Everyone is a photographer.
In today’s digital world, we see photographers on every corner, Facebook group, and website. Everyone has access to a camera and each click is “free.” So why hire a professional photographer? Why not just take some photos with your phone, or your friends camera? Or you can hire the photographer down the street – she’s got a good camera and has cheap prices. These options are just as good – aren’t they?
Not all photography is created equal.
And not all photographers are either.
Photography is more than click of a button. It’s even much more than having an amazing, professional (read: “expensive”) camera and knowing how to use it. I used to think that all I needed was a good camera and I could take people’s photos for money. So, I got a camera (a cheap consumer level version of what I really wanted), and I learned how to use it. Then I started taking pictures for money. I thought, this is going to be easy! I’ll spend an hour shooting a session, edit like 20 images and be done. Well I ended up spending HOURS editing DOZENS of photos from each session. HOURS fixing minor technical errors, HOURS picking out the best photos, HOURS anguishing over whether the client would like them or not. I used to deliver three, (yes THREE), different edited versions of each image because I was afraid to pick a style, afraid someone wouldn’t like my work, that my efforts weren’t good enough. In the end, I was spending 10x more time in the post-shoot than I was spending actually taking the photos – which is the fun part of being a photographer.
Years later, I now have that much desired professional camera. I know how to use it. I’ve taken numerous classes online from only the best photographers world-wide. I’m confident in my technical abilities as a photographer. But with the experience I gained over the years when I didn’t have the technical skill, or the best equipment, I have realized that being a professional photographer isn’t just about making an image in the camera. It’s more than the recorded memories and more than the beautiful photo paper it is printed on (or not printed at all, but that’s another post). I am giving my clients something with each image that only I can give them – myself. Every photo that I take carries a little piece of me in it. Only I can create an image that can be called mine.
“The artist sees what others only catch a glimpse of.” – Leonardo da Vinci
I’m not saying that other photographers aren’t doing the same thing, or that they couldn’t create that image in another way – but to envision a photo, find the best light, create the pose, pick the crop, and pick the settings to my liking – only once I have everything where I like, do I “click”. The way I see the moment in my mind, and in my heart, is how I want that image to look – and I am uniquely suited to create that image the way that I envisioned it.
It’s not uncommon for me to hear, “Wow, that’s a really good camera!” when I show a client a photo preview on the view screen of my camera. Why yes, it is a nice camera…but the vision behind the camera is what you hired me for. It’s what I see that draws my clients in, and how I see it.
There are so many ways to see a moment, a landscape, or a particular ray of light shining through the trees and there are an infinite number of ways to capture it. My goal is to capture it how I see it – with true-to-life colors, accurate shadow and highlight detail, and a touch of emotion.
“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is being photographed in the deepest sense and is, thereby, a true expression of what one feels about life in its entirety.” – Ansel Adams
If, by seeking a photographer, you are looking for the same quality, talent, and expression as the “everyone” photographer, I would love to change your mind. There’s a small number of photographers that not only love the art, but appreciate the work that goes into it. Yes, that work may cost a little more. It may take a little more time, and you may not be able to share every single image with your Facebook friends and Instagram followers. What you will have after the effort put in, is an archival piece of art to share with your family and loved ones, or an actual photo album that will last through your children’s lifetime. Isn’t that what photography is about? Do you remember sitting on the couch with mom and looking at all those black and white images from her childhood? Is that classic oval-framed photo of grandma at 3 years old still displayed in your home? Where do you think those images will be in 100 more years? They will be right where you have them now – printed and loved for generations.
Appreciate the art. Understand that it takes more than a couple of clicks of a good camera to make a beautiful image. Remember the significance of a printed memory. Keep photography as an art ALIVE. Hire a professional. Invest in recorded memories that will outlast the latest technological advance. Record your history beautifully.
I am now offering personalized portrait sessions that includes a pre-session consultation and an in-person photo reveal. Contact me today to schedule your pre-session consultation.
Check out these past posts!
https://www.cathysmithphotography.com/yorktown-senior-photographer/
https://www.cathysmithphotography.com/wedding-photographer-virginia-beach-va-michelle-josh-elope-first-landing/