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Just recently at a meeting with a couple thinking about me for their wedding photography, I was asked a question that stumped me. The groom-to-be asked me what did I think a Professional Photographer was. I may have looked like a deer in the headlights. He rephrased his question- what in your mind makes someone a professional photographer.

WOW! What an awesome question…but I will admit it caught me off guard. At first, my reaction was to rattle off a bunch of technical aspects of photography. And then, I realized that this would probably be boring to anyone other than a photographer. I scrambled around in my brain…and I believe I came up with something, but it was lame. Lame in the respect that it did not cover the amount of ground it should have and lame because it was not well thought out.

Since that meeting I have been thinking about this question. Photography is an art. And photographers are artists. There are not any set credentials needed to call your self a “professional photographer.” Some states require a certification, but most don’t. And placing parameters on artists would be a hard and slippery endeavor in my opinion.

Well, what I have come up with…here goes in no particular order. A professional photographer is someone who is constantly working at the craft of photography. This person NEVER stops learning or practicing. This person has experience and has a comfort level in her skill set, her equipment and the process. Her body of work is a collection of consistent and constantly improving imagery. A professional will be that– professional– when thrown into situations that can be socially hard, technically hard or just downright difficult. A professional does not give up when things get hard—a professional photographer gets the shot. PERIOD. Under these kinds of circumstances, not every image will be stellar or take your breath away, but it better be a QUALITY image and up to the best of that photographer’s ability and will reflect the same qualities of the imagery depicted in her portfolio. A professional is always lifting up others around her, being an example and sharing knowledge. A professional never builds herself up by tearing others down (their work or them personally). And a professional photographer makes her living taking/creating photographs/art.

Stories sometimes describe professional better. Once I had 2 minutes to get a photograph of Mike Ditka, Coach Joe Gibbs and Mike Shanahan. I wanted to get a nice visual background, but the field at Redskins park was under construction, and the handler told me that I had to pick a location that would be on their walking path through the building. So, I picked the best visual spot I could, set up my lighting equipment, had my assistant stand in tested the settings and then waited. The three arrived…and people are behind me snapping, grabbing the coaches hands, talking with them – my two minutes just went down to 1. So, I professionally put my assertive photographer hat on… Mike Ditka told me I was bossy, and then he grinned at me… but this photo was being printed, signed and raffled off later that evening. THE SHOT had to happen. I believe I got ten shots, and in only three of the shots all the coaches were looking at me. I have many wedding stories too…but this blog entry is way too long already. The above situation and others like it take a professional photographer.

Back to the Groom-to-be question—hiring a photographer is an investment. And if you are booking a photographer for your wedding you definitely want to make sure you are hiring a professional. Check out this blog entry for some tips on finding a wedding photographer.

Information about the photo: I chose this photo because lighthouses conceptually speak of strength, guidance and truth, which to me, are all aspects of being professional.

Mulholland Point Lighthouse was built in 1888 on the west side of Campobello to guide ships through the Lubec Narrows. This lighthouse is a wooden-framed octagonal tower 44 feet high. In 1962, when navigational lights were installed on the newly-built bridge that connects Lubec with Campobello Island, the lighthouse was decommissioned. It later was donated to the Roosevelt-Campobello International park.