Practices of a Professional Photographer

In days where everyone appears to be grabbing a camera and calling themselves a photographer, some people ask why use a professional?  So as you sit there reading this, you may be asking your self this same question, right? 

In this article, I will be going through a shortlist of some of the points of difference between a professional photographer and a talented enthusiast. 

Well if you're thinking of hiring a pro photographer and are still unsure this is a great question to ask and I will try to explain some of the differences here. 

Firstly you would probably agree that amateurs and enthusiasts are able to take some excellent images now. With the advent of the camera, this is truly the age of photography. You see in the past it was rarely a case of point and shoot with film as we were always mindful of how many frames on the film we had left. So as you would agree this forced the photographer to get the shot right the first time. 

Some new photographers have the view of 'well film is cheap' with digital imaging and subsequently, lose the planning and preparation required to make an excellent image. 

You see 'One does not simply take a photo!'  Sure if you don't mind the casual snap taken on auto settings that's fine but what about when it's a special occasion? Your wedding? First child? Precious family portrait?

With a lot of these moments in life, you only get one shot at getting the capture right. It takes preparation, planning and great gear!

Rather than just showing up and hoping it all goes well a professional photographer will prepare. As the old saying goes 'A good workman is only as good as the tools he uses!'

What this means is that your photographer should not only be using commercial grade equipment but also be maintaining their equipment. He or she will be ensuring sensors are clean so you don't have dust spots on your precious images. 

Secondly, they will be making sure they have back up equipment ready should there be any equipment failure. 

I don't know about you but if my wedding photographer had to bail out due to a faulty camera I would be devastated! 

So a professional photographer will have contingencies in place for if a camera or lens fails. 

Spare batteries, tripods, flash units all cost but are a must if you want to dare to show at a wedding to capture a couple's special day. 

In my next article, I will be covering other areas that a pro photographer will do behind the scenes to ensure your images are perfect.