January 27, 2010 - 12:05 pm dustin meyer - Thanks for sharing this, Lindsay! A lot of my readers could definitely use this information.

January 27, 2010 - 5:41 pm Ally - I tried to leave a comment on his post on the blog, but it was closed for comments. I would like to hear how he recommends a person get started in the field. I went to a photographer in my town to ask them and they said go get a degree in photography and then I will talk to you. And while I agree that education is extremely important look at all the amazing photographers that were self taught... Anyway, I was just curious what the author's opinion was on that...

January 28, 2010 - 12:48 am Tanya Grossie - I understand completly the way he feels, but there are two sides to every story. I have been a photographer since 2006 and I have a lot of repeat clients. I have a degree in graphic design and a degree in computer network support technology. No, I do not have any degrees in photography, I am self taught. I do believe education is important, but I also believe that an eye for photography, people skills and passion for it are not taught. These things come from within. It is important that you know the technical side also but anyone can read a book and take classes but that still does not make them a good photographer. I have seen photographers that charge the industry standard and are not very good at all. In no way am I perfect but I do learn something new every day and I will do what it takes to give my clients the best memories that they are truly proud of and will come back. I have invested lots of money in equipment, back up equipment, software and learning materials. What about people that can not afford an expensive photographer. They deserve to have beautiful memories just like everyone else. I truly believe that your portfolio and your personality sells itself.

January 29, 2010 - 1:02 pm Ryan Phillips - For starters, many of the top photographers were/are self-taught so a traditional photography education is slightly irrelevant. I think what the photographer was trying to say ...and what Tanya seems to have figured out on her own is that there is a lot of work to becoming a professional photographer and it's not just about picking up a camera and shooting. Being a photographer and being a professional photographer are two very different things. The professional part implies that you are running a business and in doing so there is an industry standard. It means charging a fair market value and not undercutting the rest of the industry to get started. Many of the top photographers did things for years for free until they had the skill, confidence, equipment etc to start charging. With today's camera technology, Photoshop skills and inexpensive template websites it is easy to set up shop...but that doesn't mean you should. It sounds like that photographer is overly bitter but it's probably due to 20 new people starting up business in his town and undercutting him. Now he is having a hard time making money to support his family. Everyone and their mothers are starting to give workshops and they don't even have the camera skills or business acumen to be doing so. They are teaching people how "easy" it is to be a photographer and people are buying into it. However it is very unlikely you will learn what you truly need to know from someone who has been in this industry for less than 5 years. Did you know the average photographer in the US makes $24,000 a year? That's the average! That just tells me there needs to be tighter controls and more standard pricing in this industry if it's going to survive.

January 29, 2010 - 7:03 pm Rachel - I agree to some extent - but everybody (clients) should know that "you get what you pay for". If someone doesn't have it in their budget to hire a $6,000.000 wedding Photographer, well, it's just not there! If they choose to pay their friend $600 to do the job, that's not taking money out of the high-end Photographers pocket, as he was never an option to begin with! I myself have done weddings for under a $1000. These clients were friends of friends, and I don't market for weddings, I market for Portraiture. You could say it was more of a discounted favor, since both of us knew that was not my niche. Should I have done it for free? NO! If charging a low amount "undervalues" the industry, what does doing it for FREE do? Every industry is going to have someone that will give a better price on their service or product. And It should be that way. Sure, you can pay lots of money for a wedding cake, or you could use your friend's aunt Betty, and pay her $300. Judging from that article, he'd rather they go without cake. Nothing is ever an absolute. And you know...Some people that are searching for a photographer don't even value it as an art anyway, they may just look at it as recording the day in photos - they may not even ever consider to pay more than what THEY think it's worth. If you are a high-end photographer, well that client isn't your Target Market anyway.