Common Myths about Photographers

We’ll start with probably the most commonly heard falsehood to be uttered about photographers – ‘anyone can become a photographer, and a professional one at that’. Before you start swinging your tripod in the air, you’ll be pleased to know that this statement is a complete lie and it couldn’t be further from the truth!

While anyone can own or pick-up a camera and press a few buttons to capture an image, it takes true talent and perseverance to become a professional photographer. Not only do you need to have an extremely creative mind, but your eye for detail and composition must also be leaps and bounds above those of the average person. Some photographers are born with these talents, while others are willing to put in the hard work and long hours of practice to achieve these traits. Either way, this is something that every photographer should be proud of – it really is an incredible feat to be able to capture images which speak a thousand words (as the popular saying goes!).

Instead of working out of a studio with clients, I make my living in other ways, primarily selling books and other tools via my online store. Why pay for the overhead if you don’t need to? Working in a photography studio is not a requirement towards being a real (or even a good) photographer. And, if you ask me, it’s silly to think otherwise.

Difficulties in working as a photographer

Often I’m asked a question: ‘What is the most difficult thing in the art of photography?‘. Then I reply: ‘Imagination’.

You can look at something, but pre-visualizing how it will look in a photograph, pre- or post-edit, is the big thing. Beyond that, knowing the impact or meaning the photo will be able to have in different contexts is essential, and that requires knowing the background of how photographic images have been used and interpreted across various contexts and cultures. And then there are the basic technical knowledge and skills around exposure, focal depth, focal length, color, resolution, etc. But at the end of the day, those technical skills are less difficult than the seeing and the understanding of how others see.