Call a Professional
I saw online where a student photographer was asking if it was worth the effort to pursue a career in the field. She said now that everybody had a digital camera and photo editing software, professionals were becoming less and less relevant.
As a guy with a similar stake in the future of photography, the thought has definitely crossed my mind. It’s not an entirely foolish concern, but I think it’s unfounded.
Lemme ‘splain.
Photography is one of the most deceptively simple skills I’ve encountered in my life (up there with walking, but the complexity of bipedal locomotion seems like a tangent for another day). You press a button, you have a photo, you’re a photographer.
It’s far easier to get started in than, say, music or painting. All you need is a camera (and depending on circumstances, film).
But therein lies the deception, friends.
All the great photographers had one thing in common. Yes, they were all technically proficient, but they also had what photo magazines have termed an “eye for composition”. Yes, yes, and they all knew how to recognize the “decisive moment”, whether or not they had a catchphrase for it.
Just owning a camera doesn’t do all that for you. It takes a professional. Well, a professional or an amateur enthusiast with really good equipment.