For the past handful of years, I've been watching camera companies advertise their products by telling viewers that anyone can be a photographer. Each time, I cringe, just a little.
I will never deny that professional photographers can take bad photos, or that, conversely, amateur photographers can take good ones. I always wonder, though, how many ordinary people out there are of the intelligence and disposition to figure out what they need to learn and practice in order to have a professionals' tools at their disposal.
As an art teacher, and as someone who is trained in many things, but untrained in many other pursuits which I enjoy, there's a lot that I have to say. ...but I think Cody Ellerd's article in Seattle Bride Magazine says it better, as an account of an amateur shooting alongside of a professional. Perhaps anyone can be a photographer, but when a couple or a family wants that special moment captured, just anyone won't do.
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Interesting, but I have a few comments.
ReplyDeleteIn this economy, people need to be more careful about where they spend their money. I am not a chef, but I have no issue with staying home and making dinner at home, even for a special occasion.
Same goes for photography. I am a casual photographer at best, but I've offered my services a few times to friends who wanted some pictures taken, and once for a very special moment. And I've done it for free, saving them hundreds of dollars. Granted, I don't think I'd ever do a wedding. Some things *are* best left for the pros.
Professional photography might look a lot better on our home walls, but I much prefer the pictures we've taken.
Rachel Ray is successful because she told people that anyone can cook dinner in 30 minutes. Some of those viewers moved on to Bon Appetite and took on a higher level of cooking. Being a capable photographer has to start somewhere, and now we have the tools available to the masses for a fairly low price.
(that said, I've had a few friends that went out and bought top of the line digital SLRs, when a simple point and shoot would have worked just as well. To me, that is a waste of money, and a sign that people think they can be pros without the training.)
It sounds like we basically agree. I would only respond that people interested in a career in photography have always been able to start with the camera, and I agree that there has to be a starting point for everyone, professional or amateur. However, the implication of recent camera ads has been that the camera is what makes the photographer, and this is misleading. Even if some of their users do, indeed, go on to successful photography, and even if that progression was inspired by the camera, it's still not the camera that made their photography successful.
ReplyDeleteGotcha. You definitely need to have the eye for a great shot, something you could get with a disposable camera or a top of the line DSLR, though the preset settings on most good digital cameras are getting very good, which can cover up a lot of technique flaws.
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