Are You Professional?

What is the difference between a snapshot and a professional photograph? What is the difference between an amateur photographer and a professional photographer? Does selling a photograph make it professional?

As you journey through your classes you will be need to see the difference between a snapshot and a professional photograph. So how do you tell? Can you look at images on the internet and tell if an amateur or professional photographer shot it?

Three main things affect the quality of an image. Composition, Posing, and Lighting. Even if you are shooting photojournalism, these three elements will determine the difference between a ho-hum photo and a professional photograph.

I googled portraits of men, and the following images are part of what resulted. (Not sure how the blonde in row two qualifies!) Which of these images qualifies as a portrait? Which would you classify as a snapshot? Do you see good composition? Does it follow the rule of thirds? Is there artistic balance or symmetry? Is the image posed to show details in the person that enhance the image? Did the photographer take into consideration fullview, 2/3s or profile so that there are no parts of the face/head become overly noticeable, such as ears being emphasized, noses protruding past the frame of the face, eyes without skin all the way around them? Was there thought given to the lighting? Was it used to show contours of the face?  Can you tell there was thought put into the composition, posing and lighting?

 Now, consider the last question of paragraph one above. Does selling a photograph make it professional? There are a lot of people selling photographs now that are not professional. They own a decent digital camera and think that makes them professional, but they don’t have much knowledge about the elements listed above. As a student at the Art Institute you have the opportunity to move to a new level. Ask questions of your professors about posing and lighting and composition. Make sure you understand it and can create it with ease. They are there to help, but often you won’t get help without asking specifically for it.

Can’t wait to hear with images you thing are snapshots!