A photo by a pro doesn’t mean it’s good

Yesterday, I read a story about a current well-known “big name” photographer who took the portrait of a recently appointed U.S. Supreme Court justice. The article covered how many people were critical of how the portraits turned out. There were many who thought the portraits were poorly lit. Mind you, this well-known photographer is often known for their ability to light subjects. This got me to thinking that just because a professional took a photograph doesn’t mean that it is good.

A professional means they earn their living doing a particular thing, not that they are good. We have come to believe that a professional means the level of their work is better than that of a non-professional. Even the dictionary is confused by the term amateur which defines the term as; “a person who engages in a pursuit, especially a sport, on an unpaid rather than a professional basis” and “a person who is incompetent or inept at a particular activity”. The word amateur was defined as “one who has a taste for some art, study, or pursuit but does not practice it,” in the past. Through time, we have come to associate the word amateur to mean something that is not as good.

I recently joined a photography club. The club is filled with people who have fine art degrees and vast amounts of experience, often as photographers or in photography-related areas. While their work is wonderful it isn’t necessarily better than my work or work I’ve seen others with much less education and experience.

I can say that I don’t follow many modern-day professional or “well-known” photographers. Why? I don’t follow many of them because I don’t think that it properly influences my creative vision. Like Admiral Akbar said in the movie Star Wars Return of the Jedi, “It’s a trap”. It’s a trap to become overly influenced by well-known photographers. Many haven’t progressed their work or updated their styles in years. Many of those I see attained a particular level and are now just coasting along on their “name”. My theory is “always seek to improve and change”.