The Rise of the Amateur Photographer

I came across an article recently that got me thinking. The topic was the accessibility of high quality photographic equipment and the explosion of amateur photographers who are now starting to displace professionals in many areas. I have been curious about this in the past and it is nice to read someone else’s point of view on the matter.

I have noticed over the last few years that more and more people are starting photography businesses out of their home, focused mostly on indoor and outdoor portraits of one kind or another. These photographers have no formal training and would most likely not truly be considered professionals, as they don’t derive a significant portion of their income from photography. In my experience they are mostly stay-at-home moms looking for some additional income or an outlet for their creative urges or people looking for a second job that is more in line with their hobbies. The only qualifications they have are a digital SLR, a large memory card, and a desire to shoot. Many of them take fantastic photos, a few don’t.

Were I a professional studio or portrait photographer I would be worried at this point. All of my evidence is anecdotal, but I know several families, mine included, that rarely pay for family photos, but rely on the services of a talented friend with a decent camera. We often pay in kind on way or another so that we aren’t taking advantage of the kindness of our friends. My point is that there are fewer and fewer dollars being paid to people who actually went to school to learn how to take photos.

Though I realize that this trend is only going to increase, I am a bit mixed about it. As a photography enthusiast I have always held trained pros in high regard because of their skill level and commitment to their craft. As the article points out, to become highly skilled you need tens of thousands of hours of practice shooting and trained pros usually have that and more. Amateurs like myself have to cram shooting in when we can, so we don’t always attain the level of skill we would like. I would hate to see trained pros that make amazing images squeezed out of the market because they can no longer make a living. At the same time, I am hopeful that this will be a very good thing, as the truly dedicated pros will realize that to stand out from the masses they will need to create more amazing images than they have in the past. And, the very talented amateurs will rise to the top as well. The only ones who really stand to suffer from this are the photographers not as dedicated to their craft or who lack the focus necessary to be successful. I am anxious to see what happens in the next ten years or so!

Using Smart Objects to Reduce Noise

I have been working on some old photos recently and am dealing with quite a lot of noise in some images. I came across this technique and have found it very useful. It also seems to do a better job of retaining detail and sharpness than just using a noise reduction filter. Give it a try next time you have noise issues in your images.

More Good Advice

Autumn Lockwood over at Picture Correct has some very useful advice for photographers. It is pretty basic stuff, but also very important. A couple of her pointers hit home with me, particularly "Working in-camera" and "Learn your craft."

I often fall prey to the idea that any mistake I make in the field can be corrected in the computer later. When I get home and begin to sort my photos I then wish that I had taken better care when composing and capturing. You can only sharpen so much afterwards and often I end up cropping or cloning when there was no need for me to do so had I been more attentive in the field. Getting a good capture from the start will make the output that much better.

As for learning the craft, that is something I am always planning on doing, but never getting around to really. I need to be better about consciously thinking about photography and photographs instead of mindlessly thumbing through books and surfing websites. One thing I have tried is copying low res images from various photographers websites and uploading them to my iPad. Then I import them into Brushes or another drawing app and use a stylus to identify elements of the photo I like. For instance, I will color or draw lines in a grid to show that the photographer used the Rule of Thirds or something like that. My hope is that by identifying elements of photos that I enjoy, I will better be able to recognize these elements when I am composing in the field.

Anyway, Ms. Lockwood's advice is good and if followed will undoubtedly lead to better photos.

Two Days Upstate

Since we are a ways from family, my wife and I decided to take a short road trip for Thanksgiving. We crossed through the Great White North into upstate NY and spent a few days in the Finger Lakes area. I decided against bringing all my photo gear because the trees would all be bare and the weather forecast called for gray skies the whole weekend. Instead I decided to take photos exclusively using the iPhone and edit them on the iPad. Here is a sampling:

(From top to bottom: wall of license plates in the Anchor Bar, Buffalo, NY; Niagara Falls; Niagara Falls; Crooked Creek, near Palmyra NY.)

The camera on the iPhone 4 is pretty impressive, as is the auto HDR feature. I processed the photos in Filterstorm, which is easily the best mobile editing app I have ever used. The interface is easy to use and the masking options are the best. My only regret is that I forgot the phone was in my pocket half the time and didn't get as many shots as I would have liked.