Photographer vs. Lawyer

It's not as easy as people think.

I ask you this question:  What is the difference between a lawyer and a photographer?  It takes both years of actually studying their craft before they can actually call themselves professional.  Both are only as good as the last case or image that they make.   They are both chosen by people who use them because of their rare talents to describe and argue a point.  Okay, so some of you will say that it takes longer to become a lawyer than to become a photographer because of the many years of college.  I would have to say that you are correct on that point, but I would have to point out that it takes just as long to develop a style and art form in the photography world.

When I started out,  I remember hearing John Biever (one of the best follow focus photographers ever) say that it takes 1,000 rolls of film (36 frames to a roll) before you can really understand this craft.  That might sound like nothing in this day of digital images, but in the days of chrome slides, this was no small feat unless you had deep pockets.  The cost of one roll of quality slide film would cost between $14-25 to shoot with processing cost attached.  So basically,  it would take about 36,000 frames before you had actually developed your eye to capture the correct moments on that one piece of film.  Now take in to account, that you would not just hold down the button and shoot five frames per second, instead you would look for the image and then think about the image before actually shooting the picture because each frame cost you money.  So, you may ask yourself, what is the difference between the two?

The main difference is in pricing.  Lawyers are willing to charge for their talents and most photographers will not.  You might think that is not on the mark at all.  I recently received an email from a friend who was wanting an image for his corporate headshot.  Now, his company sends their people to XXXXX and they pay $50 for the shots.  I am sure that it will take at least 30 minutes for the shoot to happen plus at least another 30 minutes to set up the shot.  Now you have to add the time to put the images into the computer and get a version that is ready for output.   I would say that we are talking a minimum of at least 1 hour and 30 minutes.  A lawyer on the other hand would charge by the hour for this service.  So I can tell you that my lawyer would charge at least $250 per hour for his services, so this simple shoot would run $375.  Now the client would like to have the image color corrected and then put in the correct form so that you can email it to them so they can use it on their website, business cards, and any other place that they would like because its digital.  This takes time to get this ready plus tying up your computer so that it can’t be used on something else.  How about a disk after this?  This takes even more time to burn a disk with the images on it.

So in a nutshell,  what I am trying to say is that it takes time to do what we do as photographers.  We have spent many years working on building our craft.   We are not day workers at the local apple orchard picking our favorite fruit.  Rather, we are skilled workers who bring years of experience to every shoot.  So now, I pose another question:  Are you an apple picker or a skilled craftsman working your magic?

Problem Solving

One of the biggest things you need to do to be successful as a creative person is learn how to problem solve.  This sounds like something that is very easy but it’s not. It takes years of learning your craft to make sure all aspects of each project are addressed so you can go through the process of creating in a smooth manner.  Nothing is worse than having an issue with lighting or the camera while you have a client standing there wondering if you are for real or just an amateur.

Lets face it- the client is paying you to understand these things in advance.  That is why the pros are getting paid more than the amateurs.  It is not because they look better, but because they have learned through the years how to solve problems.  Imagine you are being paid $15,000 for a photo shoot, and for some reason something goes wrong. Who is going to fix the problem? You can’t call Ghostbusters?  It is too late.  You have to be able to fix the problem as fast as possible, otherwise it will probably be your last shoot with the client.

Digital has made it a little easier for photographers to see our problems. In the days of film, it was impossible to see if anything was wrong until you went to the lab to look at the processed film.   Pressure, pressure and more pressure. These are the things that make a great photographer or director successful.  It’s how he or she handles pressure points, and then fixes the problem so the whole crew can get back to work.

The one thing that digital photography and filmmaking has done is let the average person have a much faster learning curve than that of previous artists.  It is possible to see things faster without the waiting time of Polariod or film.  Does this make things better? Personally, I think it has hurt the industry in a lot of different ways.  For one, now everyone is a photographer or a videographer.  People don’t take the time to actually look at what they are doing.  They get in such a hurry and create without thinking about the concept and vision they want.  Digital has allowed more things to be corrected out of the camera and less in the camera.  The artist that understands his gear and cameras can accomplish more in the camera and less on the editing table. Doing this saves everyone money and time.  This doesn’t mean the images can’t be worked on in postproduction.  It just means that you are able to see more of the details of what you want to accomplish in the end and it can all be done faster. Remember one thing-  images and video sell things but quality always sells more.

Tip of the Day-

Slow down and look at the best part of the image and make it move, interact, and speak to the person viewing it.

 

Cutting thru the tough stuff.