Zero Dean

The photographer highlights their years of experience.

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The photographer highlights the fact that they’ve worked professionally for many years.

While this can simply be presented as a fact, the typical reason to mention years of experience is to impress you. Often years of experience are an indicator that a person is very good at what they do.

While sometimes this is the case, it’s not always true.

It is simply a fact that some photographers are better than others and the “years of experience” just doesn’t make up for raw talent.

Also, the digital photography revolution has changed the playing field. Some photographers may not be as skilled behind the camera as they are with digitally processing (touching up)  their photos.

Others may not post process their photos at all — instead outsourcing the work to retouching professionals.

In the end, it doesn’t matter so much as long as you are happy with their work.

Years of experience goes, it’s really all quite relative. Some people start their professional careers providing work that is barely adequate, and over time their skills improve (we hope). Other people can start their professional careers with a natural talent and an eye for taking great photos. And over time, their skills improve as well. Photographer “A” with 20 years of experience doesn’t necessarily take better photos than photographer “B” with 2 years of experience.

Taking a great photograph does not require years of experience. In fact, many people who wouldn’t even call themselves photographers can get lucky and do it, too. But taking great photographs with consistency is a sign of strong skills and an adequate amount of experience to make it happen. For some that could mean 6 months of “experience”. For others, 6 years.

What years of experience often provide over those who don’t have it, are problem solving skills and certain tricks and techniques that come about through trial and error. They also, over time, establish relationships with other industry professionals which may prove beneficial to you in some direct or indirect fashion.

It’s not always what you know, but who you know that’s important. Many photographers do improve with years of experience, but years of experience are no guarantee for improvement.

Sadly, there are photographers who have been doing what they do for 25+ years and their work is no more noteworthy than those who have been doing it for one.

So don’t necessarily be impressed by someone boasting about the years of experience they have. It’s more important to be impressed by the work itself. It’s the results of their experience that matters most.

Also keep in mind that people who have been working for 25+ years are often much older than folks who have been working for only 2. Depending upon your age, personality and preferences, this may be exactly what you want.

When you work with a photographer, you’re working with a person. And getting great shots can often be the result of having a great connection with the person you’re working with. For some, the age, and certainly the personality, of who they’re working with can make a difference.

The award winning photographer is always better, right?

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The photographer has won awards. They must be better than those who have not.

Awards are awesome and quite rare in photography. Being acknowledged, or better yet, being voted “the best” of anything is quite an achievement and definitely something to be proud of and certainly worth using to promote yourself.

The thing to keep in mind about awards is their source and how or why they were awarded.

  • Is there a relationship between the presenter and the recipient?
  • Were votes cast? If so, how many and who cast them?
  • Is it a statistically significant number for whatever the award is for?
  • And how did the names get on the ballot to begin with? Did everyone who deserved to be on the list get on it?

Not all awards are equal and it’s good to know a thing or two about the process before simply assuming that an award is truly significant or “the best” of anything is truly an accurate assessment.

The photographer who highlights their “professional” equipment.

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The photographer only uses “professional” equipment or their equipment is superior to others.

Yes, there is such a thing as “professional” equipment. But professional equipment doesn’t make someone a better photographer. In the photography world, there are countless stories of amatuer photographers who always purchase the latest and greatest equipment thinking it will improve their photography.

A camera is to a photographer as a hammer is to a carpenter. And having a better hammer doesn’t mean you’ll be able to build a better house. I would even go so far as to say that many photographers’ cameras are capable of doing far more than the photographer has the ability to truly take advantage of.

That said, there is a reason why most equipment labelled as “professional” is marketed to and bought by professionals. This equipment has features and options available to help meet the demanding and often diverse needs of professionals. And one also hopes that having professional equipment means that the quality of the equipment, the high standards to which is was made, and/or the output provided by that equipment is better. And in many cases it is.

Probably the most significant (and obvious) tool used by photographers is their camera and the next significant would be the lenses they use. While some on the cheaper end of the spectrum may not provide all of the same bells & whistles of the more expensive brands, they can be quite capable of getting “professional” quality results when put in the hands of a capable photographer.

The quality and of type of camera and lenses a photographer can get away with using depends on the quality and resolution of the output they need. If a client needs super large, tack sharp, and highly detailed prints, then that means it is necessary to use a camera and lens combination capable providing that.

But the minimum requirements of the type of camera and lens combination necessary to take actors headshots which result in 8″x10″ prints are lower than the requirements of someone shooting materials for a nationwide ad campaign.

Photographers are often very proud of their gadgets and many times loyal to their brands. Oftentimes, this attachment is facilitated by the fact that they paid a lot of money for whatever it is they use. Digital cameras can exceed $20,000!

So long as the result a photographer can provide is capable of meeting your specific needs and makes you happy, then it really doesn’t matter what tools they used to go about it.

Why good photos are important

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Your photos are your selling point. They are your only chance to make a great first photographic impression. A viewer will make judgments about your personality, your professionalism, your eye for detail, and your level of expertise based on what they see in your photos.

It doesn’t matter if you have 5 years of modeling experience if that experience isn’t reflected in your photographs. Conversely, you can have very little or no modeling experience, but if your photographs have “wow factor”, people will be more likely to want to work with you.

So you owe it to yourself to only put up your very best. Less is more.

When you’re first starting out (and from that point on!), good photography is important. It baffles me to see what some models use to market themselves. Just a quick scan of many of the portfolios on modeling sites, such as Model Mayhem or OneModelPlace, will reveal an abundance of poorly lit, poorly exposed, uncropped, out-of-focus, and badly composed photos. Photos that would look bad in a photo album, let alone a model’s portfolio!

If you were an agent or a model scout looking for talent, who would you pick, the aspiring model with mediocre photos or the model whose images really catch your eye?

Putting “snapshots” in a gallery online and calling it a “portfolio” does not make you a model. Be critical. Get good photos. Avoid representing yourself with photos that do not accurately reflect your potential and level of expertise.

Variety is important in a portfolio. When creating a portfolio, the photographer you work with should be willing to think outside the box. The last thing you need are photos that make you look exactly like everyone else. I have seen so many photos taken by photographers where the model doesn’t really matter at all in the photo. She’s just filling a space. It could be anyone. You want to create photos that show you, your diversity, and what you are capable of. If it’s been done before, trying to do it differently will help.

I’ve seen a number of models fall into the trap of “Since I worked with a professional, his photos must be good”. Not true. It is true that working with a professional photographer will absolutely increase your chances of getting some decent photographs. However, it is only the best of the best of these photos you should use. No photographer gets an outstanding photo with every click.

Even when all is said and done, there is absolutely no guarantee that good photos will create demand for you. However, bad photos can be damaging to your career and aspirations.

Info for New Models & First-timers

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Getting in front of a camera for the first time (or first few times) can be intimidating. In fact, even pros still get cases of nervousness. So don’t worry, it’s natural.

A good photographer will have worked with a number of first time models before and have good understanding of what to expect and how to get the most out of shooting with someone new. The best advice I can give is don’t worry about it. Relax. An experienced photographer will do whatever they can to create the type of environment where you can do just that — RELAX.

POSING

Many first-time models worry about posing. A good experienced photographer will be able to provide you with as much direction as you need to get just the right shots without pressuring you to “perform”.

One possibility at your shoot is using reference material. This includes magazines, posing books, photos, and anything else that might help you get ideas about looks or poses that you’d like to try.

A good photographer will have these types of resources available, but it’s best to ask. And if it isn’t available, you can always bring your own to draw ideas from during your shoot.