Last Updated: February 14th, 2020
As people who like to educate others about photography and the business side of photography, we find it important to look at the common misconceptions (ie: the myths) many people tend to have about this career choice.
Photography has been a very rewarding, even lucrative, direction for our lives. We grew up taking photographs in our backyards for fun. Over time, it evolved into a skill that we’ve been able to translate into beautiful photos for a number of people. It still remains a pastime we enjoy, and love documenting our personal lives from time to time.
In this post, we are going to look at some common myths and misconceptions we’ve heard over the years about professional photographers and photography as a career choice. We’ll be talking about what makes these things not necessarily true, and providing some input based on years of experience ourselves.
1). Photographers just “take pictures”
The myth explained: The average person can often lump a professional photographers job in with what they see on a frequent basis. These days, everyone takes pictures. It’s extremely common for people to take pictures with their cell phone. Affordable DSLR cameras have definitely made even a “regular camera” a lot more commonplace. It’s easy to see why some people view a photographers job as just “taking pictures” because of this – especially when those people don’t have a real interest in photography as an artform and science.
Why it’s a myth: Photography can be as simple or complex as a person wants it to be. It’s actually really cool that it is so accessible because anyone (even your grandmother) can explore it as a hobby or just have it available to document a family get together. Automatic camera modes have made this really simple. Professional photographers will normally want more control over their images – so shoot in a manual mode paired with technical knowledge of lighting, equipment, etc. Add into this mix an eye for composition, and it’s apparent there is a lot of skill involved.
2). Taking a lot of photos during a shoot means you will come away with more good ones
The myth explained: The “spray-and-pray” approach to photography involves a photographer taking a whole lot of photos – some even in rapid succession of the same series of moments – and just relying on the quantity of photos to make things work.
Why it’s a myth: There are some situations where taking a lot of photos rapidly can be beneficial. During the first kiss at a wedding ceremony we tend to do this just so we don’t miss anything. With that said, more often than not, taking too many photos means you’re not really paying attention to what is going on around you. It means you’re focused on getting a lot of pictures, but not necessarily a lot of good ones.
3). You can take professional level photos on budget equipment
The myth explained: It’s often said in photography circles that “you can take great photos on a cheap camera.” In a lot of ways, this is true – but defining “great” is an important factor. When a person shows up to a photography studio for headshots or is hiring a wedding photographer to shoot their wedding day, they probably don’t care much what equipment is being used – but they can recognize the difference between good and bad pictures.
Why it’s a myth: Like a lot of great myths, there is some truth to be found here. We think a lot of great photos are taken on budget cameras, even cell phones. Where things get murky with lower end gear is in the area of consistency. Professional gear is designed to performance with more consistency. Not only this, they also operate under strain better (such as bad weather), over long periods of time, for a larger volume of shots, and in less-than-ideal lighting situations.
4). Pro photographers know everything there is to know about photography
The myth explained: As a professional, a photographer is expected to know just about everything that relates to photography.
Why it’s a myth: While we would hope most pro photographers are aware of what they are doing, building a career in photography often has less to do with the pictures, and more to do with building a solid reputation. We have seen plenty of well-established photographers where, from looking at their work, we’ve wondered if they ever took time to learn how to take a picture before. It’s crazy to think, but very true.
In some niches, it may be easier to get by with less knowledge. For example, studio portraits shot in the same location and on a tripod are very controlled – so there won’t be a whole lot of tinkering required. By contrast, wedding photography really requires a much more involved understanding of the camera in order to get more consistent shots as you move from one location to the next.
5). Pro photographers are better than amateurs
The myth explained: Because a person is labeled a “pro”, it makes them instantly better than someone considered an amateur or hobbyist.
Why it’s a myth: The only thing that makes a professional photographer different than an amateur is that they charge money. The photography industry is so wide reaching – from large photo corporations like George Street Photo to mom’s on Facebook looking to make some extra side income. In this range, you will no doubt find a lot of really great photographers that are better than most, but also see plenty that aren’t as good as someone you know who takes pictures just for fun.
6). The only way to make money is through wedding photography
The myth explained: Many people consider wedding photography to be the only profitable niche. This is helped because there are many couple’s spending a lot of money on their weddings today, so budgeting for a photographer comes as a part of this process.
Why it’s a myth: Wedding photography can be lucrative if done right. We know it from experience. However, every style of photography can be tapped into to make money. Outside of weddings and other large events, most gigs will not be as high paying – which means if you want success as a portrait photographer, landscape photographer, etc., you will need a larger volume of clients to help make ends meet.
7). When a photographer charges a lot of money, they are making a lot of money
The myth explained: It’s easy to think that if a photographer charges a lot of money, they actually make a lot of money. We’ve fallen into this line of thinking when viewing other photographers out there and their pricing.
Why it’s a myth: Being on the end where we run a photography business has taught us much about the money we earn. When charging thousands of dollars for a wedding package, we end up losing a good chunk of this money pretty quickly to taxes and other expenses.
A quick breakdown of an example photography package costing $3,000:
- 3% goes to credit card processing fees
- 6% goes to our state sale’s tax fees
- 25% goes to income tax (in the US at least, this rate changes depending on your tax bracket)
- Some money goes to business overhead (gas for the car, replacing or buying new equipment, etc.)
- There may also be additional costs depending on what this $3,000 package offers. For example, if you include a printed photo album, you could end up having to spend a couple hundred dollars on this.
Adding everything up, it’s easy to see how all of these costs add up. A photographer could end up making half of what they charge!
8). Professional photographers only take photos for a living
The myth explained: A person who is a photographer by trade gets to just take pictures for a living. If you like taking pictures, it’s got to be a really great job all of the time, right?
Why it’s a myth: Many professional photographers are either running their own business, working another job, or both. For over 2 years we worked full time day jobs as we grew our photography business. On the business side of things, we love getting to photograph our clients, but most of our work weeks are spent doing other (less exciting) things like editing photos, having meetings, creating timelines, doing our bookkeeping, and so on. Our living is earned not just by taking photos, but by all of the things we have to do in order to be successful.
9). Everything can be fixed in Photoshop
The myth explained: Photo editing software can be used to do a lot of things – some of them miraculous. Major magazines take advantage of this to make photo subjects (be they people, places, food, etc.) look great through color manipulation, airbrushing, and so on.
Why it’s a myth: It’s hard to know where the limits of photo editing tools are. No doubt, we’ve done some pretty crazy fixes ourselves. We’ve come to learn that the ability to fix something is highly dependent on the designers skill level, but that there are limits. For example, there’s no way to recreate the naturally occurring bokeh fractals that result from taking a portrait picture at a wide aperture. That’s a choice the photographer needs to get right in camera!
10). Beautiful images can only be taken in beautiful locations
The myth explained: All of the really beautiful photos that are showcased are taken at places that are just naturally beautiful in real life. If I go to one of those places, my photos will instantly be that-much-better!
Why it’s a myth: It is true that the beautiful places in the world (we’re looking at you Iceland!) are very photogenic. However, there are plenty of places that are average, and even unattractive on the surface, where we can still create beautiful photographs.
One of the easiest examples we often fall back on is how the desert environment of Death Valley National Park is pretty blah during the day (it’s just a bunch of brown & tan), but come sunset – we were in awe. When the sun went down entirely and the sky lit up with more stars than we’ve ever seen in our life – it was stunning.
11). Doing shoots for celebrities or getting published mean you will get more work.
The myth explained: Some people have this idea that if you photograph high profile clients and/or get published in reputable blogs and magazines, you will end up getting more work.
Why it’s a myth: Photographing celebrities and getting published can be a lot of fun – but it’s mostly just exposure to your brand you will receive (if that!). We’ve had the good fortune of photographing NFL players, New York Time’s Best Sellers, and being published in magazines and blogs like Lehigh Valley Style Magazine, Red Oak Weddings, and Philly in Love. While these things provide some bragging rights and it’s fun to add icons to our photography website showing that we’ve been published, they don’t normally directly translate to more work.
12). You’re taking photos just for your clients
The myth explained: The person signing the contract is the only person you’re responsible to ensure is happy with the end result.
Why it’s a myth: While the person paying for your photography service should be your primary focus for pleasing, you also need to consider the people surrounding them on occasion OR the goal of their photo shoot.
For example, with wedding photography, while we have a natural and candid approach – this isn’t always loved by parents and grandparents. Since we want them to be able to enjoy the photos too, we make efforts throughout the day to get at least a few shots that they will love, too! These are often the basic “look at the camera” shots.
In another example, if you are taking headshot portraits – while the client liking their picture is really important, so it making sure that photo really is appealing to put on a company website or LinkedIn profile. It’s also about impressing everyone out in the business world.
13). Backup gear is optional
The myth explained: You only need one reliable camera to get all the best shots for your clients.
Why it’s a myth: More often than not, the thought that only bringing one camera along to a shoot will suffice is usually born out of not having enough money for another piece of equipment. We’ve been there ourselves – camera gear isn’t exactly cheap – but there is a lot of potential for your camera to breakdown during a shoot. Something as simple as accidentally dropping it could put you out of commission – and ruin your reputation. Having at least one backup is really important to making sure you can come through no matter what.
If you want to see our gear recommendations, check out our Resources page.
14). You don’t need a contract to do business
The myth explained: There are plenty of photographers, especially those just starting out, not putting contracts in place before they step out to do a photo shoot.
Why it’s a myth: Contracts are one way a photographer can protect themselves. They help to clearly identify what is being offered in a photography package – and really just set a lot of expectations. While contracts can be made verbally, they are often more difficult to prove if you ever needed to go to court. Having a contract in writing is really a key thing to have a successful business in the long term. To make the client booking and contract process easier, we highly recommend Honeybook as a great platform for this!
15). You can use the term “natural light photography” as a way of escaping needing to use flash
The myth explained: These days, natural light photographers seem to be everywhere. We’ve even used the phrase ourselves in the past because it definitely sounds nice and pretty.
Why it’s a myth: Natural light photography is a great and beautiful thing, but it’s also become more of a branding statement vs. something really actionable. On paper, it sounds really great – and might even be appealing to some prospective clients – because a photographer using natural sunlight is probably on the right track.
But, we’ve come to discover more-and-more than too often photographers describing their style in this way are actually hiding the fact that they are not comfortable with using flash. We get it – flash can be daunting if you’ve never experimented with it. It also makes photography a little more technically complex. But, there are environments where shooting with natural light isn’t going to be possible – like indoors during the night time. It’s impossible to photograph these types of locations without flash.
16). Professional photographers work full time
The myth explained: When choosing a career, most people tend to think in terms of what they will be doing solely for a living. This is especially common in corporate work environments where most employees are working a steady 9-5 job at a job they have specialized training for.
Why it’s a myth: It is definitely true that some professional photographers work full time as photographers exclusively. Maybe more the norm are photographers who have a second job to help pay the bills. We have fit in this category for 2 years now – working full time corporate jobs, then coming home and working what amounts to another full time job as photographers. In other cases, some people work a day job then do photography as a side hustle to make some extra money.
17). Networking is not necessary for success
The myth explained: It has been our experience that photographers – and, really, those with any sort of creative leanings -can tend to be introverted. Photography is the type of art form that often allows people to get away from interacting heavily with people because it’s easy to retreat behind the viewfinder. It’s easy to think that photography as a career will not require a lot of interacting with others.
Why it’s a myth: Networking is really essential to have a successful career as a photographer. So much of what we do is designed around building relationships – with clients, with other photographers, with wedding vendors, etc. Your reputation in the industry is one of the biggest selling points, and can even lead to new clients if you network well.
18). If you enjoy photography, you’ll love to do it as a career
The myth explained: When growing up and thinking about what we want to do for work “when we get older,” we often look at the things we actually enjoy doing. It’s easy to see why someone who really enjoys photography would want to do it as a career!
Why it’s a myth: We think there is some truth to this – you should absolutely love photography if you are wanting to become a photographer. However, a passion for photography isn’t the only thing you’ll be doing. In fact, most of what you will be doing is the business side of things – writing emails, setting up appointments, going to meetings, doing your accounting, etc.
19). The photography industry is booming
The myth explained: Most reports we see that talk about the photography industry as a whole in growth mode. These metrics are not always what they seem at first glance, though.
Why it’s a myth: The appeal of photography as a hobby is leading to a projected increase in the photo industries worth. As camera manufacturers continue to release great products at high prices, then stores (many of them online like Adorama) sell these products, making nice profits. The product side of things is going well for sure. With that said, the working professionals is not in endless demand. At best, most photographers can expect things to not change all that much.
One of the largest concerns that would impact the photo industry as a whole would be if the economy went into a depression. This type of season tends to translate into people looking to save money by reducing more frivolous expenses. While photos are valuable, they are not in the same category as basic needs like food, water, and housing.
20). Having a great website means people will just find you
The myth explained: If you spend the time putting together great website to showcase your photography business and portfolio, viewers will just come.
Why it’s a myth: A great website is just the beginning. To really gain any traction – increase your views, get more inquiries, etc. – you will need to do a lot of promotion. Leverage social media like Instagram to start growing your audience, and direct them over to your site for more information. Learning and implementing SEO tactics on your site can also lead to some huge boosts in traffic from search engines.
21). You can make a living as a budget photographer
The myth explained: It doesn’t take long to look around online and find a lot of photographers charging what seems to be a pretty small amount of money. In the wedding industry, it’s very common these days to see photographers charging $1,000 or less for a full wedding day.
Why it’s a myth: Budget photographers are a dime-a-dozen. In some parts of the world, these low prices might actually be justified if the cost of living is low, but it can be hard to gauge. More often than not, these budget photographers are just starting out or unsure of themselves to charge more. Whatever the reason for the low price, make no mistake, they are not likely making a living wage charging those types of prices. This is especially true when you factor in expenses (like buying new camera gear), taxes, and so on.
That’s a whole lot of myths about a pro photography career we’ve just added some of our input to.
What are some myths you’ve heard before about working as a photographer?