The 7 Deadly Sins

[Eric Rose]

Check this blog posting out. It's about the 7 Deadly Sins of Emerging Pros.

Dead Link Removed

 

[bsdunek]

That's a good checklist. I especially like No. 6 - I see SO MUCH of this. Makes me want some 7 Deadly Zins!

 

[mike c]

A lot of truth in that article . Worked as a wedding photographer 25 years ago and after 5 years stopped photographing them, not my cup of tea but learned a hell of a lot about myself and wedding photography in general that was completely unexpected , it was very enlightening and it is a Business .

Mike

 

[Klainmeister]

Wait wait wait......not everyone who gets a DSLR from their mother is a pro?

 

[Gerald C Koch]

I recently looked at a group of photographs made by a "professional" photographer. More than half were awful as they were shot in full sun at noontime. Very ugly shadows on the models face.

In a way this might fit under sin #2 but I think an 8th sin might be added, something like "I don't have to think, I have a modern expensive camera. All I have to do is set the correct program mode and everything is done for me."

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

It's that old adage - if you buy a Steinway, you own a Steinway. But if you buy a camera, you're a professional photographer.

 

[pbromaghin]

I can't imagine, not in a million years, trying to make a living with photography. I admire the hell out of you pros.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

I like that list!

Jeff

 

[Louis Nargi]

Very informative.

 

[benjiboy]

It's not just the ones that delude themselves they are "professionals" that get me, but the ones who labour under the misapprehension that they are "Artists"

 

[Matthew Rusbarsky]

What's the matter with train tracks?

 

[benjiboy]

What's the matter with train tracks?

What's this got to do with the subject under discussion ?

 

[Tom Kershaw]

It's not just the ones that delude themselves they are "professionals" that get me, but the ones who labour under the misapprehension that they are "Artists"

There is no reason that photography should not be able to be considered art. Otherwise speaks to a paranoia of creativity. Films (motion pictures) and music can also be considered art on many occasions.

Tom

 

[Worker 11811]

I shot my first deep perspective shot of railroad tracks in 1984 and, every once in a while, I go back and shoot the tracks again.

There's also a lighthouse here in Erie that EVERYBODY shoots 1,000,000 pictures of.
http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=290

Certainly, these are cliche but anybody who wants to learn photography needs to shoot pictures like these. In fact, I would say that shots of railroad tracks are REQUIRED if you want to learn photography.

If you live in Erie and you want to call yourself a photographer, you'd better have at least one shot of that lighthouse in your portfolio. Some people might roll their eyes when they see it but everybody has an intuitive sense that taking pictures of the lighthouse is a standard by which photographers (in Erie) are judged.

It's like taking pictures of eggs on white satin!

 

[bdial]

No argument about whether photography or film can be considered art. But that doesn't make all photographers "artists". The same would be true of considering all painters artists, or not.
Not all pro photographers are artists either, nor are all their photos art.

But, they are able to produce properly exposed, well constructed images that flatter the subjects on demand, consistantly, no matter what.

 

[ic-racer]

It's that old adage - if you buy a Steinway, you own a Steinway. But if you buy a camera, you're a professional photographer.

However, if you buy a Leica, not only do you OWN A LEICA, you are also PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER!

 

[Matthew Rusbarsky]

What's this got to do with the subject under discussion ?

Deadly sin #6 from the OP.

 

[benjiboy]

There is no reason that photography should not be able to be considered art. Otherwise speaks to a paranoia of creativity. Films (motion pictures) and music can also be considered art on many occasions.

Tom

I agree Tom, some photography is "Art" but very very little, the majority of it is craft at best even the old master painters in their day only considered themselves craftsmen like other craft at the time like stonemasons not artists, and when people who are virtual photographic beginners these days start growing goatee beards and calling themselves artists it becomes ludicrous.

 

[bblhed]

I work in Nuclear Engineering, I do enjoy taking photos and I think they all suck but some people like some of them.

Would I like to sell a Photograph some day? Well, yes I would, but I would only think of myself as a guy that got lucky and sold a photo that someone liked and was willing to pay for.

There are a lot of GWAC's out there, and there are some real hacks that call themselves pro's one of them took my wedding photos, and another just took the photos of my daughter for her fourth birthday (anyone in CT want to help re-shoot some photos of a kid? I can pay with pizza and beer).

I have designed million dollar machines with nothing but three pentels clickers and a few odd tools from an office supply store, that makes me a Draftsman not a photographer, others should also learn to stick with what they are good at.

I enjoy photography, I just suck at it. *L*

 

[bblhed]

........... when people who are virtual photographic beginners these days start growing goatee beards and calling themselves artists it becomes ludicrous.

I hate to say it, but some of those kids have talent, their problem is that they have no clue how to get their vision into the photo.

 

[Worker 11811]

I have designed million dollar machines with nothing but three pentels clickers and a few odd tools from an office supply store, that makes me a Draftsman not a photographer, others should also learn to stick with what they are good at.

And most of us could take a better picture with an empty beer can and a roll of duct tape than 90% of the guys running around with $5,000 digicams, too!

It's about the effort and critical thinking that one puts into his craft, not the equipment.

I once saw a TV show where Liberace played "Chopsticks" on a little toy piano and the audience practically gave him a standing ovation. Of course, Liberace was the greatest pianist of modern times but I use this as the example of my point.

It's not the camera that makes the photographer. It's the idiot looking through the viewfinder.

 

[Dave in Kansas]

I have to admit that I have taken several pictures of that lighthouse in Erie.

Dave

 

[benjiboy]

And most of us could take a better picture with an empty beer can and a roll of duct tape than 90% of the guys running around with $5,000 digicams, too!

It's about the effort and critical thinking that one puts into his craft, not the equipment.

I once saw a TV show where Liberace played "Chopsticks" on a little toy piano and the audience practically gave him a standing ovation. Of course, Liberace was the greatest pianist of modern times but I use this as the example of my point.
It's not the camera that makes the photographer. It's the idiot looking through the viewfinder.

Everybody knows that $5000 cameras take better pictures than $2000 ones and new cameras take better pictures than old ones, there are whole industries out there depending on that fact.

 

[foc]

I heard a saying once, " you can give a monkey a typewriter but he won't be Shakespeare"

That applies to a lot of things in life, photography, music, painting etc.

 

[Worker 11811]

I have to admit that I have taken several pictures of that lighthouse in Erie.
Dave

Wow! You must have a really HUGE telephoto lens!

Seriously, cliche shots are the standard by which photographers judge other photographers. If you have shot that lighthouse (or whatever) others who have also shot it can look at your picture and critique you from their experience of shooting the same subject.

Cliche shots also make great subject to try out new cameras on.
I have a Zeiss Ikonta IV that I have only used once. I want to clean it up and take it out for some serious work. I will almost certainly take it out and shoot that lighthouse with it. I can compare the results to the other 1,000 lighthouse shots I made with other cameras.

I've been dying to get out my Graflex RB/Super D and shoot that lighthouse on 4x5!