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Why I Quit Being A “Professional” Photographer — 9 Comments

  1. I enjoyed the reading. I am 56 years old and just picked up a Nikon. I enjoy it very much although I think I would be far from ever calling myself a Pro. Thank you for the insight!

    • Glad you liked the post Mark! I’m a Canon guy but Nikon makes some great cameras too. Happy shooting and have fun learning about your new camera.

  2. It’s refreshing to see an amateur photographer acknowledge their affect on professional photographers. An amateur is actually used loosely in your case as you are definitely more prepared than most of the weekend warriors out there who have one lens, one camera, no off camera flash, no backup of any sort. My husband and I have owned our home based studio for 19 years. Since the introduction of digital, it has become more and more of a challenge to compete. We are currently at half our peak annual sales with the same level of debt and will most likely have to give up the business and reenter the world of regular employment. Brides and grooms think nothing of spending $1000’s on flowers, cakes, prime rib, and …..photo booths! But suggest that they spend that money on the only thing that is going to capture that day forever and they will run shrieking out the door. They want to impress their guests with grandeur and they want instant gratification. Images online/on facebook the next day – however poorly edited, if at all, is a higher priority than waiting 2-3 weeks for images that have been color and density corrected and don’t simply have some funky filter thrown over the image to cover the poor technical ability of the photographer. We have photographed over 350 weddings, know posing, lighting, and the ins and outs of the day. We have a CONTRACT and insurance and the backing of numerous other professional photographers. I had best stop now as this is a subject that is obviously dear to me and I could carry on forever. Thank you so very much for recognizing the affect of the ‘weekend warrior’ on our industry. Keep shooting for the mere pleasure of it.

    • Thanks for your comments Rhonda. You made a great point about spending money on the aspects of a wedding that are visual and impress, but not on the ones that really leave a lasting impression on the bride and groom. I had also not thought about the impact of photo booths on the photography industry. And of course one thing I left out of my post was the costs of computers and software. Processing photos always took me sooooo long and was my least favorite part of shooting a wedding. A good computer, Adobe, Lightroom and a few other software packages ad up to another big chunk of the equation. I hope things turn around for you and your husband. This post took off in ways I didn’t expect so it is apparently a message that is resonating with many.

    • Thanks Barbara! I see the article has taken off again tonight. It’s interesting to me that it keeps popping back up and getting popular again.

  3. Great article,
    So much is true.
    Since the advent of digital photography the world as we used to know it as photographers has changed forever.
    Now everyone is a “photographer”
    The weekend picture takers have cut into the business deeply.
    In the past few years I have witnessed many prolabs as well as studios go out of business.
    It makes no difference if you have fifty thousand dollars in quality equipment. You will find yourself being cut by the weekend warriors.
    Seems quality is no longer the issue.
    Thanks again for a great article.

    • Thanks Cy! There is a lot to be said for quality and professionalism. Professional photography is definitely a tough field to be in these days. There is a lot more to shooting an event or making a portrait than just snapping a pic. Thanks for leaving a comment.

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