"You don't get paid by the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour". - Jim Rohn
It is a fact that billions of people walk around with a more than capable camera in their pocket every day throughout the world. Smartphones have quickly become the number one selling cameras on the market and have made taking decent photos accessible to everyone, giving birth to a new generation of amateur photographers. So, how does the professional photographer fit into this ever-changing creative landscape?
People don't realize they need a professional photographer until they see a photo they like.
The truth is that a person can learn the technical aspects of photography in a couple of hours and produce adequate results with the way technology is today. However, to offer more than just being some "dude" with a camera, the professional adds a value that goes far beyond dialing in settings on a camera and pressing a button.
Why will two people taking a picture of the same subject with the same camera produce different results?
In Lisa Duchene's article, "Are artists born or taught," Penn State associate professor of art history Nancy Locke mentions that craftsman masters a skill, but an artist ventures beyond to innovate. "Artists have to be in touch with other artists, building on what other artists have done," says Locke. Artists must learn a tradition to challenge it, so artists are products of their times and context, both artistic and social, she adds. Like natural talent, vision is innate. Yet the way vision comes to fruition depends upon the artist's time and place, the surrounding artistic tradition, training, and life experience. (Duchene)
In a sense, all creative people have an artistic spirit. Nonetheless, it seems the professionals who stand out the most in their respective fields have certain intangibles within their work and personalities. A saying, "How deep is the well," in screenwriting circles refers to what experience a writer has to draw upon when writing a story. Everyone has different backgrounds and has walked separate paths. Yet, professionals can draw upon the richness of their own experiences and use them to bring value to their industry that is unique only to them.
For example, I didn't even pursue photography until well after college. Until that point, I was an athlete my whole life and then discovered a natural talent for music that I followed for many years, learning how to compose music, playing in bands, and performing. I also wore many hats working various artistic jobs before pursuing my true calling and passions, such as photography, which was always with me but never took action. The experience of those different periods in my life will undoubtedly have a creative influence on how I think, analyze and see the world through photography. We all have tremendous personal value in our lives, and the professionals who have been able to pull from that as a way to serve their industry separate themselves from the pack, not only creatively but with the value they can provide their clients and the people they work with.
In this video clip, the beautiful Stefania Sandrelli looks back at working with director Antonio Pietrangeli. The value that he brought to her life impacted her career and deeply affected her personally.
A young Stefania Sandrelli in one of my favorite scenes from I Knew Her Well.