The above image is from a show I did for a friend. She heads up an organization called The Hook, which is dedicated to promoting and presenting things such as spoken word performances,writers' workshops etc. She wanted someone she knew was experienced in capturing this sort of performance and would deliver the sort of photos she wanted to have, both as a record of the event and to promote The Hook and future events.
She made sure she had a budget to pay for my work. She's professional enough to not ask for a "G.W.C." (Guy With Camera) to do the show for free. Two reasons for this. One, being a professional herself, she doesn't like being expected to perform or do a workshop for free.Two, she knows that when it comes to photography, you often get what you pay for.
It's not just that I have the gear to get a photo like this. Anyone can buy the same gear. The fact is, too often people think that obtaining "professional gear" then means they can embark upon what they think is a professional level of photography. I see it on photography forums all the time: people with expensive gear asking questions about how to do a certain job they are going to be paid for. The fact is, they should be learning that before they buy the gear, because that knowledge takes time and experience to hone to a level where it justifies taking money for a job.
What my friend paid for, what any paying client expects, is my skill and experience. My style of photography as well. In this particular case, I knew how to anticipate what was going on onstage with this dancer, and caught a moment that defines this particular part of the performance. Knowing how to take hundreds of such photos during a show (or wedding, or other event) is what makes for a "true professional". That's someone who consistently delivers a body of images that are recognizably better than what people using their own cameras or smartphones capture.
Note two important things I said "consistently" and "body of images". This is one of over 500 images from the show. It's one of 34 that I did a complete edit on, because that is part of what I was hired to do, present her with a certain number of images that she could immediately use for whatever purposes she chose. The other 499 images are .jpegs straight out of the camera, with the only edits being deleting those that either had technical flaws or were simply badly timed shots.
That's the next step, editing. This particular photo is cropped to the best composition and processed to reduce noise, minimize distracting elements and make the dancer look as appealing as possible (not hard, as she is lovely and has flawless skin). That's the other skill a pro brings, knowing how to make the photos look better than what comes out of the camera.
If I wanted to (or if she paid extra) I could deliver at least another 50 photos that I would consider "prime material". By that I mean photos that would compliment a website, or be good for a poster or press kit, or in the personal portfolio of one of the performers. That's where the consistency comes in. My friend has over 500 images, nearly all of which can ultimately used without any doubt regarding consistent quality.
Yes, many of the images are simply slight variations in expression, or position. However, that is what a client can and should expect, because while I may feel that image A is the best choice, the client may prefer image B. My job is to offer a consistent selection for review.
How many photos did I actually take (meaning, what's my "keeper" rate)?
Just over 600. Yes, that's right: my "keeper" rate for this show was about 85%. That's what a professional should expect of him/herself, and offer to his/her clients. People who are happy with 10% or 20% keeper rates shouldn't try to offer their work for a fee. They will not only shortchange their clients, but also spend a lot of wasted time sorting through photos that shouldn't even have been taken.
One final note: this was a live show, not a dress rehearsal. Normally I would shoot a dress rehearsal in order to have as much freedom to move around as I could without disturbing audience members. That simply didn't work out for this shoot. So, I had to make sure that I got the shots I needed working from the sides and back, without obstructing the view of audience members. I know how to do that. I've watched too many people get in the way of audience members as they try to get a good shot.
So, here's when and why a professional (meaning one with the proper experience and knowledge, not just someone with decent gear trying to snag some paying gigs):
- When you need consistent results that stand apart from what the average person produces. Experience and knowledge are worth paying for. You're paying a professional photographer for his or her judgment, not just for some photos.
- When you need a body of work that offers a solid and varied selection of images, all of which are suitable for display or publication. NOT just 10 or 20 good images and a few hundred included on a CD that are marginal to outright bad.
- When you need images that fulfill an expectation you have regarding quality as it relates to what the images are meant to be used for.
- When you don't want to risk having someone tell you that they had problems that kept you from receiving the photos you expected.
- When you don't want to look back and think "Sheesh, I could have done this well myself".
This last point brings up the second half of this article, when you don't need a professional. There were a number of people at this show using their smart phones and tablets to capture photos and video. (There was a professional videographer there as well). Some of these people were related to the actors, writers, choreographers etc., so they were capturing images for personal archives. To them, it didn't matter how a photo or video taken from 12 rows back with the sort of wide angle lens found on a phone or tablet would look. They were making a personal record of the event to keep and to share on Facebook, Instagram and other online venues.
They were making personal memories, and so technical considerations, as well as the sort of expectations a professional would have, were moot. Sure, some were making efforts at decent composition. I even saw one person making exposure compensation adjustments on her smart phone camera. For the most part, though, these were stills and video intended to preserve the memory of the event, just as photos and home movies have for generations.
When people look at photos of a loved one in a play, they don't usually stop to analyze the technical aspects of the image, or whether the composition is conforming to the Rule of Thirds. They are making an emotional connection to the event through the image.
That is actually something that a pro may not be able to provide. The image above certainly involves the emotion of the moment, and to many people will provide an emotional connection of some sort to the dancer. But it's just not quite the same as an image taken by the dancer's mother or brother or a friend.That's because my image is, ultimately, a bit impersonal, as I don't have a relationship with the dancer beyond having taken her photo during a performance.
A pro isn't necessarily needed when photos that embrace a personal relationship and/or special memory is involved. In fact, the way a pro produces photos can even interfere with creating the sort of emotionally connected image people produce on their own. Sometimes a pro's judgment is, well, too professional. It's too clinical and steeped in assessing the technical and aesthetic standards that warrant being paid for photography.
For example: when I worked at a portrait studio, I was constantly surprised by the photos people would choose to have printed. Sometimes they were just plain bad when it came to capturing the subject at his or her best. However, to the person who chose that particular pose, there was something about the image that connected with them. My place was not to argue with the choice, but to say "Excellent" and proceed with the order.
So, you don't necessarily need a professional photographer when you are wanting to capture images that have an emotional connection or help revisit the memory of a special event. Or even just a keepsake of everyday life. If you ever hear anyone say that such photos you took aren't very good, just tell them that since it's your photo, it's as good as it needs to be.
