Has it happened to you too? - DPChallenge Forums

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

02/05/2013 05:01:02 AM · #1

So there's this friend of mine. Didn't know anything about photography until a year back. His roommate takes pictures. It rubs off on him and suddenly he wants to become a photographer. Buys a cheap D3100 and a 50mm. Thus guy is smooth with the girls so he starts taking their pictures with the 50mm. Slaps a lightroom preset and sets up a Facebook album. With a watermark. Its already getting on my nerves because the pictures have no personal contribution in them. The compositions are bad. And seriously, how difficult is it to take pictures of your friends.
One day he came to me saying he has a wedding photography assignment (!) but he doesn't know anything so he wants me to go with him. We split the earnings. I agreed having done a wedding just once for my sister. I teach him everything during the shoot. We only had a 50mm due to budget constraints. The pictures turned out really awesome. I gave him my set of pictures all processed. And I saw his batch which were really really sub standard. The client now thinks he's the one who took all the awesome pictures. And suddenly, he's getting more wedding photography offers!

His twitter page now says he's also a part time photographer :-/

I'm really irritated. Firstly, he is not a photographer. He held a camera for the first time a year ago. At the age of 28. You don't become a photographer in a year. Seriously?!

Secondly, I'm pissed at myself that I've been shooting for five years and have not done anything about it. I worship DPC and all DPCers. I see inspiration and determination here. This place is my church and it won't be going overboard in saying that I've improved and become much much better because of this place. People keep telling me to switch careers and become a photographer. But I haven't done anything.

And everyday, I see this friend of,mine rubbing it in my face. Posting on his twitter account how difficult his wedding shoot was and how challenging wedding photography is. Damn.

thanks for reading. Has anyone of you experienced this? If yes, have you dealt with it?

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

02/05/2013 05:39:29 AM · #2

And there's no copyright notice on the facebook page that they are your photos? Seriously, if he's a friend he should do it (he should do it anyway from a legal standpoint)

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

02/05/2013 06:10:37 AM · #3

Originally posted by h2:

And there's no copyright notice on the facebook page that they are your photos? Seriously, if he's a friend he should do it (he should do it anyway from a legal standpoint)

No no. His Facebook page does not have my pictures. They're his. "Professional ones". Anyways his Facebook page is none of my concern. Practically everyone has one. With their watermarks on it.

The fact that he's selling himself as a photographer. Which he is not. The fact that people think that he's really good. Which he's not. And he's making money out of it. And I'm not. It's getting to me.

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

02/05/2013 06:54:49 AM · #4

And you don't offer photography services because...? Since you had at least two wedding shoots and the outcome was good, maybe you could.

And there's a million people calling themselves "a photographer" while their abilities are rather bland (I had to retouch the shots of my brothers wedding that were taken by a "professional" australian wedding photog, it was a PITA). So why bother.

On a side note: remember

Joey Lawrence? He's 23 and now see his work (not saying your friend could be that talented)

NikonJeb

Nikon D850

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

02/05/2013 09:48:40 AM · #5

Not to ask any ugly questions, but what qualifies you professionally to judge him? Kind of sounds like he's making the effort to get out there and make something of himself. If he's not stealing your work and claiming it as his own, what's your beef? And why do you care?

If you want to be a photographer, make the commitment in time and equipment, be prepared to put all of your free time into it, advertise, and work hard.

Honestly, with what you're showing on your profile page with equipment and having done only two weddings, you're not exactly in any position to call yourself a pro.

There are quite a few people here at DPC who can help you, share their experiences, make intelligent suggestions on how to equip and market yourself.

You said yourself that people think he's good......that's what you need to get work. So get out there and have people think you're good!

Quit worrying about this other guy, and get to work! It's tough out there.......it took me about three years to realize that I don't have what it takes to be a real pro. There's no shame in finding that out either. I enjoy being a photographer. But I'm not willing to invest the money and time to be a pro.

Best of luck, too!

Strikeslip

Canon EOS-5D

Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS

02/05/2013 10:22:43 AM · #6

Originally posted by romil:

...I'm pissed at myself that I've been shooting for five years and have not done anything about it...

Maybe you can take some inspiration from your friend in "doing something about it."

Mike

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Canon Mount

02/05/2013 11:01:20 AM · #7

i get tired of hearing people complain about "fauxtographers"

to be a professional phototographer you only need to be able to do one thing, sell your services. you don't have to be good at all, if a client will hire him, pay him and be happy, good for him.

professional services are more about marketing than they are about ability.

Message edited by author 2013-02-05 14:55:42.

NikonJeb

Nikon D850

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

02/05/2013 11:37:21 AM · #8

Originally posted by mike_311:

professional services are more about marketing than they are about ability.

Well stated.......this applies to many more fields than photography as well....

Ann

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro

02/05/2013 11:52:07 AM · #9

In photography, as in a lot of other fields, you don't have to be awesome to be a professional. If you don't have a basic level of competence at taking and processing pictures, you won't last long, but at least half of the job is managing clients and showing up on time.

To shoot a $5000 wedding, you do have to be awesome. But to do a $595 wedding, you just need to be able to show up on time with a camera, do a decent job of shooting, and deliver the pictures to the client within a reasonable amount of time afterwards.

vawendy

Sony Alpha 1

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

02/05/2013 11:56:44 AM · #10

Maybe the complaints are coming from people like me...

I haven't put out a shingle, because I don't think I'm good enough. Yet I see the crap that people are selling. It's a hard line to walk. You don't want to add to the crap, yet you know you're better than the crap, yet do you go ahead and do it anyway when you don't think you live up to the standards to which you believe others should live? (Not for want of trying)

Ann

Olympus OM-D E-M1

Olympus 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro

02/05/2013 12:04:25 PM · #11

Come to think of it, I went to a wedding two weeks ago where the professional photographer was using the popup flash on his camera for the indoor shots.

Marc923

02/05/2013 12:14:37 PM · #12

There are quite a few "professional" photographers out there. I look at some and say, I can do better. Then look at others and say nope, I can't compete with that. But then again, I'm not interested in doing photography for a living.

My advice would be to support your friend, and if you really want to be a photographer, then go do it. You can't just sit there and talk about. You have to make it happen.

MinsoPhoto

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

02/05/2013 12:20:54 PM · #13

Marketing is a huge part of it, some great photographers don't get much work due to poor marketing, some poor photographers get lots of work because of good marketing. Doesn't matter, some people are happy with cheap photography. If someone wants photos done cheap and are happy that is all that matters but those people will likely never pay the hundreds-thousands of dollars for high end work just like those that truly value photography will not pay little for poor work. There is a market for pretty much everyone, but yo have to do the work.

I know a girl who was doing complete crap for work but was charging next to nothing and staying fairly busy. She has actually gotten pretty decent with some really good shots because of the work she put into it. Can she now market herself as a higher end photographer? Maybe but not to the same people she has been shooting. There are thousands and thousands of "photographers" don't waste time complaining about them, go out shoot, work and get your own clients. Offer better work, a better experience and better product and work work work. There will always be cheap photographers that don't know what they are doing and customers that don't know the difference and really don't care. Just depends what you want to do.

I'm still trying to figure it all out myself but I learned awhile ago that complaining about those that "suck" only takes time and energy that i can put into my personal work.

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

02/05/2013 02:43:44 PM · #14

A professional is someone who gets another person to hire them. It is the same in any profession. I am a building contractor. My wife is a computer programmer. There are people in our fields who outsiders see as doing the same job who have no background, experience or education who work cheap and turn out an inferior product. Yet they get paid, and their clients are often happy with the results.

Why should photography be any different?

I have a niece who has become a "professional". She shoots weddings and portraits and people love her work. The fact that she uses the same filter on every damn shot with that cross processed instagram yuk just means I don't like it, not that her clients don't like it. McDonald's sells a lot of hamburgers. But The French Laundry stays busy too.

02/06/2013 08:37:21 PM · #15

Originally posted by NikonJeb:

Honestly, with what you're showing on your profile page with equipment and having done only two weddings, you're not exactly in any position to call yourself a pro.

Jeb I never said I'm a pro. And nothing qualifies me professionally to judge him. But trust me, you can see that his pictures are not that great. Anyways that issue is sorted now since the best thing to do is not to be bothered by what he does and keep working hard. Not surprisingly, DPCers knock some sense into me as always.

Thanks a lot guys. Some priceless advice there.