Photography is like anything else in the market place. If you are shopping for low prices, you’ll likely get what you pay for.

Professional photographers are consistent in their work which is just one of the many differences from a button pusher photographer. It’s not just the quality of the work that someone is paying for but quality, service, experience, results and much more that all make up the definition of a true professional.

It amazes me that a company would put up a new website and want a consistent, professional look for 10 plus employee’s and expect to pay a professional photographer to come on site for far less than than what JcPenney Portrait Studio charges. That’s an insult to any professional photographer in the market that makes his or her living off photography. Photographers deserve to make a comfortable living from their profession just like anyone else (FYI, I do. I’m just venting in this post.)

So what is the answer?

If the potential client budget is far below a fair market value for professional photography services, the professional photographer should just move on to the next potential client rather than waste time on someone who doesn’t value a fair market rate. Let the potential client hire a button pushing photographer that is working part-time out of his or her spare bedroom with no overhead, no liability insurance, no real world experience, no proven results, no backup equipment, no real expertise with editing and so on to come out and push a button, provide an image and move on. OK, that doesn’t describe every part-time photographer but there are quite a few trying to fake it until they make it.

“But the end to that last the paragraph above is cold David and you are insulting other photographers just because they are part-time and home based.” I think it’s about time that some photographers get called out in charging rates that are far below market value in an attempt to build their business based on being the low price leader which is NOT a sustainable business model. However, at the end of the day, these photographers are not hurting my business and my target market. Why? Because I refuse to compete on low prices, I know what is competitive in the market that I target and the clients that I work with appreciate a true professional that charges a fair market rate: VENT OVER – THANKS FOR READING.

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Photographers can argue about competition, pricing, the digital age, etc. etc. all they would like, but at the end of the day, it’s the client who decides what’s right for them. Sometimes what is right for clients are images that are just good enough. However, full time professionals have several key advantages with experience near the top of that list when compared to a part-time photographer or an amateur. For clients that want images that are more than just good enough, a full time professional photographer may be the answer.

There are things that only experience will teach and when experience matters, it’s important that any client look beyond images that are just good enough. A full time professional that is hired for a project that is within his or her niche will bring the clients vision to life with images that are far beyond just good enough. For many clients, experience does matter.

MY REAL WORLD…

Because of my target market and focus in the commercial photography market, I get calls on a regular basis that are not meant for photographers who just bought a camera, don’t understand lighting, don’t understand camera settings, don’t know how to efficiently direct people and so on. The potential client is looking for more than just good enough.

The most recent commercial project call that I had is far beyond an amateur’s scope of work. Guess what? The client can figure out on the initial phone call whether they are talking with a professional or amateur photographer because an experienced full time professional will know how to get the client excited about their project by sharing ideas and strategies. That’s something that only experience will teach.

Clients can pick up things on the phone that truly make a difference. I know because I ask. For example, I was hired for a Fortune 250 shoot and one of the reasons the client told me I was hired is because I sounded EXCITED about the project. FYI, I showed a genuine interest that projected through the phone in a way that helped get me hired.

TWO SOLUTIONS FOR AMATEURS…

If you are an amateur photographer, there are two key solutions to help you get to the next level.

Education is key. That doesn’t mean you have to attend an expensive art school that’s way out of your budget range. Use YouTube, Creative Live, Karl Taylor Photography, Kelby One and and other online resources to educate yourself. But you have to put education into action.

Never stop shooting is critical to gaining experience. Initially, you’ll likely be shooting more of your own portfolio building projects projects that will help support you and/or your family. So use the education that you gain through videos to set up your own shoots: Practice, Practice, Practice. There will still be things that you’ll learn along the way. You learn by doing. The more shoots that you do both for yourself and clients the more experience will teach you along the way.

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The image above is as I shot it with ZERO editing other than minor cropping. It’s rare that I post an image that doesn’t have some kind of editing; however, I got what I wanted on this image in camera.

As a full time photographer, it can be difficult to slow down and do some personal shooting. I’m guilty of not doing nearly enough personal project photography.

Photography truly is my passion, but as any full-time pro will likely admit, there is often little time for shooting personal projects especially if you have hobbies that you enjoy doing outside of photography. Being a full-time pro is like anything else, you have to find the proper balance.

If you are a part-time photographer hoping to go full-time, you should be aware that lots of things change when doing photography full-time. You’ll need to make a conscience effort after becoming full-time to take time to shoot some personal projects.

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