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It's All About The Photography

Recently there has been a HUGE controversy brewing within the photography community regarding the comments of some so-called "rock star photographers," wherein they sell beginners on the admonition to just grab a camera, go out and shoot a wedding [as if that were somehow the time to learn!] and 'fake it until they make it.' Phrases like "spray and pray" have moved over from the world of gunfighting, and military ops (yes, that's where it originated) to now describe a photography technique that consists of popping off countless images in the hopes of capturing a good one. There is also a huge trend toward people being obsessively concerned with marketing themselves as wildly successful photographers; and gaining FB friends, Twitter followers and building up a ginormous fan base of people that will apparently just randomly write checks and send them. There is one key element that gets lost in the mix of all this 'feel good and you'll be good' mantra chanting: The Photography. It's all about the PHOTOGRAPHY.

Photography, after all, means - in basic translation - "Drawing with light."

The reality is that a photograph is simply light recorded in some tangible way. The photographer determines whether the natural light hitting a subject is what they want, or if creating a whole, specialized lighting set-up is required. But in the end, it is all about light, and how that metal and glass device - the camera - records it. A photographer has got to know photography. Period. A photographer has got to know to know Shutter speed, F/stops, ISO, White-balance, and all of the other fun stuff, a lot more than they need to talk slick and act like a rock-star. Clients pay for images, and if you are setting yourself up as a professional you are stepping into a ring with some exceptionally talented people who know the craft, and know how to create images. And that's what will be expected of you. You will be expected to know ambient light, and flash, and hot light, hard light, and diffused light; and how they all work. Yes - there are REAL rock star photographers out there. Names like Jerry Avenaim, and Lindsay Adler spring to mind. But trust me when I say: These people know their craft! They know photography. They have the talent and skills that set standards in the industry. And it takes work and constant refinement - not to mention honest self-examination - to even begin to take the roads that they have paved.

If you are just picking up that brand new DSLR today and have been lead to think that by this time next year you will be hopping out of private jets rapid firing shots of billion-dollar superstars while an adoring public looks on from behind the gates, wishing they were you - simply because you faked it until you made it - you can hand over your gear and go back to the diner or coffee shop to hatch a new get-rich-and-famous plan. The bottom line is that photography is a tough business - and it is a business - that is based on knowledge of an art, and the creativity to use that art in compelling and effective ways. Don't spray and pray - take photos. Build your style. Create images. Photography has many facets and levels, but when all is said and done, at the center of it all, it is photography no matter what.

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