Onward!

Onward, semi-pro photogs. Onward from the ranks of the Legion of the Snappers. That should be one of your primary goals as an emerging pro – to move your photography beyond the point-and-shoot simplicity of the so-called “snapper,” (the “guy with the camera” haplessly snapping pics, pawning himself off as a pro) to become a vision-driven photog, shooting with purpose every time out. This blog post is the second entry in my series designed to guide you there – beyond the Legion of the Snappers.

To recap, the three major steps in the transition from snapper to semi-pro include 1) developing the ability to produce a quality product with consistency over time, 2) learning how a pro interacts with his clients, and 3) developing a sense of how to walk the walk as a pro photog. The first blog in this series covered the photographer’s product and laid out three ways to ensure a consistent, quality product – know your equipment; know your client; and know yourself. This post will focus on the second major step in the transition – learning how a pro interacts with his client.

The broad categories in this phase of the photographer’s evolution from snapper to pro include a laundry list of items that sound as if they’re lifted from the pages of the Boy Scouts’ Manual, but they are as applicable to the pro photog as they are to the Eagle Scout – a pro photographer distinguishes himself from the amateur by being 1) reliable, 2) trustworthy, and 3) accessible to his clients.

Being reliable as a pro photog means a client can depend on you to deliver a consistent, accurate product in a timely fashion. We talked about consistency in the previous installment of this blog series. By learning the ins and outs of yourself (as a photographer) and your equipment, you can produce a consistent, quality product. Quality over time translates to reliability. A pro’s work cannot be hit or miss. It has to be right in order to keep the client satisfied. Not only does it have to be right in the technical sense, it has to be right in the aesthetic sense. This, again, means getting to know your client and getting to know his or her desires for the finished product. Clients have to be able to rely on the pro photog to translate their vision into reality. Accurately capturing the client’s wishes and accurately delivering what was promised are fundamental to reliability. Timeliness is another critical component of reliability as well. If a photog takes months (or years, gasp, as we’ve heard in horror stories from clients) to deliver a product, word will spread quickly. In order to be considered reliable, the pro must deliver when he says he will. Together, these elements (consistency, accuracy and timeliness) lead to trust, another fundament trait of a pro.

A pro photog is trustworthy. Just like a patient places trust in her physician, a client places trust in her photographer. In many instances, the pro photographer is shooting an event that is merely a moment in time. Often, there are no “do-overs.” If the photog misses the shot, the opportunity is lost. Events like these range from weddings to birthdays, bar mitzvahs to quinceaneras, but it’s not only events that require precision; other photo ops are one-time only opportunities. Senior portraits are a good example. If the photographer doesn’t capture the cap-and-gown experience, often there’s no going back because the graduation regalia was rented, or grandma was only in town for a day. Family portraits, reunions, anniversaries are also fleeting moments. And, this concept doesn’t just apply to event photography. Pro shooters who shoot with celebrities generally get one shot. A glamour photog gets one shot with a model on set, and the list goes on. When clients hire a pro, they are placing special trust and confidence in that photog to get the image – at the first, and possibly the only, opportunity.

In addition to being reliable and trustworthy, the pro photog must also be accessible – that is, available to his clients. And by available, I mean, both physically (the client can actually reach the photog when desired) and mentally (the client can count on the photog to interpret what is desired and translate it into a product). Just like the horror stories of the photogs who don’t deliver what was promised, my clients also relay stories to me of previous experiences where they were no longer able to reach their photographer once money changed hands or the shoot was over. In extreme cases, clients have had to resort to lawsuits and the courts to attempt to wrest a finished product (or a refund of money) from the photographer. The actions of the photog who shoots and runs are tantamount to theft, and we all suffer the consequences. Clients are traumatized by such experiences, and photogs, in general, take a hit because we are viewed collectively – you know, one bad apple spoils the bunch. By remaining accessible – keeping the lines of communication open with our clients – we can ward off most misunderstandings that lead to bad feelings and damaged reputations. Pro photogs must remain engaged with the client throughout the creative process. By making ourselves accessible mentally, we as pro photogs can interpret our clients’ needs and make sure we deliver for them.

For this installment, we covered the elements of the pro photog’s interaction with his clients that separate the pro from the snapper. A pro photog distinguishes himself by being reliable, trustworthy and available. We didn’t cover the rest of the Boy Scouts’ attributes – thrifty, brave, and other things I can’t remember, but maybe those would be appropriate for another blog article down the road.

For next time, semi-pro’s, we’ll finish up our evolutionary discussion by covering how a pro “walks the walk.”