Norma Desmond

In honor of L, J, P, and B:

Bill, I don’t think of myself in terms of amateur and professional because I’m mostly doing photography as art and expression. And, no, I don’t do a lot of chimping and trial and error unless I’m specifically trying to work out an issue. When I’m actually shooting, I shoot, and try to use my experience, knowledge, and gut to guide me rather than my LCD screen. I’m fine with seeing the results when I get home. If I missed something . . . well . . . tomorrow is another day. I was using “amateur” to mean a person not very interested in photography per se, but rather interested in getting decent pics of his kids or tourist attractions.

Speaking from experience, every one of my friends who have kids all had their own cameras and regularly took their own pics. I’m sure they were good at the trial and error thing. At some point they also all paid for a pro to take pics of their kids. Some parents have probably not done that. I imagine the ones that got pro pictures recognized what they were paying for and my friends were glad they did so.

You mentioned TRIAL AND ERROR. Most shots that aren’t hard and where the results don’t much matter don’t require trial and error. Most shots taken by amateurs are quick one-offs. “Trial and error” suggested to me a shot that was a bit more difficult to get and one where the results did matter. Often, those shots require a bit of know-how. No and no. I don’t charge my friends for taking snaps of their kids on the spot. I’ve even stopped to help strangers with photos when they see my dslr and ask me to take a pic with their phone. I don’t charge them either. Maybe I’m not mercenary enough, but I’m happy to help when I can and have the time.

I've watched amateurs at work and seen the results they get when they want a particular shot and beg to differ with your conclusion. They very often cannot get the shot they want, even with trial and error, because they don't know how to use light, how to work with strong contrasts of shadow and light which are often present, or even how to place their child so their face isn't in dark shadow. It takes more than an LCD screen in the field to get the shot desired. Very often, my friends with kids will hand me their cell phone and ask me to take a photo because they're smart enough to know that my skill and experience is more important to getting a decent shot than is their equipment and ability to chimp (a term most of them, thankfully, wouldn't know).

Ahh. Got it. Thanks for the info.