Are You a True Professional?

I will admit I am a little scared of this post for a number of reasons!

This week I have been preparing my presentation for NLPPA’s annual convention. I have been pouring through thousands of images I have created this last year and attempting to seek an honest answer to the question’ “What makes a photographer successful?” It has resulted in many more questions than answers, but the journey has been enlightening. We all need to do some inner soul searching at times and ask those tough questions of ourselves.

As I was going through my image files, I came across an image I had tucked away deep in my library. This is the first time it has seen the light of day to anyone’s eyes beyond my own. It is not a great photograph. I am honestly not sure why I took it. By my very nature, I don’t consider myself an ambulance chaser. I held onto it though as an important reminder about what it means to be a professional photographer.

Anyone that has photographed a number of weddings most likely has run into those professionals that were not so professional. Whether it was a DJ that only played their favorite songs from hair bands from the 80’s, a wedding planner that thought it was their own personal wedding day and acted out the role of bridezilla perfectly, or a videographer that purposely steps in front of your camera at every turn, we all have our own war stories. My fear is there are too MANY photographers that do equally as bad if not worse acts than all those questionable moments I have seen from other not so professional professionals over the years.

To set the scene of the above image, I knew immediately when I introduced myself I wasn’t working with team players. They had an agenda (formula of shooting) and no one was getting in their way (including the couple) that day. I had a wonderful couple’s story to tell myself and wasn’t going to play anyone’s reindeer games. Immediately after the ceremony, I lost sight of the video crew. Guests enjoyed a short cocktail hour on the deck before making their way into the reception hall. Right before the toasts, what should I see from inside the hall? Ten feet from a window overlooking a beautiful landscape, a videographer with his eyes closed basking in a ray of light with an empty beer on a beautiful fall day in plain sight of every guest. To the luck of the bride and groom, most of their guests were enjoying each others company to notice the napping guest.

What makes a true professional? Everything! How do clients view everything you do? Are you committed to what you do? Do you enjoy photography? It is not wrong if you don’t have passion every moment of everyday day to create. Being a photographer is filled with highs and lows. However, if you feel like you would rather be doing something else most days than not, search for a new path. Life is too sort for mediocrity.

P.S. – The image above was not taken with a reverse tilt-shift lens, but a generous amount of Gaussian blur was applied to protect the identity of the not so innocent portrayed in this image.

Biff Ulm – VADA Photography