The difference between professional photographers and amateur photographers

The difference between professional photographers and amateur photographers

What is the difference between a professional photographer and an amateur photographer? Come and see with me now!

How to distinguish professional photographers from amateur photographers?

If you have taken photos for a while, at some point, this question will definitely come to your mind. How to distinguish amateurs from professional photographers has caused a lot of controversy. In fact, we can look at this problem from many aspects.

Dictionary explanation:

Perhaps the most direct way to distinguish amateurs from professional photographers is to look up their explanations in the dictionary. According to the definition, an amateur is "a person who engages in a pursuit or an activity for fun, not for economic benefits".

On the other hand, the definition of professional photographer is not so clear. Different sources have different definitions of "occupation". Simple is "people who make a living by profession", but vague is "people who are proficient in their jobs".

Obviously, it is this ambiguity in the definition of professional photographer that leads to the debate among all parties. However, through the definition in the dictionary, we know that if you don't take pictures for profit, you are an amateur; On the contrary, he is a professional photographer.

According to the government:

▲ Photography: Tax Credit

No matter what kind of photographer you are, it is more important that the government regards you as a professional photographer or an amateur photographer. If you are a professional photographer, depending on where you live and take photos, you may need to abide by some rules and regulations.

For example, if an American citizen makes money through photography, he must decide whether he needs to pay the federal and state income tax annually or quarterly according to his total income. Professional photographers must also obtain federal and state business licenses. In addition, depending on the type of photography involved, you even need to levy consumption tax on your customers.

In a word, most governments say that if you get paid by photography, you are a professional photographer. With this title, you naturally have to bear some responsibilities.

As a professional photographer, imagine yourself as an enterprise.

▲ Photography: Epson. (added before the verb) means "negative" and "opposite"; (added before nouns to form verbs) means "get rid of", "get rid of"

Now, put aside the dictionary explanation and the government's statement. Another way to define your professionalism is to package yourself as a business, not just a photographer. Think about the business you used to go to, think about that.

These aspects make it a good business organization. From customer service and marketing to financial settlement and business operation, these should be a vital part of your photography career.

To be a professional photographer, one aspect is particularly important, that is, how to deal with new customers' inquiries. Dealing with such problems requires a comprehensive process. For example, use tables or worksheets to help your customers express their ideas fully and effectively. At the same time, you should also draw up the price list, contract and invoice, and be ready to fill it out.

Example of workflow:

▲ Photography: Bob prosser

1. Put a consultation form on the contact page of your website. In this way, customers can submit the details of the shooting plan in advance to help them conduct pre-examination. There should also be a price forecast table so that you can have a reference when you need to put forward the price. Remember, self-confidence is the key, especially when you insist on your own price.

Every job should have a quotation and a contract. According to the scope of the project, send a preliminary photographic evaluation form and contract to the customer, which outlines the services that can be provided, including some details, such as the right to use, delivery options and planning schedule. Let the customer sign the contract to confirm the agreement.

3. After the work is completed, send the invoice to the customer. Tax-related documents should also be prepared and can be sent at any time once the customer needs them.

By simplifying the initial inquiry process of customers, you not only gain their trust, but also make your own workflow simpler.

Additional:

A complete collection of photographer's skills and formulas.

Landscape photography formula

The big scene depends on running frequently and watching the weather before going to bed. There is no good light at noon, and the good light is fading in the morning.

Wonders emphasize the atmosphere. Don't let the rain and fog go. Take the camera with you and it will clear up at night.

Outsole with slow film, tripod cable release zoom is easy to shine, try to use fixed focus.

Remove the protective mirror, install the hood, lock the tripod and pre-lock the reflector.

Gray, white and black in landscape measurement should be often shortened for photometry, and several pieces should be wrapped up and down.

The negative should be slightly larger, the positive can slightly reduce the wide angle and heavy theme, and the telephoto can compress the scene.

Small aperture depth of field, full open paste background, side backlight, slow door display action.

Streams should be exposed for a long time and continuously dense. The side light sees the mountain, and the reflection sees the water.

Focus on the theme, grasp the reflected light of polarized light horizontally, and gradually flatten the contrast.

If the contrast is too large, the black card will have a long queue effect. Avoid the headlights and the rocks will get wet.

There are many clouds, and the cloudless land is the key to the prospect, which is divided into three parts and nine grids.

To add interest to the characters, it is necessary to make the finishing point, remove sundries and pick up the garbage before shooting.

The big scene depends on running frequently and watching the weather before going to bed:

Every excellent landscape photography is obtained through hard work, tireless long journey and the baptism of rain, snow and hail in spring, summer, autumn and winter. Good will and laziness will never produce a good landscape photography. The weather is the most sensitive issue for photographers, so it is most important to master the weather the next day, especially to pay attention to the morning and evening of the next day.

There is no good light at noon, but good light at dusk;

The direct glare at noon is the most taboo in landscape photography, which generally refers to after 10 every morning and before 3 pm (depending on the time difference in different areas), because the light is too hard, the picture is too dry and there is no sense of hierarchy. The best shooting time for landscape photography is every morning and one night. Because the color temperature is low and the light is soft, in the case of insufficient sunlight, all kinds of scenery are distinct and beautiful.

Wonders emphasize the atmosphere, but rain and fog don't pass;

Under the special conditions of the weather and the background of special scenes, unexpected wonders can often be shot, which is very shocking. Of course, it all depends on your luck. Rainy and foggy days do not necessarily produce good works. Sometimes in some scenes, the rain and fog in the sky can create a special artistic conception and a fabulous picture, which is beautiful.

Take a camera when it rains, and it will clear up in the evening;

You may not be able to take a camera in rainy days, especially in thunderstorm weather, where unexpected good light often appears and good works with very strong atmosphere are often taken. It is worth noting that you should first protect your camera from being wet by rain. If you can survive the rain at night, it is your happiest time. There will be a reflection on the ground just after the rain, and it is very transparent, which is most suitable for shooting night scenes. Be sure to master the shooting time, because the best shooting time for night scenes is 20 minutes at most.

Outsole plus slow film, tripod cable release:

General landscape photography uses a small aperture and a large depth of field. Because a small aperture is used, the luminous flux is also reduced, so the shutter speed is relatively slow. Tripod and pay-off are necessary equipment for landscape photography, and it is basically impossible to operate by hand, especially for photographic works with large scenes, large sizes and high quality requirements.

Zoom is easy to shine, try to use fixed focus:

Zoom Yi Yaoguang's zoom lens generally refers to some low-grade and low-priced lenses. Now some newly developed, produced and sold brands, original high-quality zoom lenses and lenses with ed lenses have basically avoided this problem. As the saying goes, "there is no weakness in fixed focus." In some specific viewing angles and specific scenes, of course, the fixed-focus lens is preferred, and the picture details are much better than the zoom lens. However, due to the inconvenience of shooting and using, the restriction of various scene changes is too serious, so it is not as flexible as zoom lens.

Gray in landscape investigation should be reduced with white and black;

How to measure light and how to expose it is one of the most important operations in landscape photography. The exposure compensation function of digital camera must be used and adjusted at any time according to the actual scene needs. The so-called "white plus black to be reduced" refers to how to control the performance of black and white fields, such as shooting white snow, which requires exposure compensation, gray without adding it, exposure compensation for shooting night scenes, bright without reducing it, and so on.

Wide-angle emphasis on theme, telephoto compression scene:

Shooting with wide-angle lens is one of the most common choices in landscape photography, especially shooting some large scenes, which can make the picture look broad but informal. It is not enough to shoot some scenes with wide-angle lens, and they are often synthesized in the form of tab. The characteristics of telephoto lens have a certain compression effect on the scene, which is just the opposite of wide-angle lens, especially suitable for shooting long-distance and local close-ups. Such as the performance of a particular scene.

Small aperture depth of field, fully open paste background:

Small aperture and large depth of field will have a large focus range, which can play a role in large scene clarity and detail expression. The large aperture scene is shallow and the focus range is small, which can highlight the theme and blur the background. But the practical application of depth of field depends on the focal length and distance of the lens. The longer the focal length, the larger the aperture, the shallower the depth of field, and the shorter the focal length, the smaller the aperture and the greater the depth of field. At the same time, the length of camera distance also has a great relationship with the control of depth of field.

Floral backlight, dynamic slow door:

It is a common technique to shoot all kinds of flowers with side backlight. Its advantage is that the picture is layered and three-dimensional because of the light, at the same time, it can make the flowers appear transparent, the texture is fully displayed, and the bright contrast between light and shade can be formed to highlight the theme. Some special flowers can be operated through the slow door, forming an unexpected artistic conception and effect of combining static and dynamic.

Streams should be exposed for a long time and continuously dense;

Under normal circumstances, when you see waterfalls, streams and other scenes, you can mostly use slow exposure, which can make the picture show the feeling of continuous drizzle and have a different artistic conception. But you can also use high-speed shutter to shoot according to your own creativity, and solidify the scenes such as water droplets, which will be another scene. Anyway, it depends on your personal hobby.

See the mountain to find the side light, see the water to shoot the reflection:

The purpose of looking at the mountains and looking for light is to make use of the low illumination of the sun, which will make the scene rich in layering and three-dimensionality, so as not to make the picture flat and lack impact. It is also one of the common methods used by photographers to shoot the reflection of water, especially when the weather is clear and there is no wind or rain. The water surface is like a mirror, and it is more poetic to use the available scenes to shoot reflections.

Focus on the theme and keep it steady:

Focusing on the theme is one of the most basic operating procedures for photographers. Where the focus is, the theme is there. This is the law. The first problem to be solved in landscape photography is the balance of the horizon, which is not allowed to be staggered and the picture is unbalanced, especially in landscape photography.

Avoid headlights for a long time, and the rocks should be wet;

Shooting at night, the most taboo is strong light, such as car headlights, searchlights, street lights. Because night shooting generally belongs to long exposure, if you don't avoid the strong light above, you will choose the picture. There is no doubt that the final result is serious overexposure. When shooting rocks, it is best to choose wet rocks after rain, because the effect of drying rocks will appear pale, thirsty, lacking texture and layering. Wet rock can best express the performance of color, texture and texture.

There are more clouds, and cloudless land is dominant:

There are many clouds, and cloudless land is the most commonly used way to walk in the sky in landscape photography. Most photographers can understand the meaning of these two sentences. The blue sky and the thick and beautiful white clouds are the happiest and most exciting moments for photographers, and then the stunning and charming scenes set it off, and the blockbuster comes from your hands. Cloudless skies in Wan Li often lack a sense of hierarchy and are gray. It is better to shoot the sky less and give priority to the ground.

To add interest to characters, it is necessary to make the finishing point:

For humanities, portraits, documentaries, etc. Most of the pictures are mainly people. A qualified photographer must first be familiar with and understand human knowledge and understanding. Every movement, every look can represent everyone's different actions and ideas. As we all know, whether a family is clean or not, the first thing to look at is the window glass and the ground, and the first thing to look at is the expression and eyes. So is photography. People's eyes can represent everyone's actions and thoughts, which is the real meaning of "making the finishing point".

Prospect is the key, three point nine grid:

Foreground position is the key, this sentence is very good, with a suitable foreground position, the picture can have a sense of hierarchy, depth and appeal. Losing the prospect often makes the picture look empty and unbalanced. Three-point nine-square grid is one of the most basic and commonly used methods of photographic composition. It divides four golden points in the diagram, namely, the upper left point, the upper right point, the lower left point and the lower right point. Photographs made with these four points are spiritual, not rigid. In addition, there are many other composition methods, such as contrast method, symmetry method, S composition method, diagonal composition method, triangle composition method and so on. In short, it should be used flexibly according to the needs of the actual scene.

Polarized reflected light, gradient flat contrast:

How to use polarizer or gradient lens correctly is a problem that photographers must figure out. The characteristic of polarizer is that it can better remove some messy and dazzling reflections in the scene, and the gradient lens can balance the contrast of light. Especially, the gradient lens commonly used in photography can not only balance the contrast of light, but also darken the sky, make the sky bluer and white clouds whiter when shooting at about 45 degrees from the sun.

See the scenery, get rid of sundries, and pick up garbage before shooting:

The phrase "Look at the scenery before shooting, get rid of sundries and pick up garbage" is particularly important for photographers. Although it is exaggerated, it shows that when shooting photographic works, the picture should be as simple and clean as possible. Avoid the phenomenon that the picture is chaotic, the theme is not divided, and the guests usurp the role of the host.

Street photography formula

Street shooting should be low-key, don't bring big bags and light cameras, and smile at everyone.

High-sensitivity black-and-white film, large paraxial aperture, advance metering, and make good use of Jing Shenbiao.

Expect the next step, take the environment first, explain more, and make good use of wide angle.

Give the camera to Zhang San and Li Si. Don't try to run tripods, roadside stands, slow doors and others.

Turned to look at the side, holding a cable coat to cover the camera and looked up at Youyou.

At the sight of a good moment, continuous shooting didn't wait to flatten the viewer, which was not small.

Hang the camera on your chest, look down at the hurried pedestrians and take pictures slowly.

If there are many opportunities, it is the treasure train or the MRT. There are many themes.

Ask more questions on weekdays. If you see people crowded at the annual event table, join in the fun quickly.

Vest identification card, scare the hillbilly to observe his words and make sure he is in a good mood.

Think about your position in advance, whether to expose private photos with different meanings, and never publish them.

If you are unhappy, apologize and bow, pretending to be Japanese.

Portrait photography formula

Adjust your graceful posture, separate people and change the beat back and forth.

One person is quiet, one person moves, and can be used in rotation.

Intimacy, warmth, happiness, sweetness and affection.

Distance is far and natural, and the change of beauty is not rigid.

Before attracting attention and watching less, it is intriguing and contains it.

You look at me, I look at you, there is no point in turning your face away.

Hug the neck and waist, used for intimacy.

Walk back and forth, run and jump, and lift your hips lively.

Specific control:

Facial beautification is the most important thing before looking for light and choosing scenery.

At the intersection of sunlight and shadow, there is a good scene in the edge light.

The reflection area should be used frequently, with beautiful light and bright shadows.

The light can't just stare at the face, the hair background should be clear.

Stray light is not available, and facial lighting should be clean.

Although the lighting location is important, the opportunity to use light needs to be controlled.

In the best light, turn around and choose beautiful scenery.

You didn't feel wrong, and the light direction was not selected correctly.

Formula for taking pictures with mobile phone

Zoom basically depends on walking, focus basically depends on twisting,

Shading is basically manual, blurring is basically by shaking,

Photometry basically depends on the eyes, and anti-shake basically depends on the elbows.

Dust removal basically depends on the mouth, and the lens is basically only.

It's urgent to shoot children, and girls are all skinned.

Formula for taking pictures in rainy days

1. Find a tripod on the second floor with a railing and shoot colorful umbrellas moving downstairs with a "slow shutter".

2. Ride downstairs and shoot people and knights running in panic in the rain.

3. Take photos of lovers in the rain and share joys and sorrows under a small umbrella.

4, rainy days can shoot very saturated green plants, go to the forest to try your luck!

5. Use the "slow shutter" to photograph the continuous density of streams and waterfalls.

6. Look everywhere for frogs hiding under the leaves from the rain!

7. Go to the lotus pond and shoot "Rain Beats Lotus Leaves" with a long lens.

8. Go to the seaside and shoot "Breaking the Shore and Rolling Up Thousands of Snow"

9. Go to the harbor to photograph fishing boats and dark clouds.

10, shoot the atmosphere of "the rain is coming" on the mountain.

1 1. Find a pool of stagnant water to shoot the reflection of the building.

12, it is most suitable for shooting night scenes in rainy days. The ground is wet, reflecting neon lights, street lamps and car lights. It is very beautiful!

13, shoot the happy time of children playing and treading water!

14, find a big dog, pat it with the "quick shutter", shake it and throw the water.

15, have a cup of hot tea and stay in a warm home to find something to take a macro view.

Photographic pose formula

I. Expression

The most important thing to relax by taking pictures is to have a sense of communication and charm.

Second, posture.

Elegant front curve and loose hips and shoulders are the key, which runs through all kinds of postures.

The upper body leans forward to show closeness, and the half back is turned back at will, and the waist and buttocks are flexible and exquisite.

Smile and think deeply or want to say something, whether bold or unrestrained, you have the heart to look at it, you can only communicate with your heart.

Third, hand posture.

Hands are half a person's face, and there are thousands of combinations between hands and body. Only with reasonable placement can they be happy.

Hands hanging down, shoulders slightly picked, head leaning here at the same time, squinting at the camera.

Hold your hands on your chest naturally, or put your clothes in your pockets, carry your skirt, and meditate on your side.

Hands twisted with one hand, elbows on shoulders, fingers slightly pointed, and the girl next door is charming and shy.

Hold your hips with your arms, lean forward and talk, with a touching curve and a pure face.

Fourth, rely on posture.

Lean forward or sideways, touch one shoulder with one hand, and smile at the mirror with your shoulders and legs.

Five, sitting posture

In sitting posture, the legs and arms are the key points, the legs are bent at right angles, and the back waist and hips are curved.

Sixth, prone position

The elbow table with hips up and chest out has the most curve in the side shot, showing the chest and hips down, and the close-up face and eyes are more round.

Seven, prone position

Lying Buddha in the world for thousands of years, it is best to shoot curves when lying on your side, elbows supporting your cheeks and watching coldly. Photo photography is the most common way to lie on your side, with your upper body tilted, your legs tilted or your face illuminated.

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