Collateral Damage
I found this article on my favorite sites for professional photographers. I totally agree to this arguments.
“There are hundreds of thousands of new and part time photographers who are promoting themselves as professional photographers. What many legitimate professionals do not realize is just how much damage these newcomers cause everyone. For example, when a so-called professional acts unprofessional, that reflects on everyone in the industry. We are hearing about churches that do not allow any professional photographers inside the church because of past negative experiences. Many people do not realize how much of a difference there is between just any newbie snap shooter and a true professional.
When these illegitimates show their work, which often looks very amateur like, this also tends to taint the attitude of the public as to what they think they can expect from a professional photographer. The illegitimate photographer does not wear a beginner badge. Instead, they show off the same IPPA membership certificate many legitimate photographers show. How is the public supposed to know the difference?
The illegitimates tend to offer much lower prices, often because they are not paying the appropriate taxes, insurance, licenses, and have not invested huge sums of money and time in training. However, by offering low prices, this also reflects on the perceived value of professional photography in general. The public is often looking for a low price and does not care if the photographer is paying their taxes. They go for the price.
The rapidly rising flood of illegitimates is indeed hurting the profession but as things are structured now, the only thing that the true professional can do is to more effectively promote themselves and their product to get the public to recognize that there really is a difference. This will require public education and that can be difficult but not necessarily expensive. The public must be educated that there is a difference.”
Catch the difference!
