Buying Portfolio

[sjackal]

"And we have ourselves to blame for this. We saw the pendulum swinging and we should have seen where it was headed. We sat back in workshops and listened to photographers turned motivational speakers tell us that it’s easy; that with their help we could follow our dreams. We saw the shortcuts to success fly off the shelves. We watched hordes of photographers make money off the masses by selling the dream, and we did nothing.

Sure, some of us raised our hand and questioned the insanity that was being peddled to naive individuals, but many lowered their hands just as quickly when they were assigned unflattering labels such as: negative, Old School or cranky.

And we lowered our hands and our voices to the peril of an industry. We stopped demanding accountability, because of those that told us just to “mind our own businesses.” We were reprimanded and told to “focus on yourself and not others.” We were labeled “haters” when we spoke up and insisted that those peddling the label of “professional photographer” actually create businesses worthy of the title."

Full story here:

http://petapixel.com/2014/02/10/ran...good-wedding-shots-pad-portfolio/#more-129651

 

[catchlights]

the problems lie deep below is there is no respect of self, the industry, and their customers they want to "serve".

 

[JasonB]

the problems lie deep below is there is no respect of self, the industry, and their customers they want to "serve".

The problem came from a culture of promoting the easy way out and lieing to oneself. If you think about it, for the past 10 years we (collectively as a industry, market and interest group) had been promoting whether directly and indirectly:

DSLR = Professional Photographer anyone can also be
Photoshop = A type of Magic that can create anything
Random snaps on the street = Street Photographer
Latest and most expensive camera and gear = Better photographer
Real professional photographer = An old douche bag who is uncreative, cranky and greedy because they tried to charge money to make a living.
Wannabe professional photographer = the coolest kid who suddenly found his talent and calling in life after picking up a camera, he is going to totally revolutionized the photography industry

The old methods of learning and working hard is considered outdated. Nobody does that anymore. The meaning of "Working hard" is redefined by new generations into "Hardly working". The meaning of "Learning" is redefined as "Just cut the crap and give me the answers now"

 

[ellery]

Not really as there is no free lunch there is a certain sense of justice. Many of the hyped up new superstar photographers who went on the lecture circuit have no meat to bring to the table. Most of them have not gotten enough experience to share techniques more meaning than regurgitating material and can not explain more in depth to that which was regurgitated - they can only say look at me shoot - click wow, click awesome click we are done. High five even when you see the shot does not have the finished feel their portfolio shows you are lulled by this is before retouching. What they mean is the people in that picture - oh professional models, the retouching - done by a full DI person

 

[ellery]

Problem is that you may never get close to the standard. Then you will always explain to your self that yah I just need a couple more courses to boost me up. Then you hit upon the solution - all you need is good pictures to convince a prospective to hire you right - go get the pictures from where ever. Get the jobs in and with practice and enough time I can deliver. Then you find you can not get even basic capture right, the screaming starts and well let say being paid is the least of your worries. So there is no free lunch, short cuts lead ….. no where.



Some times if you do not how to do, nothing works not even many many hours of magic photoshop. Like a camera photoshop only shines under the hands of someone who knows when to do what and how to do when. Both are skills both require education. usage, practice and usage till you master the parts you practiced on. Every hear of the infant and maternity photographer of 14 yr in the field who spent 7 years taking the same community college photo course before even her professors were convince on portfolio that she was ready to start work as a professional. ? why to master her craft that's why.