Is that a problem? Yes- It is a problem. Is the average consumer fooled into thinking these people are really good? Yes, but if that average consumer is still happy with their result and no one educates them better nothing will change.

It’s up to photographers to educate their prospective clients and SHOW them why they are better then the other phonies out there. It’s up to the industry as a whole to educate the public, educate the industry, and keep raising the bar so these people can’t cut it. Or perhaps- reach out to these people with care and help them understand they need to improve, and if they can’t then step aside.

As a young person trying to get my start I’m so tired of reading things like this, and DOUBTING MYSELF because I’m not an old pro who knows all the answers yet. I’m young, and green, but I’m not an idiot, or a liar. I don’t trick my clients into thinking I’m anything but exactly what I am. I know this is not going to be easy, and I know I’m not great yet, and I need a lot more work. I’m passionate about this, and I’m not going to give up easy.

I won’t let this or anymore talk like this discourage me from going after this career.

We al start somewhere.

ELM K. I agree with you. I’m also in the same boat. It is true that many people without any talent at all are fooling many customers and charging lime pros for mediocre work. But I wonder, if we serious amateurs are so disgusting why in the heck a lot of pros are making money training amateurs and selling them books and stuff? That’s just plain and pure hypocrisy. They want amateur’s money to engross their monthly incomes, but then
when someone tries to break from amateur into pro attending seminars, reading books, probably attending a community college then we are less than anything. Sorry guys, it ticks me off. I wiLl continue pursuing my dream and so sorry for the rest. I wonder how the olde timers pro felt when they started? Or have thy forgotten the very first cheap camera that helpEd them find their passion? Just wondering.

I love amateurs. What I don’t love is that many people think a camera and a large address book is all it takes. Don’t let cranky people discourage you. I am not one of those. I have seen some amazing work coming from some newbs who just got their first camera, housewives who never thought of photography before their first child, and retirees who never had the courage to go pro until now. None of those things disqualify you from being a pro. I do think that many people have overestimated themselves. If you have the drive, the talent, and the patience to develop a craft, then by all means, persevere.

I think these types of discussions are good, they keep me on my toes and show me there are always other opinions. Whilst there are some things that I agree with here, I sure wouldn’t want some of you as my mentor. I think you are placing the new and up coming photographers in the same basket when really each needs to be looked at in their own light. I’m sure alot of professional photographers have been on a journey to get where they are, so because digital technology has opened that up for competition and allowed others to join you on that journey you find that threatening. Let me ask a professional photographer what you charged for yor first wedding? Was it a professional fee? Or was it reasonable. We have to start somewhere. Perhaps we should look at the Camera companies here and why they keep producing cameras with more capability? I think the issue here is change. Change is a wonderful thing, it’s how you embrace that change and make it work for you that will make you a better photographer!

Passion, shmassion.

If I had a nickel for every talentless, visionless “photographer” that told me they’re a photographer too with the passion to “make it” I’d buy an island and retire to taking pictures of my dog and flowers in my garden in between rounds of golf on my private course and laying on the beach listening to baseball on the radio.

99.9% of them won’t make it. Already 99.1% of businesses fail inside 10 years and photographers are worse than that.

And after you’ve sunk 10′s of thousands of dollars into a wasted experiment, you can lay, broke, on your death bed and wonder “what if” I had invested my money in something far more likely to succeed.

Sure it takes real talent. It also takes real business skills. If your passion is truly in photography, that’s a much better reason to keep it a hobby. To run a photography business properly is a lot more difficult than just taking pretty pictures. A good chunk of your time will be devoted to the business, not taking photos. A big enough chunk to kill your passion if you’re not careful.

If it’s just passion, keep the flame alive and don’t bother with the business side!

“If your family members are the only ones telling you how great you are…”

Then stop listening to them. they may be well-meaning, trying to encourage you, even if you don’t have what it takes. That’s what people who love you do. Just look at all the family members that come to support the American Idol wannabees. Or they go the other extreme and continually ask when you’re going to get a real job. Either way, don’t mistake family for career counselors.

On the other note: Everyone’s a photographer all right – and not only that, they all think there’s nothing more to it than holding a camera and snapping a shutter. Proof of it: I was doing an engagement shoot in the park over the weekend, an hour and a half this one was, and all that time crawling with people with cameras that were out taking pictures of their families and the tulips. Now, here’s the interesting thing. My assistant noticed that not one of them took the initiative to watch me or place their subjects where I had placed mine (for the light and background) or try to copy what I did or even give any indication that they were thinking thoughts of “wonder why is he taking that picture like that? Hmmm.”. Not a one of them.